Sometimes support isn’t a speech. It’s a text. A ride. A shared joke. A friend who doesn’t disappear when symptoms show up.
In this episode of Beat The Mental Health Out Of It! (AKA “BTMHOOI!”), host Nicholas Wichman (“The DEFECTIVE Schizoaffective”) sits down with longtime friend Ryan Manning for a candid conversation about friendship, mental illness, peer support, and what it actually looks like to show up without trying to “fix” someone.
You’ll hear Ryan on future episodes where he speaks from a law enforcement perspective (Officer Ryan Manning), but this one is different: more personal, more story-driven, and rooted in the reality of two friends navigating very different mental health experiences. We talk openly about the dynamic of one friend living with serious mental illness and the other trying to support without rescuing — and how friendship gets stronger when it includes honesty, accountability, and humor.
We also get into the part people rarely see: how someone can live with schizoaffective disorder and still function at a high level, and how real support often means respecting competence while still taking symptoms seriously. It’s not about walking on eggshells. It’s about learning what helps, what hurts, and how to stay human with each other when life gets heavy.
In this episode, we talk about:
Post one support move you’ll try this week in our Discord, “The Struggle Bus” — we’ll help you refine it so it actually lands. (link below)
Beat The Mental Health Out Of It! (AKA “BTMHOOI!”) is a candid mental health podcast rooted in lived experience: schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia spectrum psychosis, BPD, PTSD, trauma recovery, coping skills, and dark humor that helps make serious mental illness more understandable and human.
Hosted by Nicholas Wichman (“The DEFECTIVE Schizoaffective”) with frequent co-host Tony Medeiros (“IndyPocket”), we cover psych wards, psychiatric medication, disability, religious trauma, good therapy, bad therapy, and practical real-world coping — plus the societal and relationship issues that shape mental health every day. The goal isn’t just “fighting stigma.” It’s education, clarity, and honest conversation.
We interview everyone from everyday people to public figures, clinicians, and professionals, because mental health struggles don’t care who you are. If you’re willing to share your story or expertise, we aim to offer a safe, judgment-free space where you can speak openly — and still have some fun while doing it.
New episodes drop every other Monday at 6am EDT.
Want community and support? Join our Discord, “The Struggle Bus”: https://discord.gg/emFXKuWKNA
All links (TikTok, YouTube, Streaming, etc.): https://linktr.ee/BTMHOOI
Podcast cover art by Ryan Manning
