Category: Addiction & Compulsion

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Addiction as a Survival Strategy August 8, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Andrew Tatarski, Deborah Hillman, Dr. Harold Urschel, Emily Anthes, Roberta Maria Atzi
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Identity & The Self

Addiction is not weakness but a misfired survival mechanism rooted in perceived isolation. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti trace compulsive behaviors, from substance abuse to sex and food addiction, back to what they call the refugee syndrome, drawing on interviews with Dr. Deborah Hillman, MD, Dr. Andrew Tatarsky, Addiction Psychologist, Dr. Harold Urschel, Author, and science journalist and author Emily Anthes.

Addiction as a Survival Strategy August 7, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Andrew Tatarski, Deborah Hillman, Dr. Harold Urschel, Emily Anthes, Roberta Maria Atzi
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, The Mind & Neuroscience

Every addiction, from food to sex to opiates, traces back to one root: the terror of being alone and unmoored. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti develop their “refugee syndrome” framework, while a recorded conversation with Dr. Harold Urschel, MD examines brain chemistry, medication, and why comprehensive treatment outperforms willpower alone.

Addiction as Romance with Jonathan Berent July 16, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Jonathan Berent
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Anxiety & Fear

Armand DiMele reframes addiction as a romance, arguing that substances and compulsive behaviors offer the unconditional love that people fail to find elsewhere. Social anxiety specialist Jonathan Berent then joins to discuss shyness, social phobia, selective mutism, and why avoidance only deepens over time.

When We Lose Control April 11, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Linda Vanella
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Emotions & Inner Life

Why do otherwise controlled people suddenly explode? Armand DiMele and Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, trace the roots of losing control across rage, sexuality, eating, and grief, arguing that the narcissistic wound is the most reliable trigger, and that suppression itself sets the stage for the blowup.

Sexual Obsession as Anxiety November 9, 2011

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Booker Irvin, Kent Robertshaw, Linda Vanella
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Anxiety & Fear

Sexual obsession reframed not as moral failure but as an anxiety disorder seeking relief through repetitive thought and behavior. Armand DiMele and Linda Vanella, LCSW-R discuss the cycle with Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, Psychiatrist, who explains the roles of testosterone, the nucleus accumbens, and serotonin-based medications in treatment.

Dependency and Autonomy July 5, 2011

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Linda Vanella
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Identity & The Self

What is the real opposite of dependency? Armand DiMele argues it is autonomy, not independence, then unpacks the dependent personality with Linda Vanella, LCSW-R. The episode covers how dependency forms, how it fuels serial relationships and narcissistic dynamics, and why genuine autonomy must be a conscious choice rather than a reaction to fear.

Addiction and Depression in the Elderly June 28, 2011

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Sherri Siegel
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Aging & Mortality

Older adults are an overlooked population of addicts, and alcohol hits them harder than most realize. Armand DiMele and Dr. Sherry Siegel, M.D. examine late-onset substance use, the dangerous mix of alcohol and prescription medications, the leading cause of injury death in people over 65, and how to distinguish grief and sadness from clinical depression.

The Alter Self in Addiction and Compulsion March 1, 2011

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, Identity & The Self

What if every addiction or compulsion is run by a hidden alter self, not the person you know yourself to be? Armand DiMele draws on his decades treating dissociative identity disorder to argue that alter personalities, from the false front to the persecutor, operate in all of us, driving behaviors our primary self disowns.

Alcohol Withdrawal and the Body with Dr. Kent Robertshaw September 8, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Kent Robertshaw
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, The Mind & Neuroscience

Alcohol dependence does something specific to the brain’s stress response, and sudden quitting can be medically dangerous. Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, psychiatrist, explains how cortisol and adrenaline surge during withdrawal, why tolerance builds, and how outpatient medication can safely bring someone down from heavy drinking. The conversation extends to chronic pain and fibromyalgia.

Hormones and Female Addiction with Emily Anthes April 13, 2010

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Emily Anthes, Stephanie D'Ambra
Category: Addiction & Compulsion, The Mind & Neuroscience

Estrogen makes drugs feel better, and progesterone can counteract that effect. Emily Anthes, Science Journalist and Author, joins Armand to explain why female addicts are biologically distinct from male addicts, why teenage girls now use drugs as often as boys, and how hormone-based treatments might one day help women quit.