Real Mental Health is a podcast hosted by Dr. Mike Mah, covering the actual work of mental health. Interviews with psychiatrists, therapists, and specialists on topics that come up in real clinical practice: OCD, anxiety, ADHD, autism, eating disorders, ISTDP, ketamine, concierge medicine, dating, trauma, and the rest of what patients actually ask about.
The podcast is available on Spotify and YouTube. New episodes are released as they finish, not on a fixed schedule.
Guest: Sarah Burney, LCSW, trauma therapist
Dr. Mike Mah and Sarah Burney on the difference between PTSD and complex trauma, big T versus little t trauma, emotional neglect, why the same event affects people differently, trauma responses including fight, flight, freeze, and dissociation, the window of tolerance, self-compassion, and what healing actually looks like.
Guest: Dr. Michael Kanell, double board-certified psychiatrist
Dr. Mike Mah and Dr. Michael Kanell on why borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder are so often confused, the real differences between emotional dysregulation and mood episodes, splitting and fear of abandonment, manic episodes, and what effective treatment looks like, from DBT and schema therapy to medication.
Guest: Dr. Pat Baumgart
Dr. Mike Mah and Dr. Pat Baumgart on the difference between healthy and clinical anxiety, the major anxiety disorders (GAD, OCD, panic), evidence-based treatments including medication and psychotherapy, and practical in-the-moment techniques like breathing exercises and mindfulness.
Guest: Sarah Burney, eating disorder specialist
Dr. Mike Mah and Sarah Burney on the rise in eating disorder cases, the differences between anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, the concept of ego-syntonic behaviors, treatment approaches, the role of GLP-1 agonists, and honest reflections on the body positivity movement.
Guest: Dr. Meghan Jain, child and adolescent psychiatrist
Dr. Mike Mah and Dr. Meghan Jain on what autism is, how it is diagnosed and evaluated, why it is so often missed in women and girls, treatments for irritability and agitation, and the neurodiversity movement's challenge to the traditional “disorder” framing.
Guest: Dr. Pat Baumgart, psychiatrist
Dr. Mike Mah and Dr. Pat Baumgart on differentiating ADHD from bipolar disorder, why accurate diagnosis matters, how psychiatric medications are prescribed, and the role of clinical assessment versus formal neuropsychiatric testing.
Guest: Kevin Nahai, therapist and life coach
Dr. Mike Mah and Kevin Nahai on trauma, dating in the age of apps, why people struggle to connect, and the teachable skills that build lasting relationships.
Guest: Dr. Daniel Benhuri, Beverly Hills concierge internal medicine
Dr. Mike Mah and Dr. Daniel Benhuri on concierge medicine, NAD+ and other trending supplements, multivitamins, fasting, testosterone, libido and PT-141, and the role of GLP-1 agonists and semaglutides in modern weight management.
Guest: Dr. Michael Kanell, double board-certified psychiatrist
Dr. Mike Mah and Dr. Michael Kanell on Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), how it addresses unconscious emotional conflicts, and why it can produce accelerated, lasting change in patients.
Guest: Jeff Scott
Dr. Mike Mah and Jeff Scott on how anxiety can sometimes work in someone's favor, how trauma affects people differently, and the impact of modern dating on mental health.
Guest: Jeff Scott
Dr. Mike Mah and Jeff Scott on the most common medications for anxiety and how they differ, how social anxiety can sabotage dating success, and how someone develops narcissistic traits.
Guest: Jeff Scott
The debut episode. Dr. Mike Mah and Jeff Scott on anxiety in and out of the workplace, compulsive reassurance seeking, manifesting fear, impulsivity, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and trauma.
Real Mental Health exists to make psychiatric and psychological topics clear, evidence-based, and useful. Episodes are conversational rather than lecture-format, and guests are chosen because Dr. Mike Mah wants to talk with them, not because they have a book to promote. The goal is to help listeners understand mental health well enough to advocate for themselves and the people they love.
Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. For questions or guest suggestions, contact the office through the contact page.
Mike Mah, MD