Psychosis & The Cracks In Care | With Tom Darley

<p><strong>Ever seen someone in public acting strangely and assumed they were just on drugs?</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>What if they weren&#39;t... and how you reacted made it worse?</strong></p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, Paris sits down with <strong>Tom Darley</strong>, psychosocial recovery coach and founder of Chameleon Recovery in Perth, to talk about what psychosis actually is, what it looks and feels like from the inside, and what most people get completely wrong about it. Paris also shares her own experience of drug-induced psychosis for the first time on the podcast; the hallucinations, the terror, and the absolute certainty that what she was experiencing was real.</p><p><br></p><p>Tom brings years of frontline experience supporting people through severe mental illness, dual diagnosis, and a system that keeps dropping the ball at exactly the moment people need it most.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What you&#39;ll hear in this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>The three things that define a psychotic episode: hallucinations, delusions, and disorganised thinking, and why each one changes everything</li><li>What it actually feels like to be inside drug-induced psychosis (Paris shares her own experience for the first time)</li></ul><ul><li>How to de-escalate someone having a psychotic episode in public, and what most people do that makes it significantly worse</li><li>Why assuming a public psychotic episode is drug-related can be dangerous, and what serious mental health conditions trigger the same experience</li><li>What happens when meth use and schizophrenia collide, and why the system isn&#39;t built to hold both</li></ul><p><br></p><p>If you&#39;ve ever stood helpless watching someone in crisis, or lived through psychosis yourself and never had anyone explain what was actually happening to you... this one&#39;s for you.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>About Tom Darley</strong></p><p>Tom Darley is a psychosocial recovery coach and founder of <a href="https://www.chameleonrecovery.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Chameleon Recovery</a>, a Perth-based service supporting people navigating severe mental illness, psychosis, and dual diagnosis. He brings his own lived experience of anxiety and depression alongside years of frontline community support work.</p><p>Website: <a href="http://www.chameleonrecovery.com.au" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">www.chameleonrecovery.com.au</a> | Email: tom@chameleonrecovery.com.au | <a href="linkedin.com/company/chameleon-recovery⁠" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">LinkedIn</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Thank you to our Season 4 sponsors:</strong></p><p><a href="https://coachcarly.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Coach Carly</a> – Life &amp; mindset coaching | <a href="https://www.elevatebeyondco.com.au" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Elevate Beyond Co.</a> – Disability support services | <a href="https://www.yourrecovery.au" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Your Recovery</a> – Addiction recovery support</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Thank you to our Production Team:</strong>Video/Audio Editing: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nevverlandstudios/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Nevverland Studio</a> | VA - <a href="https://www.lynebon.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Lyn Ebon</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Australia Wide Directory of Services: </strong></p><p><strong></strong><a href="https://www.myservices.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.myservices.org.au/</a><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Western Australian AOD Services: </strong></p><p><strong></strong><a href="https://wanada.org.au/greenbook/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://wanada.org.au/greenbook/</a></p><p><br></p><p>National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline: 1800 250 015</p><p>Lifeline: 13 11 14 | Suicide Call Back: 1300 659 467 | Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 |