Kevin Allison Presents:
  • ☰

  • Listen
    • All Episodes
    • On Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, etc.
    • Best of RISK!
    • All-Star Episodes
    • Black Lives
    • Asian American Lives
    • Scary Stories
    • Holiday Stories
  • Live Shows
  • About
    • The Team
    • Praise
    • Press
  • Submissions
    • Pitch Stories
    • Submit Anecdotes
    • Deadlines & Themes
    • Storytelling Resources
    • Recording Yourself
    • Music
  • Support
    • Patreon
    • PayPal
  • Contact
  • Classes
  • Shop
  • REAL

Stories with keyword: mental illness

The Lightswitch

After reading a short story in his college creative writing class about a man with OCD, Matt has a flash of insight and realizes that he himself showed all the signs of obsessive-compulsive behavior in his youth — counting rituals, … Continue reading →

Keywords cat, college, compulsions, control, counselor, counting, death, George, habits, high school, light switch, Live story, mental health, mental illness, New York, NYC, obsessions, OCD, People’s Improv, puberty, rituals, rumination, shower, summer camp, switchplate

In the Blood

Growing up, Myriah’s mother is an alcoholic, as well as bipolar, and though the two have a close relationship, it’s codependent, with Myriah’s mom counting on her to be a responsible caretaker and rescuer at all times. One night, when … Continue reading →

Keywords abuse, addiction, alcoholic, alcoholism, bipolar, blood, codependency, drinking, dysfunctional family, emancipation, EMTs, fracture, Hepatitis C, impulsive, incoherent, injury, Live, mental illness, Minneapolis, Minnesota, mother

You Don’t Know Jack

Kurt’s father, Jack, left the family when Kurt was just a toddler, and ever since there’s been a shroud of mystery and menace around the man — his mother implies that he was dangerous, and affected by paranoid schizophrenia, and … Continue reading →

Keywords absent, acceptance, barking, bird shit, birds, Boston, brother, Burlington, creepy, dog, father, filth, Florida, forgiveness, hospital, institution, Jack, Live, Massachusetts, mental illness, paranoid schizophrenia, reunion, son, Sybil, Vermont

Interview: Tracy and Kevin Allison

Kevin Allison interviews Tracy about the process of creating and performing her shocking and deeply emotional story “Transcendent” as part of the Live From Philly episode. The interview contains excerpts from Tracy’s story.

Keywords analysis, anxiety, audio hallucination, better., blood, brave, breakdown, college, commentary, delayed grieving, delusion, delusional, detachment, dog, freaking out, grief, hallucination, hospital, inpatient, joint, karaoke, Kevin Allison, kill, knife, Live, love, marijuana, mental health, mental illness, messiah, mom, mother, murder, mushrooms, outpatient, pain, Philadelphia, Philly, philosophy, police, pot, psych ward, reality, recovery, religion, show host, stabbing, steak knife, suicide, trip, unconditional love, voices, weed

A Hard Landing

British 20-something JP gets a job that transfers him from London to New York. One of the only friends he makes is a young lady named Claire, whom he meets online and begins dating. She becomes mysteriously ill with terrible … Continue reading →

Keywords attention-seeking, believable, break-in, British, cancer, Claire, convincing, diagnosis, doctors, doubt, Emma, ex-pat, fabrication, fight, GI distress, girlfriend, heavy metal, hoax, hospital, illness, instability, lead, lies, made-up, medical, mental illness, Munchausen Syndrome, mysterious, mystery, NYC, poison, psychiatric, Radio story, sick, stomach, stomach aches, toxic, vomiting

Side Effects

Katie participates in an experimental antidepressant drug trial at Columbia University to see if it will help her lifelong depression, anhedonia and lack of engagement in life. She can’t know if she’s been assigned to the active medication group or … Continue reading →

Keywords antidepressant, antisocial, blind, blindness, brain, chocolate, depression, donuts, drug trial, Entenmann’s, eyesight, loss, medication, mental health, mental illness, mind, placebo, placebo effect, power of suggestion, Radio story, side effects, vision, withdrawn

Transcendent

Tracy is a sophomore at Bard College searching for transcendental experiences to escape from the grief she’s been carrying inside. When she takes mushrooms for the first time, the initial good trip gives way to feelings of suicidality. The next … Continue reading →

Keywords anxiety, audio hallucination, Best of RISK!, better., blood, brave, breakdown, college, delayed grieving, delusion, delusional, detachment, dog, freaking out, grief, hallucination, hospital, inpatient, joint, karaoke, kill, knife, Live, love, marijuana, mental health, mental illness, messiah, mom, mother, murder, mushrooms, outpatient, pain, Philadelphia, Philly, philosophy, police, pot, psych ward, reality, recovery, religion, stabbing, steak knife, suicide, trip, unconditional love, voices, weed

The Duel

When they were teens, Lili and her brother came home one day, when their father, who had bipolar disorder, challenged Lili’s brother to a knife duel, saying only one should survive. See the short film adapation of this story, by … Continue reading →

Keywords basement, Best of RISK!, bipolar, Celebrity storyteller, cross-dressing, dad, delusion, disorder, drag, duel, father, hospital, knives, manic depression, mental health, mental illness, psychiatric

On Tour

    • 07 / 19 / 2022 - Los Angeles
    • RISK!'s live show in LA and online
    • 07 / 21 / 2022 - New York
    • RISK!'s live show in NYC and online
    • 07 / 30 / 2022 - Detroit
    • RISK! Live in Detroit, MI (Ferndale)
    • 07 / 31 / 2022 - Chicago
    • RISK! Live in Chicago
    • 08 / 16 / 2022 - Los Angeles
    • RISK!'s live show in LA and online
    • 09 / 20 / 2022 - Los Angeles
    • RISK!'s live show in LA and online
    • 09 / 22 / 2022 - New York
    • RISK!'s live show in NYC and online
    • 10 / 18 / 2022 - Los Angeles
    • RISK!'s live show in LA and online
    • 11 / 15 / 2022 - Los Angeles
    • RISK!'s live show in LA and online
    • 11 / 17 / 2022 - New York
    • RISK!'s live show in NYC and online
    • 12 / 13 / 2022 - Los Angeles
    • RISK!'s live show in LA and online

RISK! Newsletter

Want to hear about our live shows, podcast episodes and classes? Sign up for our email list below:


Listen To Our New Podcast
The RISK! book features 37 of our best stories ever, in paperback, ebook and audiobook form.

Get the RISK! Book
Gain confidence speaking in public. Improve in business, among friends, and dating.

Learn Storytelling

Buy Tickets