Mad Topics: Praxis
Here you’ll find recordings, resources, and information from both the 2024 symposium on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the 2025 symposium on General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) & Depression. Each event brings together experts, lived experiences, and valuable discussions focused on supporting mental health awareness and reducing stigma in educational settings.
- 2025 Mad Topics Panel Symposium on General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) & Depression in
Education
2025 Mad Topics Panel Symposium on General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) & Depression in Education
Welcome to the 2025 “Mad Topics: General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) & Depression in Education”
professional panel symposium discussion resource page, where you can find all things
Mad Topics, anxiety and depression-related and can even rewatch the symposium recording
once available, or link to the live stream on April 5th! This year, we are adding
a pre-tabling event, where attendees can arrive 1.5 hours early and visit various
tables with representatives from mental health organizations and centers, resource
centers, the health department, and more. 
What: 2025 Mad Topics: General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) & Depression in EducationWhen: Saturday, April 5th, 2025 | Doors open & pre-tabling event begins at 1:30PM-3:00PM CST | Panel symposium begins at 3:00PM CST
When: Stonecipher Hall (on-campus)
Who: This year, we are excited to welcome panelists Katie Mixon, B.S. (Graduate Student in Curriculum & Instruction, speaking on lived experience with general anxiety disorder); Todd Schultz, Ed.D (Liberty University faculty, speaking on lived experience with PKU & anxiety, as well as importance of diet + medication); Derrick Edwards, PhD (Assistant professor of counseling & psychology at Tn Tech, speaking on clinical perspectives of anxiety and depression); and Ben Craft, M.S., LPC-MHSP (Head of Education & Training and Licensed Professional Counselor at Nashville OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center, speaking on clinical perspectives and lived experiences with depression). Doug Hensley, M.S. (Senior lecturer in Counseling & Psychology) will serve as the moderator.
Sponsors: The 2025 Mad Topics Panel Symposium was granted funding by sponsor and partner Rural Reimagined through the 2025 Rural Reimagined Faculty Grant Fund.
» Learn more about the faculty grant fund of RR
» View our Sponsors and Partners
» View our Stonecipher Lecture Hall 2025 Mad Topics Table Set-Up
Thank you to our additional sponsor, the College of Education & Human Sciences (CEHS).
Mad Topics: Terms to Know!
Anxiety: A group of chronic mental health conditions which cause fear, worry, and apprehension (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). Anxiety can occur in a wide variety of settings for a wide variety of reasons. There are multiple types on anxiety, and while we may not discuss all kinds in the panel today, please feel free to ask any questions you may have!
Depression: A negative state which ranges from unhappiness to extreme sadness and despondency (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). Depression can be an effect of many causes. While we may not be able to discuss all kinds of depression in the panel today, please feel free to ask any questions you may have!
For more information, please email Dr. Kinsey Simone at madtopics@tntech.edu.
- 2024 Mad Topics Panel Symposium on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
2024 Mad Topics Panel Symposium on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Welcome to the 2024 “Mad Topics: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Education” professional panel symposium discussion resource page, where you can find all things Mad Topics, OCD & ADHD-related and can even rewatch the symposium recording.
"I am not alone" - A response from one of the attendees regarding their main takeaways from the Mad Topics panel, held Monday, April 8th, 2024 at Tennessee Tech University. Over 100 students, educators, mental health professionals, and community members attended to learn about OCD & ADHD in education (more watched the live stream!).
This panel represented a personal and professional dream of Kinsey Simone, PhD, an instructor in the College of Education. Dr. Simone was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as a child and focuses her research efforts on effectively reducing stigmas towards invisible disorders, and this symposium represented the first of hopefully many Mad Topics events.
We are so proud of our campus and surrounding community for attending this panel, which provided a unique opportunity to hear about OCD and ADHD through both a person-centered approach (shared lived experiences) and a clinical approach (available resources, treatments, and symptoms/practical strategies in the classroom).
The 2024 Mad Topics attendees heard from experts, including Dr. David T. Culkin, a prominent figure in the OCD world and author of OCD and Marriage, who traveled to Tech for the panel and shared about his lived OCD experience and the history of Mad Studies, sanism, and ableism; Dr. Kinsey Simone, an instructor of educational quantitative research and the Mad Topics founder, who shared her lived experience with OCD and the current stigmas towards OCD within education; Dr. Leann Taylor, a senior lecturer who shared her lived experience with ADHD, including challenges and successes along her journey; Dr. Edward Beason, who discussed disability stigma and ways to support students with disabilities; and Dr. Amy Callender, who discussed special education, invisible vs. visible disorders, and her experience diagnosing ADHD/OCD as a school psychologist in the past.
» Meet the 2024 Panelists, Moderator, & Student Leaders
Attendees of the 2024 Mad Topics panel symposium on OCD and ADHD in education wrote down some burning questions that they had for panelists! The below resource packet provides the responses of panelists to attendees’ burning questions.
» See the 2024 Mad Topics Post-Panel Resource Packet
Many of the panelists and the moderator from the 2024 Mad Topics symposium are currently conducting IRB-approved research on the effectiveness of Mad Topics interventions in increasing community mental health literacy and decreasing stigmas. Publications and other resources surrounding Mad Topics will be uploaded here as they become available!
- Get Involved: IMPACT TTU
Get involved with IMPACT, the student organization which makes Mad Topics possible!
What is it?
IMPACT is about bringing multicultural awareness, diversity, equity, and inclusion to campus through service and education which will provide professional/personal development and many opportunities for members to integrate service and leadership into their academic experiences at Tennessee Tech.
IMPACT was created by students for students as a way to make an IMPACT in our campus and community and is under the umbrella of IMPACT Cookeville, a nonprofit organization seeking to build community through community and by fostering education, empowerment, and equity. Find out more about IMPACT Cookeville.
- Campus Partners
Mad Topics wants to thank our 2025 Tennessee Tech Campus Partners. The following partners participated in our 2025 Mad Topics Symposium, through offering support and resources at our Pre-Tabling Mental Health Resources Fair
- Accessible Education Center
- ASPIRES Sane Program
- Center for Addiction Prevention & Support
- Chi Sigma Iota
- College of Education and Human Sciences
- Center for Counseling and Mental Health Wellness
- IMPACT TTU
- Office of First-Generation Student Success
- Rural Reimagined
- Women’s Center
- Launchpad Student Success Center
Talking about mental health can sometimes be uncomfortable. We have mental health professionals at all Mad Topics events who are available to direct attendees to supportive resources. Virtual attendees and readers at any point can call the TN Tech Center for Counseling and Mental Wellness at 931-372-3331 or the Eagle Eye After Hours Crisis Hotline at 855-206-8997. You can also call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, for free and confidential support 24/7.
Center for Counseling and Mental Health Wellness
Did you know?
- Some courses offer students extra credit for attending Mad Topics!
- Educators can receive Professional Development Hours for attending Mad Topics!
- Licensed mental health professionals should determine whether this panel is suitable for Continuing Education Unit (CEU) hours for their division, as per Board of Psychology requirements. Mad Topics symposia aligns with requirements for a professional workshop (see 1180-01-.08, 2.C.2.) and/or academic preparation (see 1180-01-.08, 2.D.ii), and could also pertain to cultural diversity due to discussion of disability stigmas (see 1180-01.-08, 1.d.). It is up to each licensed professional to determine the merit of this event for their specific CE requirements.
To learn more about getting involved with IMPACT TTU, Mad Topics Scholars Program, being a campus sponsor, extra credit, PD, and/or CEU opportunities, email Dr. Kinsey Simone at madtopics@tntech.edu.