The MIND Mental Health Podcast

It is a commonly held misconception that addiction is a choice. Addiction is a  chronic illness that robs us of our freewill and changes our brains in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to stop. Willpower and morality are not lacking in someone who has had their choice taken away from them. Researchers understand more now than ever just how deeply substance use affects our brains. On this episode of the podcast we will examine signs and symptoms of addiction, the stigma that surrounds seeking treatment and hopefully bring awareness to a sorely misunderstood chronic disease, even within the medical community.

Substance  Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)'s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) 

Suicide is a significant and tragic national health issue that affects millions of Americans each year. In 2018, 48,344 people died by suicide in the United States, making it the nation’s 10th leading cause of death and equating to about one suicide death every 11.1 minutes (CDC, 2020; CDC, 2017). Additional research estimates that 300-400 physicians commit suicide per year.

"You're being hysterical."
"Your OCD is showing again."
"Quit being so psycho."
"Have you lost weight? You look anorexic."
"You'll get over it, just be happy."
"Just snap out of it."
"This meeting made me want to kill myself."
"This weather is so bipolar."
It's no wonder why mental illnesses have such a negative stigma behind them when they are constantly referred to negatively in casual, everyday conversation. When it comes to mental illness, here are some big numbers that everyone should remember:
1 in 4 people are affected by mental illness.
Over 60% of adults know someone who has been diagnosed with a mental health problem.
Almost 50% of people with a mental illness face stigma and discrimination at LEAST once a month.
Almost 60% of those who experience stigma say that the stigma and discrimination is as bad or WORSE than the mental illness itself.
Between 60 and 70% of young adults say that stigma is what holds them back from getting help or talking to others about their mental health.
The fight to end stigma is far from over so join us as we discuss the stigma behind mental health and how we all can band together to fight the stigma.

Today's MIND Mental Health podcast episode is all about Discussing Depression: How it manifests differently in people, ways to identify depression in yourself and others, shocking statistics, and both positive and negative coping skills. Please join our hosts, Matthew Joseph and Kristen Kluber (now a second-year medical student), as they speak openly about their personal experiences with depression and battle to fight stigmas. They provide resources for people experiencing depression as well as things people can do to help their friends and loved ones. At the end of the episode, they challenge their listeners with three things they can do daily for self-reflection.

I encourage everybody to listen because it is common for healthcare students to experience depressive symptoms throughout their time in school. Medical students that reported high levels of stress during first-year increase their odds of experiencing depressive symptoms by 49% during fourth year. Also, those with little social support during first year are 44% more likely to show signs of depression in 4th year. Help us break down the walls of stigma surrounding depression!

Resources: 

If you’re feeling suicidal or just need to talk, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for free at 1-800-273-8255.
News on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and a step toward lowering the stigma: https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/16/politics/fcc-national-suicide-hotline/index.html

We are back again with part 2 of our sexual assault and domestic violence episode. Join us as we learn more from an interview with Autoosa Abadi, a Counselor and Licensed Masters Social Worker at Daya Houston. Autoosa has experience providing case management and therapeutic services to victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault, working with individuals who have a diagnosis or symptoms of depressive and anxiety disorders, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sleeping  disorders, and mood disorders. Today we discuss not only her experience in social work but where we, as future healthcare providers, can prepare ourselves to treat sexual assault survivors in the future as well as the disconnect that leaves so many people falling through the cracks. Thank you to our very own Brian Lorenzo for leading this interview.
Always know that we here at the MIND mental health podcast are here for you. It is our goal to break these mental health stigmas with you.

Trigger warning for this weeks episode of the MIND podcast.
The  content and discussion of this weeks episode involves sexual assault,  rape and sexual violence. If right now, or at any time during the  episode you feel triggered by the discussion please feel free to  momentarily leave the space at any time.

Feeling anxious during these times? Join us as we open up the discussion and take a look at anxiety. As anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in the world today, we want to continue the topic over a series of episodes. This is only an intro episode into the topic and we plan on going more in-depth with it soon!!

Resources:

Today's episode is all about isolation and how to combat it! Quite fitting for the current circumstances, right? Listen to our episode while we discuss what isolation is, how it affects our health, and the things we can do to manage it. While COVID forces us into isolation, make sure to take care of yourself mentally and physically!
Note: This episode was recorded prior to the nation-wide call for quarantine, social distancing, and staying home. Some of the advice goes against the COVID-19 recommendations at this time (such as volunteering in nursing homes) as this episode was pertaining to a more generalized feeling of isolation in the healthcare field. Please follow your state and local COVID-19 guidelines at this time. Our next episode will dive deeper into isolation related to COVID-19, how this situation can affect your mental health, and what you can do to stay sane in the midst of chaos. 

Failure is something most of us are all too familiar with and it can get overwhelming at times. This episode dives into how failure is a process of life that none of us can escape, and how to overcome some of this fear of failure we face in a positive way that promotes growth and success.

Have you been feeling overwhelmed and overworked? Have you been feeling a little burnt out? Have you been lacking the time to focus on your mental health amidst the fast pace of daily life? Self-care is hard, but there’s nobody else who can do it but you, and it’s a step towards recovery YOU have to take. Start this journey to self-care by listening to this podcast for some tips on how to keep it a priority in your life.