Expert panel talks mental health

Summary

The video script discusses the rising concern of mental health in America, with nearly 58 million Americans living with mental illnesses and increasing rates of anxiety and depression. A panel of experts, including Dr. Sue Varma and Dr. Tamer Bryant, addresses the impact of stressors, loneliness, and trauma on mental health. They emphasize the importance of self-care, community support, and early intervention for children, especially in light of adverse childhood events. The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by people of color in seeking mental health services and the need for cultural attunement in therapy.

Takeaways

• 📈 Mental Health Awareness: The script emphasizes the importance of mental health and wellness, highlighting that nearly 58 million Americans live with a mental illness and that rates of anxiety and depression are on the rise.
• 🔬 Expert Panel: The program features a panel of leading experts including a board-certified psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, and an author, indicating the significance of professional insights in addressing mental health issues.
• 🌐 Prevalence of Mental Health Crises: The script mentions witnessing individuals in distress in public spaces, suggesting that mental health crises are more common and visible than we might realize.
• 🌪 Stress and Lack of Control: It is discussed that stressors are increasing while our ability to cope (buffers) is decreasing, leading to a rise in mental health symptoms due to a loss of agency and control.
• 🏠 Loneliness Epidemic: The script points out that loneliness is an epidemic, with high numbers of people feeling isolated, which is linked to increased rates of depression.
• 💔 Impact of Trauma: The discussion highlights the importance of shifting from self-blame to self-compassion when dealing with trauma, and the role of self-care and community support.
• 📱 Social Media's Mixed Impact: While not inherently good or bad, problematic use of social media can negatively affect young people's mental health, especially if it leads to toxic online environments.
• 🚫 Early Detection of Mental Health Issues: The script suggests that adverse childhood events and social determinants can predispose children to mental health issues, emphasizing the importance of early detection and intervention.
• 🌟 Role of Pediatricians: Pediatricians are increasingly integrating mental health screenings into their practices, making it routine to ask about social media use, substance abuse, and self-harm.
• 💔 Teen Dating Violence: The script identifies teen dating violence as a risk factor for self-harm in young girls, underscoring the need for awareness and prevention.
• 🌈 Seeking Help in Communities of Color: There is a discussion about the stigma and lack of access to mental health services in communities of color, and the importance of diversifying the mental health field to better serve these populations.
• 📞 Available Resources: The script concludes with information on how to access mental health resources, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline and texting services.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the Wellness week series mentioned in the script?

The purpose of the Wellness week series is to have conversations dedicated to the importance of mental health and wellness, addressing the increasing rates of anxiety and depression.

How many Americans live with a mental illness according to the script?

Nearly 58 million Americans live with a mental illness.

What does Dr. Sue Varma suggest are the main factors contributing to the rise in mental health symptoms?

Dr. Sue Varma suggests that the main factors contributing to the rise in mental health symptoms are the lack of agency and control over stressors, the stripping of dignity, and the loneliness crisis.

What advice does Dr. Tamer Bryant offer for dealing with trauma?

Dr. Tamer Bryant advises shifting from shame and self-blame to self-compassion, promoting the use of self-care and community care, and being intentional about who we connect with.

What is the role of social media in the mental health of young people according to Lisa Demore?

Lisa Demore explains that social media itself is neither good nor bad, but problematic use can negatively impact young people's mental health, especially if it prevents healthy development or exposes them to toxic online environments.

What are adverse childhood events and how do they relate to future mental health issues?

Adverse childhood events are experiences such as incarceration, domestic violence, untreated mental illness, substance abuse, and family history of trauma that predispose children to stress and can lead to accelerated aging in the brain and body, potentially causing future mental health issues.

What steps can parents take to address potential mental health issues in children early on?

Parents can integrate mental health into primary care by asking basic questions about social media use, substance abuse, and self-harm, and by promoting healthy behaviors and setting boundaries in relationships.

Why might people of color be underrepresented in seeking help for mental health issues?

People of color might be underrepresented in seeking help due to stigma around mental health, the underrepresentation of mental health professionals from their own culture, and lack of access to quality mental health services.

What is the significance of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) helpline mentioned in the script?

The NAMI helpline is a significant resource for individuals seeking mental health support, providing a helpline number and a text option for those in need of assistance or information.

How can individuals find the right therapist according to the script?

Individuals can find the right therapist by shopping around and not being discouraged by a bad experience, as it's important to find a therapist who is attentive and attuned to one's needs.

What is the role of the American Psychological Association (APA) in addressing mental health issues?

The APA plays a role in advocating for equity in access to quality mental health services and working towards diversifying the field of psychology to better address the needs of different cultural backgrounds.

Outlines

00:00

😔 Mental Health Awareness and the Growing Crisis

The video script opens with a discussion on the importance of mental health and wellness, highlighting the staggering statistic that nearly 58 million Americans live with a mental illness. The conversation features a panel of experts, including a board-certified psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, and an author, who delve into the increasing rates of anxiety and depression. The discussion emphasizes the pre-pandemic existence of mental health issues, exacerbated by current uncertainties such as economic, political, and climate change factors. The panelists stress the importance of self-care, community care, and the need to address loneliness, which has been declared an epidemic by the surgeon general, as it significantly increases depression rates.

05:00

📈 Impact of Social Media and Early Detection of Mental Health Issues

In the second paragraph, the focus shifts to the effects of social media on young people and the potential early signs of mental health issues. The experts discuss the problematic use of social media and its potential to disrupt healthy development. They advocate for healthy social media use that doesn't interfere with sleep, physical activity, or interpersonal interactions. The conversation also touches on the importance of early detection through screenings for anxiety and depression in pediatric settings. The panelists highlight the role of adverse childhood events and social determinants in predisposing children to mental health issues, including the impact of social isolation during the pandemic on accelerated aging. They also address the need for cultural attunement in therapy, especially for people of color, and the importance of finding the right therapist to avoid negative experiences.

Keywords

💡Mental Health Awareness

Mental Health Awareness refers to the understanding and recognition of mental health issues and the importance of addressing them. In the video, it is the central theme, with the discussion focusing on the rising rates of mental health issues like anxiety and depression, and the importance of conversations around mental health.

💡Wellness Week

Wellness Week is a dedicated period for promoting health and well-being, which in the context of the video, includes mental health. The script mentions the beginning of a Wellness Week series aimed at discussing mental health and wellness, indicating a structured approach to raising awareness.

💡Mental Illness

Mental Illness encompasses a wide range of mental health conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior, impairing daily functioning. The script highlights that nearly 58 million Americans live with a mental illness, emphasizing the prevalence and seriousness of the issue.

💡Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear, or unease, often over an imminent event or without a clear cause. The script discusses increasing rates of anxiety, indicating it as a significant component of the broader mental health crisis.

💡Depression

Depression is a common mental health disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. The script notes the increase in depression rates, connecting it to the loneliness crisis and the lack of social engagement.

💡Stressors

Stressors are external or internal factors that cause stress or strain. In the video, they are described as factors that individuals feel they have no control over, which can lead to a loss of agency and an increase in mental health symptoms.

💡Loneliness

Loneliness is the subjective feeling of being alone or isolated. The script mentions a loneliness crisis in America, linking it to increased rates of depression and highlighting it as a significant contributor to mental health issues.

💡Self-compassion

Self-compassion is the practice of being kind to oneself in instances of pain or failure, as opposed to being self-critical. The script encourages a shift from shame and self-blame to self-compassion as a way to cope with trauma and promote mental well-being.

💡Social Media

Social Media refers to digital platforms that allow users to create and share content or participate in social networking. The script discusses the impact of social media on young people, noting both problematic use and the potential for it to disrupt healthy development.

💡Adverse Childhood Events

Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood, such as abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction. The script mentions ACEs as predisposing factors for mental health issues, emphasizing the importance of early intervention.

💡Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. The script raises concerns about rising suicide rates and the need for early identification of mental health issues to prevent such tragic outcomes.

💡Stigma

Stigma refers to a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. In the context of the video, stigma is associated with seeking mental health help, particularly among people of color, and is identified as a barrier to accessing necessary services.

💡Cultural Attunement

Cultural Attunement is the ability of a therapist or healthcare provider to understand and respond effectively to the cultural needs, beliefs, and practices of diverse populations. The script discusses the importance of cultural attunement in therapy to ensure that individuals from different cultural backgrounds receive appropriate care.

Highlights

Maya's mental health awareness month and the beginning of a Wellness week series dedicated to mental health and wellness.

Nearly 58 million Americans live with a mental illness, with increasing rates of anxiety and depression.

Introduction of a panel of leading experts including Dr. Sue Varma, Tamer Bryant, and Lisa Demore.

The discussion on the mental health crisis and its exacerbation by the pandemic and ongoing uncertainties.

The importance of having buffers to stressors and the impact of losing agency on mental health.

Loneliness crisis in America, with over 50 million people feeling lonely, and its link to increased depression rates.

Dr. Bryant's advice on overcoming trauma through self-compassion and community care.

The role of self-care in maintaining mental health and setting healthy boundaries.

Lisa Demore's insights on the impact of social media on young people and the need for healthy usage guidelines.

The potential for early detection of mental health issues through screenings for anxiety and depression in pediatric settings.

The significance of adverse childhood events and social determinants in predisposing children to mental health issues.

The impact of the pandemic on children's mental health, including accelerated aging in the brain and body.

The importance of modeling healthy behaviors and setting boundaries in relationships to prevent self-harm.

Dr. Brian's discussion on the challenges faced by people of color in seeking mental health help due to stigma and lack of representation.

The need for diversifying the mental health field to better serve and understand the cultural nuances of patients.

The advice to 'shop around' for the right therapist to ensure a good fit and effective therapy.

Resources provided for those seeking mental health help, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline.

Transcripts

[Music]

Maya's mental health awareness month and

this morning we're beginning our

Wellness week series we're going to have

a wellness week series guys with

conversations dedicated to the

importance of mental health and wellness

nearly 58 million Americans did you hear

that number live with a mental illness

research shows rates of anxiety and

depression are increasing we are joined

Now by a panel of leading experts

board-certified psychiatrist that's Dr

Sue Varma you've seen her here as a

clinical assistant and professor of

Psychiatry at NYU clinical psychologist

Tamer Bryant is a 2023 president of the

American Psychological Association thank

you very much she's also also the author

of homecoming overcoming fear and Trauma

to reclaim your whole authentic self and

last but certainly not least clinical

psychologist at Lisa demore is also also

with us if you've watched a show on a

regular basis hope you do you've seen

Lisa here many times her latest book by

the way is the emotional lives of

teenagers raising connected capable and

compassionate adolescents it's true Lisa

that can be done good morning to you all

good morning

um so I want to start with you about the

numbers of mental health I went for a

walk yesterday in Central Park and saw a

couple people who were clearly having

some kind of episode one guy was just

screaming I love you then he went I hate

you then he went I want to kill you

clearly having an episode so that was an

extreme case but there are so many

people that are having mental health

episodes that we know nothing about is

this in fact a crisis that everybody

says it is an epidemic that everybody

says yes Gail and this existed even

before the pandemic I'd love to be able

to say that we always explain the

pandemic yes yes and even though we're

coming out of it and we have all sorts

of uncertainties whether it's economic

political racial climate change it

really does come down to the fact that

our stressors are many but our buffers

are few and our stressors are things

that we feel like we don't have agency

and control over and when we lose agency

we strip ourselves of our dignity and

mental health symptoms rise we're also

in a loneliness crisis so in my mind as

mental health symptoms go up it's not

surprising that 50 or more people are

feeling lonely in America Dr Murthy just

called it the other day an epidemic

absolutely yes and loneliness um as the

surgeon general's advisory said

increases our rates of depression uh

double doubles it so we're looking at

the fact that we have less social Civic

engagement less of these so sort of soft

tissue connections if you will and more

of the uncertainty and less agency

another big problem Dr Bryant is trauma

people are experiencing trauma what's

your advice on how to get through that

what to do with that yes it's so

important to know that we are more than

what has been done to us and so we

really encourage people to shift from

shame and self-blame to self-compassion

and our science really promotes the use

of both self-care and Community Care so

that self-care is taking care of our

bodies taking care of our mental health

through therapy and also exercising our

boundaries and knowing that we can be

intentional about who we connect with

but knowing we also don't alone so it's

hard not to blame yourself it really is

because we get messages from society

that are victim blaming and so really

empowering people to resist that but

also equipping us to be supportive when

other people share their experiences of

trauma for us to respond with support

instead of change Lisa when we talk

about stressors and also the lack of

buffers I think of social media

particularly when it comes to kids

what's the effect of social media do we

know at this point on young people

well social media on its own is neither

good nor bad but there's certainly what

we can call problematic use so if it's

excessive or if it gets in the way of

things that are necessary for healthy

development or if kids are in toxic

online environments and actually Dr

Brian's APA just put out an

extraordinary advisory incredibly useful

for families about what healthy social

media use looks like and it really does

get at the fact that social media should

not keep kids from sleeping keep kids

from being Physically Active keep kids

from having one-on-one interpersonal

interactions with other people and we

also just want to be careful that

they're not in toxic environments that

promote self-harm or eating disorder

Behavior or hate or anything else that

we know is bad for kids you know Sue

speaking of self-harm we've seen suicide

rates going up in this country there

have been a lot of high profile suicides

recently and my question is can you when

you think about children and you look at

their lives is it possible to

early on see signs that may point to

Future mental health issues down the

line and if so what can parents do to

address them so it doesn't get to that

point yes and so we look at something

called adverse childhood events and

we're having more understanding of sort

of what we call the Social determinants

of mental illness and looking at the

environments whether it's anything from

incarceration domestic violence

untreated mental illness substance abuse

in the family history of trauma

intergenerational trauma all of this

predisposes children to stress and

specifically we look at the telomeres

when it comes to chromosomes these are

signs markers of aging and we see that

the pandemic for example and the social

isolation that children were

experiencing also promoted accelerated

aging in the brain and in the body so

being able to get help now that we have

screenings for anxiety and depression

that are now becoming commonplace in the

Pediatrics office pediatrician's office

integrating mental health into the fold

of primary care so that it is routine

that you ask these basic questions we

talked about social media use substance

abuse self-harm we also see that teen

Dating Violence is puts us at risk young

girls at risk for self-harm later on so

being able to catch these things early

and promoting healthy Behavior adults

have to model that in relationships

setting boundaries what is toxic what

what do we are we willing to accept and

also being able to say no and empowering

our children to say no to things that

make them feel uncomfortable Dr Brian

let's talk about people of color seeking

help I keep hearing that a people of

color don't seek help uh in in the

numbers that others do is it because we

don't want to or because it's not

available it is really both so there's

the reality of stigma around seeking

mental health of still a stigmas there

is still a stigma but I will say that

has decreased that more people are more

people of color are seeking services but

the other reality is we are

underrepresented in the field so if

people feel more comfortable talking to

someone of their same culture it's

harder to find that person and then lack

of access to mental health services so

the American Psychological Association

has both been working to advocate for

equity in terms of access to Quality

Mental Health Services but also looking

to diversify the field so we've been

dedicating funds to really looking at

how do we eradicate racism not only in

society but within the field so that

when you see someone they can be attuned

to your culture and recognize that

Injustice and oppression are sources of

stress you also guys have to get the

right therapist I went to a therapist

once and I'm pouring my heart out and I

hear

oh do you know how debilitating that is

yes I mean so it's I know that's what I

thought too about I gathered my things

and just sort of crept out of the door

it creates ruptures it does people see

someone who is not attentive or not

attuned you can believe that that's what

therapy is so we really try to encourage

people to shop around yeah don't be

turned off so if you have a bad

experience that's my point yes well as

therapists often say our time today is

done that that's our session thank you

both I've heard you know very much but

it's free

our time is up so Varma we thank you

team bright good to see you and Lisa de

Moore always good to see you if you or

someone you know is seeking Mental

Health Resources there are plenty of

things you can do first you can call the

National Alliance on Mental Illness

helpline that number is

1-800-950-62-64

1-800-950-6264 we'll put it on our

website or you can text helpline to

62640