Advanced Mental Health and Alternatives to the Medication Merry-Go-Round with Gregory Scott Brown MD & David Feifel MD
Original Air Date Wednesday, December 7, 2022
A study by the National Institute of Health found an estimated 21 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in 2020. Beyond the sheer number of people affected, what makes these findings astounding is the limited number of treatment options available for those who reach out for help.
To gain perspective into the issue and discover why many suffering from clinical depression don’t reach out for help, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors experts about advanced mental health and alternatives to the medical merry-go-round. Integrative Psychiatrist Dr. Gregory S. Brown shares the Five Pillars of Self-Care from his book, The Self-Healing Mind: An Essential Five-Step Practice for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression and Revitalizing Your Life. The founding director of the UCSD Adult ADHD program, the UCSD Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) program, and the Center for Advanced Treatment of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Dr. David Feifel shares some breakthrough treatments for treating depression.
Gregory Scott Brown MD — Self-Care & Advanced Mental Health:
- Dr. Brown describes how depression and anxiety impede decision-making abilities and how to bolster and improve mental health. [1:45]
- The Five Pillars of Self-Care from Dr. Brown’s book, The Self-Healing Mind, supports us in strengthening the muscle tone of the brain. [3:39]
- How being in the sun activates our body’s natural defenses. [8:10]
- Why Dr. Brown’s book may be the right gift for the man in your life. [11:45]
- Dr. Brown explains how we can approach men when they need a mental tune-up. [15:35]
- Depression and anxiety are treatable and there are telehealth and web-based therapy options. [22:22]
Gregory Scott Brown, MD, is an integrative psychiatrist, mental health writer, and author. His commentary has appeared in the New York Times, the Huffington Post, Psychology Today, the Today Show, and NPR. He is an advisory board member for Men’s Health magazine, where he regularly contributes content for mental health stories.
Book: The Self-Healing Mind: An Essential Five-Step Practice for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression, and Revitalizing Your Life
Gregory Scott Brown
@gregorysbrownmd on Twitter
Gregory S. Brown MD on Facebook
@gregorysbrownmd on Instagram
Dr. David Feifel — Alternatives to the Medication Merry-Go-Round:
- How to get help when depression is on our DNA and the difference between clinical depression and difficult situations. [28:53]
- De-stigmatizing depression and a therapist’s willingness to share their own experiences can tear down walls for patients who fear expressing themselves. [31:36]
- Dr. Feifel describes the history of the drug Ketamine and how it is being used, on the street and in medicine today. [35:16]
- Ketamine has been effective in treating a group of patients who are referred to as having Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD). [40:37]
- Dr. Feifel shares some limitations to using Ketamine to treat clinical depression. [43:59]
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS, is a breakthrough way to treat depression. [46:06]
Dr. David Feifel earned a Medical Degree and a PhD in neurobiology from the University of Toronto, Canada, completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the Toronto General Hospital and his residency training in Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego where he currently holds the rank of full Professor. Dr. Feifel conducts translational research related to biological treatments for mental illness. He runs a neuropsychopharmacology laboratory on the campus of the UCSD Medical Center. His laboratory explores the biological mechanisms underlying psychiatric conditions and potential novel treatments, particularly ones aimed at neuropeptide targets. Dr. Feifel also heads a clinical research program at UCSD Medical Center. Among other things, this program evaluates the safety and efficacy of approved and investigational psychotropic medications and non-medication interventions for psychiatric conditions. He is the founding director of the UCSD Adult ADHD program, the UCSD Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) program, and the Center for Advanced Treatment of Mood and Anxiety Disorders.
This podcast episode of Harvesting Happiness Talk Radio about advanced mental health and alternative medicine is sponsored by:
StoryWorth — ‘Tis the season to give the gift that keeps on giving all year long. Storyworth helps your loved ones feel special, unique and connected no matter how far away they are. For hassle-free gift-giving that helps families preserve precious memories and get $10 off your first purchase at StoryWorth.com/HH.
Are We Happy Yet? Eight Keys to Unlocking a Joyful Life — A boot camp manual for greater emotional fitness. Happiness waits for no one and sometimes we all need support. What is getting in the way of your happiness right now?
H–Factor: Where is Your Heart? — Lisa’s documentary film explores the journey of human happiness. Emotions are contagious and happiness is a universally desired state. We tend to forget we all have the freedom to be happy or the liberty to be miserable each day.
“Suffering in silence as many people do is scary, sad, and exacerbates the condition.” @LisaKamen on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“The secret salve is high-quality love.” @LisaKamen on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet “We begin to trust people when we have proof that what we are saying has value and that it is true.” @LisaKamen on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Those who are challenged by addiction will ultimately say that depression is where it started for them.” @LisaKamen on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Stigma is one of the major issues that has prevented people from getting professional mental health care.” @GregorySBrownMD on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“About 40 million Americans annually struggle with anxiety and depression is not far behind.” @GregorySBrownMD on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Mental health IS health.” @GregorySBrownMD on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“When we are talking about self-care we are not just talking about bubble baths and ritzy massages.” @GregorySBrownMD on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Self-care is like oxygen or food, it is vital for us to survive and thrive.” @GregorySBrownMD on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Being outside, moving our body, and focusing on mindfulness-based activities is not pseudoscience. This is evidence-based medicine.” @GregorySBrownMD on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Mental health is something that affects every aspect of our lives.” @GregorySBrownMD on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Men have a hard time identifying anxiety or depression.” @GregorySBrownMD on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet “People can get better and they do get better. It all starts with having productive conversations.” @GregorySBrownMD on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Patients want to see us as having more knowledge and wisdom than them but they also want to see us with the same vulnerabilities and challenges.” — David Feifel on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“We have a whole slew of medications and unfortunately there is a large percentage of people with clinical depression that do not benefit from them.” — David Feifel on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Many patients who have no hope and are not responding to other things are getting relief from Ketamine.” — David Feifel on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“TMS is a paradigm shift in the way we go about treating depression.” — David Feifel on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet
CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY
RELATED EPISODES
On Becoming a Virtuoso of Life
On Becoming a Virtuoso of Life with Kenny Werner Original Air Date Wednesday, February 22, 2023 Many people criticize their abilities. Whether it is taming an instrument or their voice, they judge themselves in lieu of experiencing the joy of the music they aspire to...
Cultivating Dignity and Selfhood for the Deeply Forgetful
Cultivating Dignity and Selfhood for the Deeply Forgetful with Stephen Post PhD Original Air Date Wednesday, February 1, 2023 Age-related memory loss is a natural part of the aging process. Some people experience a more deeply-rooted memory issue, such as...
Lifelong Learning and the Pleasures of Intellectual Development
Lifelong Learning and the Pleasures of Intellectual Development with Zena Hitz PhD Original Air Date Wednesday, January 25, 2023 Socrates is credited with saying, “the unexamined life is not worth living”. Yet, our contemporary world of results-driven work leaves us...