Pooja Mehta on mental illness advocacy as a South Asian American woman

Dr Nzinga Harrison's groundbreaking approach to treating addiction

Nzinga Harrison, MD, is a board-certified physician with specialties in psychiatry and addiction medicine. She is also the Chief Medical Officer and cofounder of Eleanor Health, an innovative mental health and addiction treatment company. Dr. Harrison holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the Morehouse School of Medicine and sits on the Practice Management and Regulatory Affairs Committee for the American Society of Addiction Medicine. She has written a brilliant book called Un-Addiction [https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Mind-Changing-Conversations-Could-Addiction/dp/1454950870] that walks through 6 mind-changing conversations about addiction and recovery that could save a life. My top takeaways from this conversation and Dr Harrison's book: * Contrary to popular belief, 75% of people [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32682218/] with substance use disorder do recover. And one-year relapse rates [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11015800/] for high blood pressure and asthma are the same or higher than that for addiction. * Upholding abstinence-only as the goal path for recovery from substance use disorder is dangerous. Instead, most people with substance use disorder recover to controlled use — and it's paramount to have them set their own recovery goals. * Up to 60% [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11015800/] of the risk for substance use disorder is inherited.  * "Drug use is a choice. Substance use disorder is an illness." * "...the more we can get away from this tough love, disconnection, shameful, stigmatizing approach that we've been trained in — the more we can get to compassionate boundaries for psychological, emotional, and physical safety — the faster we can get to recovery." Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about substance use disorders, adverse childhood experiences and mental illness. Transcript here [https://open.substack.com/pub/askdrdevikab/p/dr-nzinga-harrisons-groundbreaking?r=h8m1u&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]. Video conversation here [https://youtu.be/r5GfROrpam4].   — SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B: Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light. * Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources. * More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab * Website: www.devikabhushan.com * Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB * Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab * TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab * LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149 If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here [https://988lifeline.org/chat/]. Find other resources here [https://www.nami.org/help], search for a treatment facility here [https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help], and find a therapist here [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists]. Here [https://nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/LGBTQ] are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Pooja Mehta on mental illness advocacy as a South Asian American woman

Pooja Mehta serves with me on the National Board of Directors at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She’s been a powerful mental health advocate since she was 19 and lives with anxiety with auditory hallucinations, depression, and lost her brother Raj to suicide in 2020.  Hear from her on: - How she centers being a South Asian woman in her advocacy  - What current suicide prevention efforts miss  - An annual tradition in honor of her brother, Raj, to foster kindness and connectedness  - How to craft a lived experience message to drive policy change  Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about death by suicide, suicidal ideation, anxiety, auditory hallucinations, and depression. Transcript here [https://askdrdevikab.substack.com/p/pooja-mehta-on-mental-illness-recovery]. Video conversation here [https://youtu.be/oeRGj88Ncck].   — SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B: Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light. * Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources. * More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab * Website: www.devikabhushan.com * Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB * Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab * TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab * LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149 If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here [https://988lifeline.org/chat/]. Find other resources here [https://www.nami.org/help], search for a treatment facility here [https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help], and find a therapist here [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists]. Here [https://nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/LGBTQ] are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Ashanti Branch on redefining healthy masculinity

Ashanti Branch has over 20 years of experience in building healthy relationships in schools — he’s a pioneer in reforming education, youth mental health, and traditional masculinity. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the Ever Forward Club [https://everforwardclub.org/], a non-profit organization that takes students who are disengaged and dropping out to 100% graduation rates, 90% college enrollment, and 0% incarceration, using tools like the Taking Off the Mask workshop. Ashanti received the 2023 US Surgeon General’s Medallion (the highest honor a civilian can receive from the Surgeon General). Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about systemic challenges inherent to working within the US public education system and youth mental health issues. Transcript with sources here [https://askdrdevikab.substack.com/p/ashanti-branch-on-taking-off-the]. Video conversation here [https://youtu.be/g3ywXkXjfDk].  — SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B: Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light. * Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources. * More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab * Website: www.devikabhushan.com * Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB * Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab * TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab * LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149 If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here [https://988lifeline.org/chat/]. Find other resources here [https://www.nami.org/help], search for a treatment facility here [https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help], and find a therapist here [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists]. Here [https://nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/LGBTQ] are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Corey Feist, Dr Mona Masood, Janae Sharp on health worker well-being

This month, in honor of the newly named Health Workforce Well-Being Day on March 18th, commemorating the day the President signed the Lorna Breen Act into law in 2022, I’m thrilled to feature conversations with three brilliant national leaders who are transforming health worker well-being: > Corey Feist, JD, MBA, CEO and co-founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation [https://drlornabreen.org/], founded in 2020 to address the systemic drivers of health worker ill health and honoring Dr Lorna Breen, a frontline emergency room doctor and Corey’s sister-in-law, who died by suicide. The work of the Foundation was recognized by the US Surgeon General’s Medallion Award in 2023 and I’m proud to serve as an Ambassador. > > Mona Masood, DO, the psychiatrist who founded the Physician Support Line [https://www.physiciansupportline.com/], staffed by volunteer psychiatrists to extend free, 1-1, anonymous support to physicians and medical students, starting in 2020. > > Janae Sharp, CEO and founder of the Sharp Index [https://sharpindex.org/] in 2018, with a vision to make health care “the healthiest place to work,” and to prevent physician suicides like that of her ex-husband, Dr John Madsen. Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about systemic challenges inherent to working within the US medical system and their mental health consequences, including burnout and death by suicide. Transcript with sources here [https://open.substack.com/pub/askdrdevikab/p/corey-feist-dr-mona-masood-janae?r=h8m1u&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]. Video conversation here [https://youtu.be/ZOzfemHAsS4].   — SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B: Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light. * Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources. * More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab * Website: www.devikabhushan.com * Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB * Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab * TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab * LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149 If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here [https://988lifeline.org/chat/]. Find other resources here [https://www.nami.org/help], search for a treatment facility here [https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help], and find a therapist here [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists]. Here [https://nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/LGBTQ] are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Dr Jessi Gold on optimizing well-being

I loved this awesome conversation on optimizing well-being with my friend, Dr Jessi Gold. She is now the first Chief Wellness Officer for the University of Tennessee System, though this was recorded before that — and a psychiatrist with expertise in mental health for college students, healthcare workers, and in the entertainment industry. She shares wisdom on what it looks like to optimize well-being at a workplace, how to be prevention-oriented, and some insights on stigma she didn’t realize she carried from her own mental health journey. Jessi Gold, MD, is the first Chief Wellness Officer for the University of Tennessee System and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. (This conversation was recorded before she started these roles.) Dr Gold is an internationally recognized speaker, media advocate, author, and mental health consultant with a special focus on college students, healthcare workers, and the entertainment industry. She also lives with depression.   Dr Gold has been spreading the light for decades with her critical work, and I’m thrilled to be sharing her wisdom about optimizing well-being with all of you. Trigger warning: We talk about systemic challenges inherent to working within the US medical system and their mental health consequences, mental illness self-disclosures, and living with depression. — SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B: Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light. * Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources. * More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab * Website: www.devikabhushan.com * Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB * Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab * TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab * LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149 If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here [https://988lifeline.org/chat/]. Find other resources here [https://www.nami.org/help], search for a treatment facility here [https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help], and find a therapist here [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists]. Here [https://nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/LGBTQ] are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...