Psyched for Mental Health

Is America's Mental Health System Broken? Maybe Not.

Guest Nicholas Rosenlicht, MD, a leading psychiatrist, discusses how he feels that Mental health care in America has become nothing short of atrocious.  It seems obvious that the system is broken, but the tragic truth is that it is actually functioning exactly as intended, providing reliably enormous profits for the corporate entities who now manage mental healthcare.

Eat Better - Feel Better: Nutrition and Mental Health

Two Canadian researchers are beginning to unlock the secrets of how the foods you eat can affect things like anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. Related Links: Protocol for the clinical trial: https://pilotfeasibilitystudies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40814-023-01414-y [https://pilotfeasibilitystudies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40814-023-01414-y]  Diet/anxiety study website with handouts and resources for dietary  counselling: www.ccnm.edu/anxiety [http://www.ccnm.edu/anxiety]     Diet and Anxiety scoping review:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/12/4418 [https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/12/4418]   Case report:  :https://www.hindawi.com/journals/crips/2016/7165425/ [https://www.hindawi.com/journals/crips/2016/7165425/]   Dietary counseling tool-creation project:  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12888-021-03575-7 [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12888-021-03575-7] (

Will AI Replace Psychotherapists?

For the first episode of Psyched for Mental Health's second season we dive deep into the intriguing question, can artificial intelligence replace psychotherapists? With rapid advancements in AI,  and its increasing integration into various aspects of our lives, the possibility of it playing a role in mental health support is becoming a subject of great interest.  Host Dr. Ed Bilotti speaks with with Dr. Diego Pinochet who has a a PhD in Computational Design from MIT, Smriti Joshi, a clinical psychologist, member of the board of directors, and chief psychologist for Wysa, a company pioneering the delivery of mental halth care using AI applications, and Professor Alastair Van Heerden. the research director of Human and Social Development Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council in Pretoria, South Africa.  As we watch the evolution of AI right before our eyes, what are the potential benefits, limitations, and ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI in psychotherapy?

Reducing Mental Health Stigma Through Personal Stories

This past winter I was listening to our creative producer's podcast called Noncasting [https://www.noncasting.com/]. I was pleasantly surprised to hear him discussing his own experiences with anxiety, and more specifically anxiety medications on a recent episode, Zero Salvation Stories Begin in Miami Beach [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2edE5QHGga6OrBoJJeJEYl?si=6f44f47c49514bd4]. This is the first episode of the Psyched series where we're going to share personal stories of individuals who have struggled with--or maybe are currently struggling with--different kinds of mental health issues. We talk about how it's affected their lives, how they've coped, whether they've received treatment, and what their journey has been like. I sit down with Nate Tower from Nonsensible [https://nonsensible.fm/] to learn what his experience with anxiety has been like.

Climate Change Anxiety as it Relates to Mental Health

Climate anxiety--also sometimes called eco anxiety--is itself not a disorder or a mental health condition. Fear and worry are a normal response to something that is a real threat. But climate anxiety can certainly impact our mental health. We sat down with Kate Olson [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/15/saving-maine-softshell-clams-climate-crisis-green-crab], a writer, climate sociologist, and a community organizer. Olson is helping people find ways within their communities to make small, but impactful contributions to help the broader issue of climate change.