Know the signs of depression. Recognize symptoms of anxiety. Pay attention to changes in your friend’s mood. Efforts have been made to raise awareness of mental health for decades, and now the topic is everywhere. It’s leading the charts on social media sites and everyone from celebrities to politicians to sports superstars are talking more openly about it. At the same time, our overall mental health seems to be declining as more people report having mental health problems. This episode explores how the field of mental health is changing and adapting. How traditionally trained therapists judge mental health advice on social media, why some experts say being too conscious can be counterproductive, and why diagnosing mental illness is so difficult. I’m going to find out what’s difficult about it. Another woman is trying to continue taking her ADHD medication as shortages continue.
You may also hear:
- Mental health advice abounds on social media sites like TikTok, but much of it comes from people without traditional training or qualifications. Why are users flocking to this advice and what do therapists think about it? We speak to TikTok life coach Samantha Chan and social work professor Jonathan Singer.
- Psychiatrists diagnose patients based on symptoms. But what happens when none of these labels apply? Author Sarah Fay takes us through her multi-year diagnostic journey. She also wrote about that journey in her two books, Pathological and Cured. We hear her story and the movement within psychiatry to study conditions based on biological measurements rather than observed symptoms.
- Reporter Chloe Irving recently found herself running around Brooklyn looking for a pharmacy to prescribe her ADHD medication. But often, as her symptoms worsen, it becomes more difficult to track her down. She explores the drug shortage for her ADHD from a personal perspective and gets advice for getting through it.
- Mental health advocates have been pushing for awareness for decades to ensure people get help without shame. At a time when mental health issues are being discussed more openly and frequently than ever before, some experts are wondering about unintended consequences. We speak to psychologist Darby Saxby and psychiatrist Jonathan Slater.
