HEALTHY MINDS With Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein

#1101 School-Based Mental Health Support
Short description:
How schools can help students with mental health screenings and a curriculum for resilience.

Long description:
Exploring how elementary and secondary schools can help students with mental health screenings for anxiety, depression and substance abuse, and a life skills curriculum to build resilience. Guest: John Constantino M.D., Chief, Behavioral and Mental Health Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, GA.


#1102 Psychedelic Drugs For Psychiatric Treatment
Short description:
Neuroplastogens may treat depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and dementia without hallucinations.

Long description:
New versions of psychedelic drugs without hallucinogenic side effects known as neuroplastogens have the potential to repair damaged neural circuitry in patients with depression, schizophrenia, dementia, and other illnesses with rapid and long-lasting results. Guest: David E. Olson, Ph.D., Director, UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics.


1103 Screen Addiction And Children
Short description:
A study of 11,000 subjects since age 10 uses MRI to track changes in the brain caused by addiction.

Long description:
Excessive use of screens, social media, and video games by adolescents has caused an alarming increase in suicidal behavior. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study follows 11,000 subjects since age 10 using MRI to study changes in the brain caused by addiction. Guest: J. John Mann, M.D., Professor of Translational Neuroscience in Psychiatry and Radiology, Columbia University.


#1104 The Role of Stress in Illness
Short description:
How stress and untreated depression impact the body’s inflammatory response.

Long description:
Stress and untreated depression impact the body’s inflammatory response, immunity, and physical healing, but lifestyle changes including exercise, sleep and diet can help; how monoclonal antibodies may help treat mental illness. Guest: Scott Russo, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Leon Levy Director of the Brain-Body Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.


#1105 Suicide Prevention
Short description:
Strategies to decrease suicide risk including folic acid and fast-acting medications; 988 hotline.

Long description:
Strategies to decrease suicide risk including the potential benefits of folic acid, plus reinforcing the importance of home firearm safety, patient follow up, and fast-acting medication options; the national 988 hotline and smart phone alerts for patient check-ins. Guest: J. John Mann, M.D., Professor of Translational Neuroscience in Psychiatry and Radiology, Columbia University.


#1106 Resilience After Being Paralyzed
Short description:
How optimism, a support system, and exercise helped a young man thrive after paralysis.

Long description:
The inspiring story of Yannick Benjamin, paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident, who used the power of optimism, a support group of family and friends, and exercise to not only adapt to his disability but give back to the community with charitable work and a barrier free restaurant and wine store. Guest: Yannick Benjamin, Sommelier, Co-Founder Beaupierre and Wine on Wheels.


#1107 Pharmacogenetics
Short description:
A saliva lab test can predict how patients metabolize medications for more accurate prescribing.



Long description:
A saliva swab lab test can reveal how a patient would metabolize different medications for their psychiatric condition, allowing doctors to prescribe more accurately for quicker, more predictable outcomes. Guest: James L. Kennedy, M.D., Director, Molecular Sciences, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada; Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto.


#1108 Voice Processing, Autism, And Children’s Brains
Short description:
Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions can help autistic children with communication.

Long description:
Understanding how autistic children’s brains process voices can lead to increased social interactions using naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI), including focusing on areas of personal interest. Guest: Daniel Abrams Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor, Stanford Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience Laboratory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University.


#1109 Obesity Medications, Metabolism, And Mental Health
Short description:
Exploring the role of nutritional intervention and exercise to improve psychiatric symptoms.

Long description:
Exploring the intersection of metabolism and mental health and the role of nutritional intervention to improve psychiatric symptoms including a ketogenic diet, GLP-1s and other obesity medications, and exercise. Guest: Shebani Sethi M.D., Founder and Director of the Metabolic Psychiatry Clinical Program and Associate Professor, Dept of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.


#1110 Parenting Teens With Autism: Musician Steve Earle
Short description:
The musician/actor talks about the importance of a support network and advocating for resources.

Long description:
Grammy award-winning musician/actor Steve Earle talks about his experience raising his non-verbal teenage autistic son, including the importance of having a network of support and advocating for resources for your child. Earle also shares how his own recovery from chemical dependency shaped how he approached his son’s diagnosis and care.



#1111 Managing Bipolar Disorder
Short description:
A variety of therapies, medication and tracking tools can help mood instability between episodes.

Long description:
Most bipolar patients experience mood instability between depressive and manic episodes, but a combination of dialectical, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, and family therapy; along with medication and tracking triggers, can make the shifts smaller. Guest: Sarah Sperry, Ph.D., Richard Tam, Early Career Professor of Translational Bipolar Research, University of Michigan.


#1112 Cannibis Addiction And Treatment
Short description:
Cannabis misuse or addiction can trigger or worsen mental health symptoms, requiring co-treatment.

Long description:
Rates of cannabis misuse and addiction have increased since legalization made it more accessible, which can trigger or worsen mental health symptoms including depression and schizophrenia, requiring co-treatment plans. Guest: Victor M. Tang, M.D., psychiatrist and clinician scientist, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada.