1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,500 JUDY WOODRUFF: The holiday season is considered one of the hardest times of 2 00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:06,766 the year for anyone struggling with mental health. In fact, 3 00:00:06,766 --> 00:00:11,500 the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that 64 percent of people living 4 00:00:11,500 --> 00:00:15,833 with a mental illness report that their conditions worsen over the holidays. 5 00:00:15,833 --> 00:00:20,833 And now the recent death by suicide of famed dancer, producer and deejay tWitch has sparked 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:28,200 another national conversation about the struggles many people face during the holiday season. 7 00:00:30,100 --> 00:00:33,100 We're going to explore some of those concerns with Dr. Gregory Scott Brown. 8 00:00:33,100 --> 00:00:38,100 He's a psychiatrist and author of the book "The Self-Healing Mind: An Essential 9 00:00:40,066 --> 00:00:43,733 Five-Step Practice for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression, and Revitalizing Your Life." 10 00:00:45,133 --> 00:00:47,900 Dr. Brown, thank you very much for joining us. 11 00:00:47,900 --> 00:00:51,866 I think we have long known that the holidays can be stressful for many, 12 00:00:51,866 --> 00:00:56,833 if not all of us, but especially so for people with mental illness. Why is that? 13 00:00:58,300 --> 00:00:59,500 DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN, Author, "The Self-Healing Mind": There 14 00:00:59,500 --> 00:01:01,666 are a lot of different factors at play. 15 00:01:01,666 --> 00:01:05,533 We all know how challenging and stressful the gift giving and even the gift receiving process 16 00:01:07,566 --> 00:01:11,033 can be. Unfortunately, some people are enduring financial challenges over the holidays. And, 17 00:01:12,466 --> 00:01:15,533 as much as we adore spending time with family and friends, 18 00:01:15,533 --> 00:01:20,533 hosting them can lead to an uptick in anxiety levels for some of us. 19 00:01:22,466 --> 00:01:25,133 But another idea that supported by some good science is the fact that, 20 00:01:25,133 --> 00:01:30,033 during the winter months, we're just exposed to less sunlight. That means that melatonin, 21 00:01:30,033 --> 00:01:35,033 the hormone that's released in the brain that tells us it's time to sleep, is produced earlier 22 00:01:37,466 --> 00:01:40,133 in the day. And that might cause some of us to feel more sluggish, tired and even depressed. 23 00:01:42,166 --> 00:01:44,300 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, what does that mean in terms of the symptoms people have? How 24 00:01:44,300 --> 00:01:49,266 does it -- how does someone know that these symptoms are there, that they're coming on? 25 00:01:50,166 --> 00:01:52,100 DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: Right. 26 00:01:52,100 --> 00:01:56,166 So, the symptoms of depression would consist of someone who's isolating more, 27 00:01:58,066 --> 00:02:00,433 if they have noticed a change in their appetite. Sometimes, people will eat too 28 00:02:00,433 --> 00:02:05,400 little or overeat. If someone is sleeping more than they normally do, if someone is 29 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,300 experiencing thoughts of death or thoughts of suicide, these are all indicators that someone 30 00:02:13,833 --> 00:02:16,800 may be struggling with depression, especially if the symptoms are lasting for at least two weeks. 31 00:02:18,733 --> 00:02:21,300 JUDY WOODRUFF: Sometimes, people can be good at hiding their symptoms. They 32 00:02:21,300 --> 00:02:25,300 can seem as if everything's fine. They may be working really hard to 33 00:02:25,300 --> 00:02:29,833 seem as if everything is fine, when, underneath, they're really troubled. 34 00:02:29,833 --> 00:02:32,266 DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: And I will tell you, Judy, that's something that, 35 00:02:32,266 --> 00:02:37,100 honestly, we're all thinking about right now, especially in the aftermath of the tragic death 36 00:02:39,100 --> 00:02:42,533 of Stephen "tWitch" Boss, right? Everyone is saying that he just seemed to be so happy. 37 00:02:44,133 --> 00:02:46,900 And my message would be that there's no one face to depression, 38 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:50,833 there's no one particular way that any mental illness looks. 39 00:02:50,833 --> 00:02:55,800 And people who are depressed, even people who are suicidal, some of them are able to get up, 40 00:02:57,833 --> 00:03:00,200 they're able to go to work, they're able to smile, they're able to hide it quite well. 41 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:04,733 And that's why it's so important that we're asking each other how we're doing, 42 00:03:04,733 --> 00:03:09,466 that we're checking in on each other. A text or a phone call, especially this time of year, 43 00:03:09,466 --> 00:03:12,433 might seem like a small gesture, but it can actually go a long way. 44 00:03:12,433 --> 00:03:17,433 JUDY WOODRUFF: So those are some things that people who may know that a friend or 45 00:03:17,433 --> 00:03:22,433 a family member may be susceptible to these dark feelings are good to know. 46 00:03:24,433 --> 00:03:28,200 But what about for people themselves who are feeling particular emotional stress, 47 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:31,233 or maybe they know they have a mental diagnosis? 48 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,166 What should they be on the lookout for? How do they cope with this? 49 00:03:35,166 --> 00:03:37,266 DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: Well, I mean, 50 00:03:37,266 --> 00:03:41,133 especially if you're experiencing suicidal thoughts, I'd say that 988 is a really, 51 00:03:41,133 --> 00:03:46,133 really great resource that people shouldn't feel the shame of taking advantage of. 52 00:03:48,100 --> 00:03:51,400 It's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And the thing about is, if you're 53 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:56,000 meeting with a mental health professional during the holidays, it doesn't necessarily mean that you 54 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,133 would have to continue meeting with a mental health professional for the next year or two 55 00:04:00,133 --> 00:04:03,566 years or three years. Some people just check in when they're struggling, and that's OK. 56 00:04:03,566 --> 00:04:08,566 JUDY WOODRUFF: Is it truly that easy, Dr. Brown, to find someone to talk, 57 00:04:11,100 --> 00:04:14,333 to confide in, kind of on the spur of the moment, if you're feeling, again, these dark feelings? 58 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,333 DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: It's a process that is worthwhile. 59 00:04:18,333 --> 00:04:23,033 Sometimes, it might take a couple of days to really connect with someone. But I will tell you, 60 00:04:25,233 --> 00:04:29,500 someone like me, I'm accepting new patients, and many other psychiatrists and therapists 61 00:04:29,500 --> 00:04:34,500 are accepting new patients too. And so, again, if you're feeling like you really need a professional 62 00:04:36,466 --> 00:04:40,033 to speak with, don't feel ashamed to pick up the phone and at least make that effort. 63 00:04:40,033 --> 00:04:42,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: And, finally, just we know that the these are 64 00:04:42,833 --> 00:04:47,833 things that cut -- that cut across people by age, by gender, by race. 65 00:04:49,266 --> 00:04:50,966 DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: The suicide rate among men 66 00:04:50,966 --> 00:04:54,933 is actually three to four times the rate of suicides among women. 67 00:04:54,933 --> 00:04:59,933 And so a lot of folks might think that men don't struggle with mental illness 68 00:05:01,666 --> 00:05:05,166 or men are able to tough it out, but the truth is that there are over 130 69 00:05:06,766 --> 00:05:11,100 suicides on average every day in the United States, and suicide and 70 00:05:13,033 --> 00:05:16,400 mental illness doesn't discriminate against race or gender. I mean, anyone is at risk. 71 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,933 And that's why we all need to be not only thinking about mental health, but talking about it as well. 72 00:05:22,933 --> 00:05:27,700 JUDY WOODRUFF: It's so hard to think about at this time, but, as you say, really important 73 00:05:27,700 --> 00:05:32,700 to remember that this may be going on with someone you know well and someone you love. 74 00:05:34,666 --> 00:05:38,166 So, thank you so much, Dr. Gregory Scott Brown, for sharing this with us. We appreciate it. 75 00:05:40,133 --> 00:05:44,400 And if you or a loved one is having emotional distress or thoughts of suicide, 76 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,733 text or call the national hot line -- as you just heard, it's 988 -- to connect with a 77 00:05:51,566 --> 00:05:55,633 lifeline specialist for support. They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.