WEBVTT 00:02.000 --> 00:03.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: The holiday season is considered one of the hardest times of 00:03.500 --> 00:06.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% the year for anyone struggling with mental health. In fact, 00:06.766 --> 00:11.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that 64 percent of people living 00:11.500 --> 00:15.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% with a mental illness report that their conditions worsen over the holidays. 00:15.833 --> 00:20.833 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And now the recent death by suicide of famed dancer, producer and deejay tWitch has sparked 00:23.200 --> 00:28.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% another national conversation about the struggles many people face during the holiday season. 00:30.100 --> 00:33.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We're going to explore some of those concerns with Dr. Gregory Scott Brown. 00:33.100 --> 00:38.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% He's a psychiatrist and author of the book "The Self-Healing Mind: An Essential 00:40.066 --> 00:43.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Five-Step Practice for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression, and Revitalizing Your Life." 00:45.133 --> 00:47.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Dr. Brown, thank you very much for joining us. 00:47.900 --> 00:51.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I think we have long known that the holidays can be stressful for many, 00:51.866 --> 00:56.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% if not all of us, but especially so for people with mental illness. Why is that? 00:58.300 --> 00:59.500 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN, Author, "The Self-Healing Mind": There 00:59.500 --> 01:01.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% are a lot of different factors at play. 01:01.666 --> 01:05.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We all know how challenging and stressful the gift giving and even the gift receiving process 01:07.566 --> 01:11.033 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% can be. Unfortunately, some people are enduring financial challenges over the holidays. And, 01:12.466 --> 01:15.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% as much as we adore spending time with family and friends, 01:15.533 --> 01:20.533 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% hosting them can lead to an uptick in anxiety levels for some of us. 01:22.466 --> 01:25.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But another idea that supported by some good science is the fact that, 01:25.133 --> 01:30.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% during the winter months, we're just exposed to less sunlight. That means that melatonin, 01:30.033 --> 01:35.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% the hormone that's released in the brain that tells us it's time to sleep, is produced earlier 01:37.466 --> 01:40.133 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% in the day. And that might cause some of us to feel more sluggish, tired and even depressed. 01:42.166 --> 01:44.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: So, what does that mean in terms of the symptoms people have? How 01:44.300 --> 01:49.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% does it -- how does someone know that these symptoms are there, that they're coming on? 01:50.166 --> 01:52.100 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: Right. 01:52.100 --> 01:56.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, the symptoms of depression would consist of someone who's isolating more, 01:58.066 --> 02:00.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% if they have noticed a change in their appetite. Sometimes, people will eat too 02:00.433 --> 02:05.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% little or overeat. If someone is sleeping more than they normally do, if someone is 02:07.400 --> 02:11.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% experiencing thoughts of death or thoughts of suicide, these are all indicators that someone 02:13.833 --> 02:16.800 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% may be struggling with depression, especially if the symptoms are lasting for at least two weeks. 02:18.733 --> 02:21.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Sometimes, people can be good at hiding their symptoms. They 02:21.300 --> 02:25.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% can seem as if everything's fine. They may be working really hard to 02:25.300 --> 02:29.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% seem as if everything is fine, when, underneath, they're really troubled. 02:29.833 --> 02:32.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: And I will tell you, Judy, that's something that, 02:32.266 --> 02:37.100 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% honestly, we're all thinking about right now, especially in the aftermath of the tragic death 02:39.100 --> 02:42.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of Stephen "tWitch" Boss, right? Everyone is saying that he just seemed to be so happy. 02:44.133 --> 02:46.900 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And my message would be that there's no one face to depression, 02:46.900 --> 02:50.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% there's no one particular way that any mental illness looks. 02:50.833 --> 02:55.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And people who are depressed, even people who are suicidal, some of them are able to get up, 02:57.833 --> 03:00.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% they're able to go to work, they're able to smile, they're able to hide it quite well. 03:00.200 --> 03:04.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And that's why it's so important that we're asking each other how we're doing, 03:04.733 --> 03:09.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% that we're checking in on each other. A text or a phone call, especially this time of year, 03:09.466 --> 03:12.433 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% might seem like a small gesture, but it can actually go a long way. 03:12.433 --> 03:17.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: So those are some things that people who may know that a friend or 03:17.433 --> 03:22.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% a family member may be susceptible to these dark feelings are good to know. 03:24.433 --> 03:28.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But what about for people themselves who are feeling particular emotional stress, 03:29.400 --> 03:31.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% or maybe they know they have a mental diagnosis? 03:32.800 --> 03:35.166 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% What should they be on the lookout for? How do they cope with this? 03:35.166 --> 03:37.266 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: Well, I mean, 03:37.266 --> 03:41.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% especially if you're experiencing suicidal thoughts, I'd say that 988 is a really, 03:41.133 --> 03:46.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% really great resource that people shouldn't feel the shame of taking advantage of. 03:48.100 --> 03:51.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And the thing about is, if you're 03:51.400 --> 03:56.000 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% meeting with a mental health professional during the holidays, it doesn't necessarily mean that you 03:56.000 --> 04:00.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% would have to continue meeting with a mental health professional for the next year or two 04:00.133 --> 04:03.566 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% years or three years. Some people just check in when they're struggling, and that's OK. 04:03.566 --> 04:08.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: Is it truly that easy, Dr. Brown, to find someone to talk, 04:11.100 --> 04:14.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% to confide in, kind of on the spur of the moment, if you're feeling, again, these dark feelings? 04:15.800 --> 04:18.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: It's a process that is worthwhile. 04:18.333 --> 04:23.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Sometimes, it might take a couple of days to really connect with someone. But I will tell you, 04:25.233 --> 04:29.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% someone like me, I'm accepting new patients, and many other psychiatrists and therapists 04:29.500 --> 04:34.500 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% are accepting new patients too. And so, again, if you're feeling like you really need a professional 04:36.466 --> 04:40.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to speak with, don't feel ashamed to pick up the phone and at least make that effort. 04:40.033 --> 04:42.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: And, finally, just we know that the these are 04:42.833 --> 04:47.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% things that cut -- that cut across people by age, by gender, by race. 04:49.266 --> 04:50.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% DR. GREGORY SCOTT BROWN: The suicide rate among men 04:50.966 --> 04:54.933 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% is actually three to four times the rate of suicides among women. 04:54.933 --> 04:59.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And so a lot of folks might think that men don't struggle with mental illness 05:01.666 --> 05:05.166 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% or men are able to tough it out, but the truth is that there are over 130 05:06.766 --> 05:11.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% suicides on average every day in the United States, and suicide and 05:13.033 --> 05:16.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% mental illness doesn't discriminate against race or gender. I mean, anyone is at risk. 05:19.000 --> 05:22.933 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And that's why we all need to be not only thinking about mental health, but talking about it as well. 05:22.933 --> 05:27.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: It's so hard to think about at this time, but, as you say, really important 05:27.700 --> 05:32.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to remember that this may be going on with someone you know well and someone you love. 05:34.666 --> 05:38.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, thank you so much, Dr. Gregory Scott Brown, for sharing this with us. We appreciate it. 05:40.133 --> 05:44.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And if you or a loved one is having emotional distress or thoughts of suicide, 05:46.400 --> 05:49.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% text or call the national hot line -- as you just heard, it's 988 -- to connect with a 05:51.566 --> 05:55.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% lifeline specialist for support. They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.