According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 43.8 million Americans experience mental illness in a given year and up to 42 million American adults live with anxiety disorders. It is still quite striking to me that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease.
Specifically in millennials, there has been a 47% increase in major-depression diagnoses since 2013, according to a Blue Cross Blue Shield report.
Though we are clearly in the midst of a crisis, I am hopeful in reading the Business Insider’s statement claiming that “they're [millennials] more likely to go to therapy than previous generations, destigmatizing the concept in the process.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 43.8 million Americans experience mental illness in a given year and up to 42 million American adults live with anxiety disorders. It is still quite striking to me that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease.
Specifically in millennials, there has been a 47% increase in major-depression diagnoses since 2013, according to a Blue Cross Blue Shield report.
Though we are clearly in the midst of a crisis, I am hopeful in reading the Business Insider’s statement claiming that “they're [millennials] more likely to go to therapy than previous generations, destigmatizing the concept in the process.”
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Hey, everyone! And welcome to the millennial health podcast. I'm Dr J. Cherie Alan, a board certified family medicine physician who's passionate about the health of my fellow millennials. I know we're busy chasing big dreams and awesome gold, but I firmly believe that the first wealth is your health. So I'm taking some of my most important health messages and bringing them here to you on this podcast and that my goal is to share some valuable information and draw awareness to some important health issues. I encourage you to please consult your physician for personalized medical advice, millennials and mental health. I thought it was so important to speak on this topic because truly this is a major, major, major one. There was a business insider article that came out not that long ago. December 16th I believe, was the date of publishing and this article, the headline I'll read it to you. It was that shocking, lonely, burned out and depressed the state of millennials mental health entering the 20 twenties. I read that and I was just shocked like I absolutely I could not believe, like I'd seen those headlines, you know, making reference to our health, not really being on par with that of our parents or the generations before us, but I don't know something about it didn't click to me that, like this, is a big, big, big, big deal. And then I see it reflected in my practice at work, too, you know, honestly, I am hard pressed to find a day in the clinic or on the ward, where I don't see one patient for the entire day with a mental health concern that we're spending a significant amount of time addressing whether it's a new diagnosis or working on tight trading medications or creating strategies. I'm for existing diagnoses, honestly, hard pressed to find a day in my schedule that I have no one with a mental health concern on. And so I think you know, a major part of that issue, and I've said that before. Is this isolation this feeling of? I'm the only person going through this? Something must be wrong with me. What's going on? And I really wish I could just stand on a mountain top and just, like, scream to the whole world that you are not the only one, all right. I think different people carry their emotions in different ways. Different people hide their emotions in different ways, and different people are able to push through with different strategies, you know, And so I think that's what's really happening. It's not necessarily that no one has those same feelings that you have. It's just they're not being publicized or put on a pedestal, or at least just out there in the open for you to even see and recognize that this is something other people are going through. And so that's a huge part of what I'm starting to feel like. My purpose, maybe two. Er de stigmatize this a little because I truly feel that we prevent ourselves from living our best lives. Essentially, you know, if we feel trapped with our mental health conditions, not feeling free, to talk out or speak up about them and get help when we do need it, you know. So I want to share a couple of the statistics with you guys that are out there because they're quite shocking. So ah, few general stats, right? So according to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 43.8 million Americans experience mental illness within, like a given year. There are currently 18% of American adults living with anxiety disorders, which actually wanted more common of our mental health disorders. And the World Health Organization has declared depression the leading cause of disability worldwide. It's a major contributor to the global burden of disease, and that is huge, right? We aren't even talking it about the economic impact of that. You know, the social impact on for families, right that this has Look, this is a big deal and how it essentially captures some of our patients and just have you feeling stuck all right, not able to move forward in your life because you're literally feeling stuck in the state that you're in. So this is big stuff. But specifically I wanted to look some more at Millennials right off millennials. It's saying there's been a 47% increase in major depressive diagnoses since 2013. Blue Cross Blue Shield, which is a huge insurance company, actually looked at quite a bit of their data and released some statistics that we're quite shocking because I want to see us a be healthier and live more fulfilled lives, and it's really hard to do that when you feel as though you are not your best self. You're not operating, you know, as your best self. I think it's extremely hard, so things that we could d'oh ah, the major, major, major thing that we could do first and foremost is to start doing our part to de stigmatize this conversation. Okay, I think it's important that we allow the people who surround us, our friends, our family, the people in our networks and our social circles to feel comfortable in speaking their truth, to feel like it's okay to be honest and upfront about what it is that they're currently going through. I think that is extremely important. So whatever we can do to kind of break these walls down brick these barriers down and that includes, like sometimes just sharing your own story like, you know, being honest with the people you love and the people you trust if you suspect they may be having a hard time just letting them know. You know, you've been there, done that, you went through it and you've managed to survive and they can, too. I think if we only knew how much we could do for each other. We knew how much we could help each other, right? Just by being honest, Little vulnerability goes a long way. Now, don't get people ammunition, toe like take you out, you know, But people you love, people you trust people who use sense are having a hard time. It's okay to share your testimony and let them know you've been there. You survived and they can do the same thing too. So that's huge. Another major thing. I sing on a therapy mountaintop. I need to be like the national spokesperson for the European or something because I believe in therapy so much. It's not even funny. There is so much power in literally speaking to an objective individual getting some of these feelings, some of these thoughts, some of these unprocessed emotions, like out of your mind and out. Great. Sometimes when you even just say some of the stuff is just like oh, okay, when you hear yourself say it, it's like, Oh, all right. It rings a little bell, something clicked. You know, that's one, but two. If that doesn't happen for you, then you have a professional, a trained professional who's there and able to help you dissect that conversation. Okay, so I think that's huge. I think another major thing is insuring that you are doing well physically, right? Because many of the symptoms of anxiety and depression do mimic some other medical issues that are physically are related and that need to be diagnosed and treated right. So usually it's the other way around. So we have a lot of patients come in with these physical complaints, and we're finding like there's something you know, psychologically related going on here that we can address. But it works the other way too, right? I think, especially as we increase the conversations and we talk about this a little more than we have more people like being aware of their mental state and wanted to get help for that. But it's important to take care of your body. Otherwise you need to eat well, all right, I always tell my younger patients think of your body as a car. Okay, if you bought yourself the nicest car ever, you wouldn't put the cheapest gas in it. So why, If you are fearfully and wonderfully made, would you not do the very best for yourself. Why wouldn't you put the very best that you possibly can into your body? So that's important. You need to eat well to you need to be active physically active. However, that comes for you, whatever form that's in. I think you know you're totally at liberty to choose, but something to get those muscles working something to just, like, get that body moving. You know, if you're not a gym person, maybe just try to be conscious of the amount of steps you take every day and ensure that you're at least you know, six thousands kind of that minimum. But you really want to challenge yourself. 10,000 is kind of the steps that you would shoot for, so just make sure you're moving your body. Okay. If you don't use it, you lose it. That's for those muscles and joints. Okay. And then another thing that I think it's super important. Check in with your doctor, right. If you are super healthy, you have no medical concerns whatsoever that bother you. Check in with your doctor at least once a year to get your annual physical exam. Make sure your blood pressure is in the appropriate range. Your heart rate is within a normal range, and it's a regular rhythm. Normal rhythm, right? Make sure that your cholesterol levels look good. Make sure you're fasting. Blood sugars look really good. Check in with your doctor. Okay? At least once that you're even. If you are be healthiest person ever. You really can't lose. You can't go wrong by doing that. All right, And then another thing. Make peace with turbulent situations in your life. Whether that's a job, some relationships, you know, our family, whatever it is you have that's going on, that's disturbing your peace. It's so crucial to your mental health that you make peace with those situations. I read something recently, and it just struck me. It said, Ah, lot of people struggle with sleep because getting good sleep means you need to have peace. And as I hoof, that hit me like a ton of bricks, especially because so many patients come to see me to talk about, you know, their inability to sleep at night. And I ask all these questions like, what time are you going to bed? What time you waking up? Are you having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Do you have a television in the room, or are you on the cell phone in the room? Do you have the blue screen coming at you? Do you have set bedtime? Do you have a good pillow? Do you a good match, You know, asking all these questions and sometimes, honestly, if you've just got too much going on up here, you can't shut this off and too much going on here and can't shut. Like quiet that down. Right? You need peace to be able to get some good sleep. So do that for yourself too. All right. And then another tip. I wanted to add itself care. Taking care of yourself is okay. It is healthy. If you have a job that gives vacation days, take these vacation days and go on a vacation. Even if it's a staycation on your couch in your living room, that is totally okay, right? Take care of yourself. Find something that makes you happy. That makes you feel relaxed. That makes you feel whole. Sometimes we may have friends or family members. If you have a conversation with that person, it kind of just lights up your world totally fine to just give that person a call and say, Hey, you know, you're a part of myself care routine. Let me know you have some time in leads, like shoot the breeze for a little bit, you know, or bull. That's like going out to a nice restaurant, having a good meal, some people that shopping. You know, just make sure you don't turn these self care routines into maladaptive behaviors. Um, and that they're not wreaking more havoc in your life than actually like being good to yourself, right? And actually promoting, like, the care of your body. So those are important. So those are some tips that I have for you in trying to, like, get your mental health like on track, especially for this new decade, right? This is crucial, crucial course, but you just have no idea how you stunt your growth in life professionally, personally, spiritually, emotionally, when you are not well and you're not in your best mental state, you cannot show up to anything that you endeavor to do, uh, as your best self. If just like something up here isn't right or something in here isn't right Okay, so I really want you guys to, like, put some effort into that. All right? I am always more than happy to answer any questions. Always, always, always feel free to reach out for any advice and just like self care, mental hell, that's what I think. I think it's so important. The more we have these conversations, the less we stigma de stigmatize are. The more we de stigmatize these issues in these topics, and we allow other people to feel comfortable in saying some of this. You know, I've had conversations with a couple friends recently who are like, You know, I've never told anyone that I've like Ghana therapy or I've never told anyone I've, like, done that like I can think of four people I've spoken to, like the last one who said that to me, and it was because when we're having a conversation, it's just casual. We were just talking about it, and we're just saying it right. So I think it's important for us to just be honest, and I just just live your truth like live your truth. Be totally honest. All right, so that brings me to the end of our mental health. And Millie, hold this information was beneficial to you. Please subscribe and share with your friends. If you have questions or comments, feel free to reach out on Instagram. I'm at your favored doctor friend or Dr J. Cherie. I dabble on Twitter and Facebook. What? To be honest, Instagrams. Really? My platform of choice Still. Finally there, guys, And let's continue this conversation. All right. Next podcast is coming up soon.