A behavioral health crisis is impacting all ages, from children to seniors, with three-quarters of all mental illness in the United States manifesting by age 24. A new season of Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network's miniVHAN podcast series features speakers discussing behavioral health across the lifespan, including depression, anxiety, neurodiversity, trauma and grief.
Though the guest speakers are clinicians, the episodes offer helpful insights and tips for all audiences. By talking about behavioral health needs more openly, the podcast creators hope to overcome ingrained fear and stigma of mental health concerns.
Here are details of each episode:
The Road to Mental Wellness: A Conversation With Health Care Experts on Anxiety and Depression
The first episode features Jason Greenhagen, MD, and Susan O'Hara, MSW, LCSW, clinicians in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt Health Medical Center (VUMC). They discuss the signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression, how these conditions show up in people of all ages and when clinical support may be needed.
Stream the episode here.
'All Brains Are Good': A Closer Look at Autism and ADHD
The second episode features Kelly Geelan, LMSW at VUMC, and Alison Peak, LCSW, of Allied Behavioral Health Solutions, discussing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other issues related to neurodiversity. The experts guide us through the neurodiversity movement and common misconceptions about autism, share the importance of early interventions and support for those with ADHD, and examine how understanding social cues and building supportive relationships can aid the transition into adulthood. The episode also addresses how workplaces can become more inclusive for neurodiverse adults.
Stream the episode here.
Trauma
The third episode explores the different ways that trauma can express itself and discuss how to recognize the signs of trauma across all ages. It features Sophie Bell, LCSW, senior clinician, Here/Now Psychotherapy Collective in Brooklyn, NY, and Tasia York, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at VUMC.
Stream the episode here.
Grief
The fourth episode focuses different types of grief, how to cope with loss and the benefit of employers providing mental health tools for their employees. Experts are Rebecca Sebastian, LCSW, MPH, who has expertise in bereavement, grief, acute stress and trauma, and Martha Shepherd, DO, MPH, medical director for Vanderbilt Health at Metro Nashville Public Schools.
Stream the episode here.
Visit miniVHANpodcast.com and subscribe to the email list to receive notifications when new episodes drop.
