Let's Talk UNLV

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Welcome to another episode of Let's Talk UNLV at K U N. V. 91.5. I'm your co host, Alicia and Tanya. And today we're here with Dr. Marin LMR. Sookie musket de why, why did I not know you? Which is sad because I pronounced your name right all the time, except today, but it's okay. No problem. We're gonna flow with imperfection. Yeah.

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Perfection. Welcome back. Welcome back. It's good to have you back on the show. I would like to give you an opportunity to give you to give us your new origin story. Yeah, as some things have changed since the last time that we met. So tell us about this new life that you have. All right, well, thank you for inviting me, I'm happy to be here, you know, to speak with all of you and then was part of this opportunity. So again, you know, excited to be here. I recently graduated from UNLV. With my doctor and public policy.

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West, we need to answer some clapping musical

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chairs, like an applause.

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And my focus was health policy. You know, when I got involved in in health in general, I had the opportunity to work for clinical study and healthcare administration. And then I had the opportunity to transition and focus in health from a higher educational standpoint at UNLV. And so it was wonderful and had mastered public health. But I thought, you know, how can you incorporate change? How do you take an existing issue or problem and really implement, you know, a solution. And that's through policy. And so I'm excited to have that degree. Now. In addition to completing my Doctorate in Public Policy, I also work for now Nevada System of Higher Education. Prior to that role, I served at UNLV. With Dr. Tanya crab, I was a Wellness Educator. But I recently had the opportunity to take on a role as a mental health wellness officer, where I oversee a grant to support mental health initiatives on campus, not only for UNLV. But all of the institutions and we're looking to in this is, you know, a pilot program, we're looking to support any mental health programming training, not only for students, but faculty and staff, because at the end of the day, you have to look at your providers, you have to look at your faculty, you have to look at your professors, you have to address what's going on with them as well. And so how do we collectively support mental health and that's what my role is down. Oh, I love them. And I am 100% here for the glow up.

Unknown Speaker 2:42
For those who are listening, we need to let you know that our topic today is National depression and mental health screening. So we're gonna be talking about that month. This is If correct me if I'm wrong. This is the national depression and mental health month, right? Absolutely. Mental Health Awareness. That's what it's all about. Wonderful. Yes, yes. And so as with all topics, mental health, we just want to give people an opportunity to know that if for some reason, something that comes up during this podcast that's particularly triggering for you, due to your history or anything else. Maybe it's an experience that's happening in your household or your family, please do take the time and the opportunity to take care of yourself, do what you need to take care of yourself, step away. If you need to step away call someone if you need to call someone. But do what you need to take care of yourself. You know, we just always want to put that out there. So all right. Thank you so much. We definitely need to make sure we give that disclaimer. So I appreciate that. Dr. Time Yeah. All right, let's jump right into this exciting podcast. Let's talk with some talking points. Why should someone consider getting a mental health screening? Why is it important? Well, you know, mental health in general, is something that, I think in my opinion, has been a topic that's been around forever. However, I think the attention, the awareness, the focus just hasn't been there. And you know, given the onset of the pandemic, and other personal struggles that I think a lot of people go through, not only on a personal level, but also on a professional level, and so forth. And you know, it triggers a lot of mental health concerns that are often sought at times of silence struggle for many individuals, and not just for adults, but for children for teen preteens, everyone I think is, you know, could be in this type of scenario where they're struggling for mental health, it was so important. Just to give you all some additional facts and figures, you know, 90% of public believes that there is a mental health crisis within the US, and that's quite substantial. 90% of our population believes that, but what are we doing about it? How are we addressing it? You know, and to add to that 47% of our young adults have considered seeking help. But unfortunately, you know, half of those adults 18 to 24 years old, you know, haven't sought help for some of those, you know, triggers such as anxiety or depression, especially within within 2023. So, it's so important that, you know, we take the opportunity to address these concerns, these factual figures and that we're taking proactive measures to really start with not only advocating for months

Unknown Speaker 5:00
We'll help raising awareness and educating the public as well. I love that. And can I just add one more thing? Where can someone who's interested or feels like they need a screening? Where can they go to get a screening, mental health screening, you know, there's, there's so many opportunities, I always say, start with your medical provider, your family, doctor, your family care provider, oftentimes, a lot of people don't know this, but their insurance provider, whether it's through work, whether it's through school, whatever the case is, by law, actually, as a result of Obamacare, by law, as of 2010, all insurance provided do provide coverage for mental health or behavioral health. And so I always say start with that, call your insurance provider, look at the back of your insurance card, because oftentimes, in addition to that phone number for medical care, there is a behavioral care phone number, if it's not there, call your main number, and they will connect you to that department, by law, you are provided those resources. Now, in addition to accessing those resources through your insurance. There's also a lot of organizations out there, whether it's through your work, through your school, through your institution, there is a lot of nonprofit organizations, and resources that a lot of individual can start with educating themselves understanding what's going on with some of the mental health concerns they might be experiencing, and then being connected to additional resources thereafter. That's really good, good stuff. You know, that's a really wonderful question. And thank you so much for sharing that, you know, I think what happens a lot of times was especially depression, is people assume that they were alone, and that they're the only ones that are suffering and struggling with depression. I believe I shared on a previous podcast, something that was really powerful for me, it was during COVID-19. I heard, I heard Michelle Obama say on air that she'd suffered from from low level depression, I was like, Oh my gosh, like, that's a thing that can happen to people who have money and

Unknown Speaker 6:48
sources. And you know, just to be clear, depression is not just sadness, you know, depression is more than just sadness. Depression is a depressed mood for over two weeks, poor concentration, excessive guilt, low self worth, hopelessness about the future is a really big component of depression, disrupted sleep patterns, it can be sleeping too much, it can be sleeping too little. Any changes in appetite. A lot of people have appetite fluctuations, where they eat, eating more or less. And it can, it's pervasive, you know, it impacts everything that you do in your life. And furthermore, for a lot of people with depression, they're also accompanied by sometimes suicidal thoughts. So it's important to note that we all have emotional mood fluctuations, we all get sad from time to time. But depression is a sadness, that's Dix. And it's a sadness that that is a that is disruptive. In your life, it impacts where you do your schoolwork and impacts your relationship. It's a more pervasive form of sadness than just I'm having a bad day. So I just wanted to put that out there. And to add to that, you know, depression can also be mild, it can be moderate, or it can be severe. And oftentimes, a lot of people are like, Oh, I'm just having a bad day. And they kind of tend to ignore it. If it's on the low level, you know, depression side. And granted, you know, I think we have a lot going on, right? That we often kind of put ourself mental health concerns off to the side. And we're just like, you know, what, I don't think it's a priority. But we need to make that a priority. We need to take a minute and say, You know what, something's not right. Something's not normal. Within my life, there's a disruption of some sort, as Dr. Tanya crab mentioned, you know, whether it's poor concentration, whatever it is us, maybe for running you, preventing you from, you know, functioning each and every day. It's something that you should look into, just like if you have a fever, if you're not feeling well, those are warning signs. And oftentimes, if we see warning signs of recognizing that we tend to follow up and make an appointment or schedule an appointment. Well, that's how we need to consider mental health and mental health is also something where if you know those warning signs, then follow up with additional appointment and see who you need to go to for help. I'm so glad you mentioned that. And I'm so glad you define that because I'm telling you not just myself but many people who are listening don't really know how to identify or to define what that looks like. What is actual depression, amazing, amazing. So you know, I I've heard people describe depression as sort of having a boulder strapped to your leg. It prevents you from moving forward simple tasks, such as I want to brush my teeth. I'm gonna get up this morning become that much harder. And one of the challenges with depression is the you know, the self critic and the external critic, which people are just get over it, why can't you just get over it? You know, why can't you just not be sad? Why can't you just have a positive attitude? Because depression doesn't work like that. And for some people, you know, for a lot of people depression is a biological drive. It's something that's happening in your brain chemistry that is causing you to be depressed so it's not just a simple I'm gonna make myself happy. You know, there are different like, like Dr. Moscato you

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mentioned there, there are different levels of depression and sometimes depression is extremely severe. And sometimes what's required is not just therapy, you know, in

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Not just behave, you know, going out and doing things, but also maybe medication, but it depends. And you won't know that unless you get screened. Absolutely screening is so important, you know, when it comes to knowing what science to look for when it comes to knowing, you know, what doctor to be aware of screening is so important. And again, that starts through different aspects, right, whether you can meet with your family provider, or whether you can meet with a therapist. And again, those can be in person or virtual, you don't necessarily have to meet with a provider in person, right? You can virtually meet with someone and talk about your feelings, talk about your concerns, express, you know, what you're going through. And then from there, they would have strategic steps that you can follow so that you can start beginning to address some of those mental health concerns, you know, for example, depression, and so forth. Now, you know, in addition to screening, once, you know, you know, whether it's yourself or someone that you are concerned about, once you know what they may be going through, it's important to advocate not only for your health, right, but for someone else. And how do you do that? Well, in my opinion, when, you know, coming from a public health background, it starts with education. It starts with learning, what are those symptoms, learning one of those factors, understanding, you know, what it is to look out for, because, for example, we're kind of like from a very early age, we're told if you're sick, if you have a fever, you know, that's something you take care of, right? You're those are more common known about talked about symptoms, right. However, when it comes to mental health, some of those symptoms are hindered, whether it's stigma, whether it's some other concern, whether it's culture, whether it's lack of understanding, embarrassment, guilt, whatever those feelings are, that tend to prohibit you, or someone else from understanding or going through a screening process. You know, those are important. And it starts with advocating for yourself and others. And that's through education through an understanding of what depression, what mental health consists of, and how to move forward from there. I love that. And then what about once for all of us, we're busy. I mean, everyone in this studio right now is probably wearing about seven to 10 Hats daily, and we just exchanged you know, and it becomes normal for many of us. And like you said, we sometimes neglect, taking care of our mental health. I know I have been guilty in the past where, you know, if I did a fever, if I'm not feeling well, I do automatic, okay, let me check in with my physical well being, but mentally, it just becomes the normal, it's okay to function in this way. I'm going from zero to 10 on a daily basis. Surely after I learned that, that wasn't good for me, and I got burned down. And I was wondering, I was having all the signs and symptoms, and then not knowing how to manage the feelings of depression or anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. So what are some ways that you can help manage? When you're feeling overwhelmed? Are you feeling depressed? Are you experiencing some forms of anxiety? What are some tools you can share with the listeners to manage this? Absolutely. So, you know, once you understand and really, you know, hone in on what's going on with yourself or someone that you're close with, you're concerned about, I would say the next step is really to speak to somebody, right? You know, to schedule an appointment with a therapist, oftentimes, a lot of our organizations or work provide employee assistance, programming resources. So again, speaking to someone, that's what it starts with, right? Whenever you're struggling with mental health, let's begin with speaking to a therapist, right to talk about what are some of your concerns, what are you going through how to address some of those concerns, oftentimes, when we tend to bury a lot of our feelings, they tend to then after so much time has gone by, they tend to essentially come through physical you know, ailments, right, there is a correlation between mind body medicine, whatever mental you're going through, oftentimes, if it's a struggle, mentally, it will incorporate to a physical ailment. And so I always say, start with a therapist, speak to somebody understand what's going on, check your breathing, you know, check what's going on with your physical well being. And often when you meet with a therapist, they will provide, you know, ways to cope with some of the stressors that are in your life. Oftentimes, a lot of in my personal opinion, whenever I've worked with students at UNLV, or when I work with staff, you know, on behalf of NCCIH, oftentimes, I also tell them, you know, journal, some of your thoughts, you know, be mindful of what you're feeling, what you're going through, what are some of those concerns? What are some of those stressors, oftentimes writing them down is similar to speaking about it right, because you're taking your thoughts that are buried inside your head, but you're expressing them through a lingual process of writing them down. In addition to journaling, speaking with a therapist exercise is so important. I know a lot of times people don't think about that physical component that remove some of those stressors that build up and makes you feel heavy, right? Makes you feel like you can't get up every morning. There's a lot of you know, coping factors, you know, again, being mindful of other things. How are you breathing? You know, Is it heavy? Do you need to incorporate more? You know, distressful breathing into your morning routine or evening routine meditation is another factor all

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So, visual guidance from what I recently learned about is another factor as well, where you essentially visualized things that maybe incorporate, you know, calmness in your life, you visualize something that incorporates that, you know, distressed or factor. So there's so many ways that you can practice methods to cope with some of those, you know, concerns. But now, in addition to seeking a therapist, you can also partake in training, right? So I just kind of want to talk about that and what he is doing support it, please do. All right. So as I mentioned before, I'm overseeing a mental health federal grant that was implemented for Enshi. And that when I say Ng, I mean system wide, not only ng System Administration Office, which is where I'm located, but all of the institutions including UNLV, you are Nard, Great Basin, college, TMCC, and so forth. And what that grant is providing is not only training support, and that training and for mental health, first aid, QPR, and also suicide awareness and prevention training. I'll talk more about that in a second. But we're also providing support for individual programs within each of the institution that provide mental health resources and programming. For example, we have some of the institutions in Nevada that are located within rural community, like rapists in college, right? You know, they are in the northeast part of the Nevada I think, if I'm correct, if I'm correct, from a geographical standpoint, my point is, they're about five, six hours away from you, and are from a major city like Reno where they can access resources for mental health resources for physical health and so forth. And so I actually had the opportunity to visit them. And I asked him, I said, you know, before implementing this grant, I said, What are you specifically doing for mental health resources? How are you supporting the students? And they said, Well, you know, before this grant, we couldn't provide that support, they don't have in house resources, right. But through this grant, in addition to the training that I'll talk about, they're also looking to implement virtual mental health resources so that if a student faculty or staff comes in, says, Hey, listen, you know, I'm experiencing some concerns with mental health, they can say, well look into this resource, as opposed to I'm sorry, I can't help you, you have to look into your community. So we're, we're looking to support initiatives right? To not only train but also provide resources that aren't there. Now, from a training perspective, as I mentioned earlier, we're providing training that really educates an individual on what to look out for, what are the symptoms? What are those concerns, when it comes to mental health sometimes spent with our loved one, we don't understand or realize it, or maybe we don't want to see it, because that means we know something's going on. And also, a lot of people, even if they see those, sometimes they don't know how to approach that person. They don't want to say the wrong thing. They don't want to say something that may trigger something else. And then therefore, they feel like, you know, they kind of caused it. Situation is, so a lot of people are not prepared how to respond, how to address mental health concerns, depression, especially right. And so training and Mental Health First Aid, QPR and suicide awareness prevention, which is what we're doing and sponsoring for all of the institutions, we are providing training both at a virtual level, but also in person, where students, faculty and staff take these courses and are taught how to respond, what questions to follow up with if their loved one, or colleague or friend is suddenly going through some mental health concern. They're taught how to respond not only how to respond, but then how to connect them with the next resource, so that they don't feel like they just kind of opened up their heart and open up, you know, their concerns. And then all of a sudden, they walk away without anything, right without any additional follow up support. So they're taught about all of these tools and skill sets, so that they can appropriately respond and help someone as they go through whatever they're going through. And I always say to anyone that I connect with, you know, when it comes to either therapy, or training, these are all tools and skill sets that we need to, you know, throughout time, get back into it and utilize right when it comes to mental health or depression, it's not a one time thing. Sometimes some of us may feel, you know, sad and may be going through some mental health concerns right now, and then recover great, but oftentimes, that could happen again. So just know that, you know, these are just ways and tools that you can manage your mental health concerns. And just like you get sick periodically, sometimes mental health concerns happen periodically. And it's just a matter of recognizing it and knowing what tools to use to address it as they happen.

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I love that. So one of the things that I hear, which is really important is awareness, checking in with yourself and paying attention to what might seem like a non traditional system symptoms. So is the reason that you're having stomach pains is the reasons that you're having issues with your body. Is that tied to your mental health. So I love the idea of looking in and checking and also to your point when you were talking about journaling, that's another way to be aware of what's going on with you internally. So that you're noticing when there's a shift in your mood or there's a shift in in how you feel. I really love the idea of building your own mental health coping Toolkit, which is what I heard you saying you know, so figuring out what works for you. That's going out

Unknown Speaker 20:00
I'd work for you. Does meditation work for you? Does exercise work for you? Because you know, those endorphins can lift mood. You know, one of my favorite tools is dance.

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Music, your

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friends, oh, they've done studies actually that dancing improves Depression,

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depression, and music, you know, an art. So there's a number of different ways to try and help to improve your mood, in addition to finding out if there's something else that might be necessary to improve your mood, yes. And I also love the idea about not only giving resources but building resources, which is what I hear what what you're saying with the training. Yeah, is not only are we providing resources, but we're providing more people who have the knowledge and the ability to support and help others who are struggling with mental health. So it's, I love everything about that. That is wonderful. That is wonderful. So how would someone get connected with you? Oh, also, can you for our listening audience because I know what it is but QPR, can you explain what QPR stands for and also share, I believe is question Persuade, Refer Correct? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, that sounds right. Okay. So you know, we love acronyms or

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acronyms for everything. It's hard to keep up now.

Unknown Speaker 21:21
What did you say? Can you say that again? Question, Persuade, Refer. And so it's, it's a method of dealing with people who may have suicide ideation, because a lot of these in addition to depression, talk about how to have those uncomfortable conversations with your loved ones, in order to help them if they may, in fact, be feeling suicidal, or planning to hurt themselves in some way. So I think it's question Persuade, Refer.

Unknown Speaker 21:46
I'm gonna go with that. Okay.

Unknown Speaker 21:50
So how would someone get connected to these resources? How would someone sign up for a class, for example, or, you know, find out what classes are available? Yeah, that's a really good question. So one of the best ways that anyone of interest can connect with these resources is looking into your Counseling and Psychological Services Department, also known as caps. Ultimately, you know, a lot of these initiatives that are being funded through the grant are being managed by the counseling services within each of the institution. So as I mentioned earlier, UNLV caps or you are in our caps, or some of the other institutions, counseling services, they are the main point of contact, and overall, they're the ones who are overseeing and managing these resources and training to reach out to them and see what trainings are coming up, what resources they have available, and then take it from there. Awesome. And, you know, as we have in this conversation, I'm thinking, you know, just a few, several, just a few years ago, mental health wasn't a major topic. I want to know, just from my expert perspective, what do you think has helped us to evolve into the space that we're in now? Because I do, I'm not saying that we fix it. But I do believe that there is more awareness, more education and visibility that has been shared on the mental health, you know, awareness issue. So what do you think and it's just for all of us on, you know, pretty much I'm not the expert, but I know Dr. Tom, you can speak to them. And I know that you can as well. How have we been involved in? Do you think that we've come a long way? And then what would you like to see us in the future when it comes to this particular topic? You know, honestly, I would, I would say, not necessarily expertise, but observation, like, Gen Z is about that, like,

Unknown Speaker 23:25
yeah, that I have to say that this new generation of individuals do not view mental health through the same negative lens. And I don't know if it's because there has been more exposure, like shows that feature counselors are, but I noticed that students are telling each other, that they're receiving services and recommending each other to go to services. And like talking about it out loud. You know, there was a time, you know, because as a psychologist, you know, with students, I'm not allowed to, like, wave at you in the middle of the corridor, because I can't blow you up. Oh, wow. These children are waving to me.

Unknown Speaker 24:06
It's not a signal anymore. It's like, Oh,

Unknown Speaker 24:10
that's amazing. So they're waving? Yes. Yeah. We're no longer the dirty little secret. Yeah. Don't tell anyone I'm seeing counselor. Oh, yeah. My concert is the bomb, work wonders for you. So I think there's a generational shift that's happening across the spectrum, with the younger people being more engaged and enlightened. And I think that that's trickling down so I don't have I'm sure there is data to support it somewhere. I did not bring it with me. But that's the one thing that I've noticed is that, um, there's just less stigma around it. Absolutely. And I think to add to that, unfortunately, there's been a lot of, you know, recent Eve world events that I think have contributed to amplifying mental health. Right, you know, the pandemic and other things and, you know, coming from public health effects spectrum. I mean, public health in general, I think is definitely on the rise right now in terms of awareness and recognition.

Unknown Speaker 25:00
And but mental health along with what's happening is so important to recognize, you know, some of the concerns and some of the challenges that these world events are bringing up in people and then how do we address that moving forward as opposed to continue to ignore it, you know, I'm an old fashioned standpoint.

Unknown Speaker 25:14
And you know, what else? I've seen a lot of public figures, you know, you have your celebrities, your actors and

Unknown Speaker 25:20
their timing.

Unknown Speaker 25:23
You know, I struggle with this. And when we're looking from a different lens, we can say and identify that, hey, that's me to let you know, so I just I really applaud those who have a major platform or who were public figures who and share openly that they struggle with some of the same issues. Yeah, so Simone Biles is like my Yeah, every season I don't even know she's my she's my pretend best friend.

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Talking about her like we friend.

Unknown Speaker 25:55
Oh, my goodness.

Unknown Speaker 25:57
Let her know that was good. Look at her shutting it down. Look at her overcoming Taraji P. Henson.

Unknown Speaker 26:04
Yeah, her wellness. I mean, she's really like, you know, and Viola Davis. Yes. Love her. Oh, my God, these powerful humans talking about the realities of life. And

Unknown Speaker 26:16
yeah, that part, that part in you know, to your part, not to your point, Dr. McCarthy, I was gonna call you Nala, but I was gonna try to pronounce it.

Unknown Speaker 26:29
To your point, you know, we have been a nation in crisis for a long time. You know, as far back as 911. Like this generation is growing up with a host of different mental health challenges than the ones before them. I did not have to worry about getting hurt in my school, that wasn't a thing. Well, maybe maybe a bully, you know? That's about it. Maybe beat up one way.

Unknown Speaker 26:51
Or another level? Like you no worries, yes. No, no personal attacks versus public attacks a whole nother thing. So I think you're right, I think and because of that, now, mental health is seen as more valuable. Whereas back in the day, it was like a therapy. Like, I knew I grew up in a house or like, No, you crazy if you need some help, if you want to go see someone, oh my God, it was such a stigma. I mean, for me, and my family, same thing, you know, like, they just don't support it. Jamaicans you don't put your business in the street.

Unknown Speaker 27:23
Or you go out to dirty laundry. What goes on in this house stays in this house. So you don't tell strangers your business? Exactly. Cool. I love

Unknown Speaker 27:33
it. Yeah. So we want to give you the opportunity to have the last word, is there something that you would like to share with our listeners? Before we check out? Yeah, thank you. Um, you know, again, this whole topic, this whole conversation is all about mental health awareness, national depression month. And so start with screening yourself, start with educating yourself, start with advocating for your own wellness, not just your physical wellness, but your mental wellness at all, as well. Keep in mind that mental health doesn't mean something's wrong. Mental health is like physical health, it just means checking in on what's going on with yourself mentally, and then following through with whatever you need to do to make sure that you address any concerns that you might be experiencing. So continue to look into resources, whether that's caps, whether that's training, you know, or programs that are offered on campus, again, I'm very excited to oversee this program where we're supporting initiatives for mental health. So please continue to be a part of it. You know, while we offer programs is only successful if we have participants only successful people utilize these benefits these programs so that moving forward, we can say, you know, not only to and she and the Board of Regents and the federal government, we can say listen, the support was wonderful. We did this, we did that now we want more we need to provide ongoing support, ongoing work, and it starts with us and being part of that love. And that's a wrap. Thank you so much.

Unknown Speaker 28:51
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Transcribed by https://otter.ai