Below is a transcript of an interview with Dr. Joshua Gordon, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, which aired on “Face the Nation” on Sunday, February 19, 2023.
Margaret Brennan: We have a mental health crisis in our country and we are reminded of it frequently. To take a closer look at what many may feel like the plague, I’d like to bring in Dr. Joshua Gordon of the National Institute of Mental Health, the leading federal agency for research on mental disorders. sir, doctor.
Doctor. GORDON: Good morning.
Margaret Brennan: I’d like to start with one of these triggers. As you know, Senator Fetterman – A stroke survivor, Fetterman was hospitalized with clinical depression and inspired many people to talk about their experiences with depression. What are the symptoms of the disease?
Doctor. Joshua Gordon: The symptoms of depression due to stroke are similar to those of typical depression or depression without stroke, low motivation, sadness, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, energy and motivation.
Margaret Brennan: So what are reasonable expectations and timelines for someone’s treatment? Will they return to their former selves?
Doctor. GORDON: Fortunately, there are effective treatments for depression, and those treatments generally work for most people with stroke-induced depression. However, timelines vary greatly from individual to individual, making it difficult to predict the Senator’s case.
Margaret Brennan: What are some of the more popular treatments these days? Is talk therapy still a strong belief?
Doctor. GORDON: Well, given the typical severity of post-stroke depression, most mental health professionals recommend a combination of medication and what we call psychosocial or psychotherapeutic interventions. Yes, talk therapy is still used today. It is a very effective tool for depression as well as medication.And if a patient does not respond to talk therapy or medication, there are additional options to try.
Margaret Brennan: There was a recent CDC study on teenage girls. Three to five teenage girls in the United States report feeling sad or hopeless constantly, twice as many as boys, a 60 percent increase and the highest level reported in the past decade. There is. What’s going on with the young girl?
Doctor. GORDON: Yes, really tragic. It’s a real crisis. And we need to do something about it at the societal level. And at the community level. The question “what is going on” cannot be fully answered at this time. Many people think, oh, it must be the pandemic and its effects. But research conducted by the CDC over the past decade shows that the slowly rising level of symptoms, especially among teenage girls, goes back long before the pandemic began. So there are many factors. But overall, it’s a complex situation that we don’t fully understand.
Margaret Brennan: So what should parents do?
Doctor. GORDON: Good question. First and foremost, parents should talk to their children, listen, and ask questions about their feelings. And if they’re worried, they need to ask questions. That’s the first thing, it’s asking questions. Second, try to listen to reactions and be there for your children. If the answers suggest that your child is having more problems than you think, or are thinking of hurting yourself, or is otherwise having trouble have attended school and are doing well, etc. Then parents should seek professional help.
Margaret Brennan: Doctor, thank you for your professional insight. We will continue to monitor and will be back soon.
