Crushing Candy: Pandemic Mental Health Strategies and Beyond

Episode #311 with Kristy Menage Bernie, RDH

According to the World Health Organization, one in four people will suffer from mental illness in their lifetime. Since COVID-19, that number has nearly doubled! To explain why that is and how we can better prepare for the mental health pandemic, Kirk Behrendt brings in Kristy Menage Bernie to talk about ways to manage mental illness and eliminate the stigma attached to the subject. For resources to help improve your mental health, listen to Episode 311 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

According to the WHO, about 25% of people will suffer from mental illness in their lifetime.

On average, people wait 10 to 11 years to seek care for mental illness.

Taking care of yourself is an obligation, not a luxury!

Yoga can improve your mood more than walking and vigorous exercise.

There are many apps that can improve anxiety and depression.

Have compassion for those with mental illness, and also their children and caretakers.

Quotes:

“Pre-pandemic, according to the World Health Organization, one in four of us will suffer from some type of mental illness in our lifetime. And then, recently released from the Center for Disease Control, that figure has nearly doubled. And that study ended at the end of February. So, we’re seeing this staggering impact. In fact, you'll find many experts who are saying we have a concurrent pandemic, and it’s mental health. The mental health pandemic is real.” (07:02—07:43)

“What I think is just so fascinating is that we’re hesitant to talk about mental well-being, and rightly so. In fact, I thought, ‘Our family is so unique. There's no one like us out there,’ when in fact, it’s much more prevalent. And the World Health Organization says 25%, that's of what they could qualify, but what we know about mental health, on average, most people will not seek care for 10 to 11 years.” (08:51—09:26)

“Another interesting statistic, Candy Crush is probably one of the most utilized app games in the world. I wasn't necessarily a fan. But as the pandemic hit, I started to realize that I was playing more — full disclosure, I think I'm on level 8,700. Gah! Why? Why was I so engaged in it? Well, first of all, it has a very addictive quality. But secondly, it takes you out of your current circumstances for a brief moment of time and gives you the opportunity to figure out an issue or a problem and solve it, and then level up. You get rewarded for that.” (12:50—13:33)

“Candy Crush gave me some control back. I play it way too much. But get this, there are app technologies that will improve anxiety and depression. And Personal Zen is the one that really has the most science behind it.” (14:18—14:37)

“Taking care of yourself, it’s not a luxury; it’s your obligation. So, don't feel bad about taking care of yourself.” (19:51—20:00)

“At the end of the day, again, write down or think about it, ‘What did I do today that really impacted someone’s life?’ And I can't think of a profession more that does things every day for people than dentistry. But acknowledging that for yourself builds your self-esteem, helps release your own anxiety, and keeps you from slipping into depression.” (21:03—21:33)

“Yoga increases GABA [gamma aminobutyric acid]. And that's the chemical that helps us feel better, aside from the obvious ones. GABA prevents the negative thoughts from coming in . . . So, we know that yoga increases that more than walking and vigorous exercise. And it’s that neurotransmitter that keeps us from thinking negative thoughts about ourselves.” (25:21—25:58)

“Dentistry can shift. And what I like to say is, we can replace confusion with compassion. And not only those that may be facing a mental health challenge, but...