Nzinga Harrison, MD, is a board-certified physician with specialties in psychiatry and addiction medicine. She is also the Chief Medical Officer and cofounder of Eleanor Health, an innovative mental health and addiction treatment company. Dr. Harrison holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the Morehouse School of Medicine and sits on the Practice Management and Regulatory Affairs Committee for the American Society of Addiction Medicine. She has written a brilliant book called Un-Addiction that walks through 6 mind-changing conversations about addiction and recovery that could save a life.

My top takeaways from this conversation and Dr Harrison's book:

• Contrary to popular belief, 75% of people with substance use disorder do recover. And one-year relapse rates for high blood pressure and asthma are the same or higher than that for addiction.
• Upholding abstinence-only as the goal path for recovery from substance use disorder is dangerous. Instead, most people with substance use disorder recover to controlled use — and it's paramount to have them set their own recovery goals.
• Up to 60% of the risk for substance use disorder is inherited. 
• "Drug use is a choice. Substance use disorder is an illness."
• "...the more we can get away from this tough love, disconnection, shameful, stigmatizing approach that we've been trained in — the more we can get to compassionate boundaries for psychological, emotional, and physical safety — the faster we can get to recovery."

Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about substance use disorders, adverse childhood experiences and mental illness.

Transcript here. Video conversation here.  

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Pooja Mehta serves with me on the National Board of Directors at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She’s been a powerful mental health advocate since she was 19 and lives with anxiety with auditory hallucinations, depression, and lost her brother Raj to suicide in 2020. 

Hear from her on:

- How she centers being a South Asian woman in her advocacy 

- What current suicide prevention efforts miss 

- An annual tradition in honor of her brother, Raj, to foster kindness and connectedness 

- How to craft a lived experience message to drive policy change 

Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about death by suicide, suicidal ideation, anxiety, auditory hallucinations, and depression.

Transcript here. Video conversation here.  

—
SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Ashanti Branch has over 20 years of experience in building healthy relationships in schools — he’s a pioneer in reforming education, youth mental health, and traditional masculinity. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the Ever Forward Club, a non-profit organization that takes students who are disengaged and dropping out to 100% graduation rates, 90% college enrollment, and 0% incarceration, using tools like the Taking Off the Mask workshop. Ashanti received the 2023 US Surgeon General’s Medallion (the highest honor a civilian can receive from the Surgeon General).

Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about systemic challenges inherent to working within the US public education system and youth mental health issues.

Transcript with sources here. Video conversation here. 

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

This month, in honor of the newly named Health Workforce Well-Being Day on March 18th, commemorating the day the President signed the Lorna Breen Act into law in 2022, I’m thrilled to feature conversations with three brilliant national leaders who are transforming health worker well-being:

Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about systemic challenges inherent to working within the US medical system and their mental health consequences, including burnout and death by suicide.

Transcript with sources here. Video conversation here.  

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

I loved this awesome conversation on optimizing well-being with my friend, Dr Jessi Gold. She is now the first Chief Wellness Officer for the University of Tennessee System, though this was recorded before that — and a psychiatrist with expertise in mental health for college students, healthcare workers, and in the entertainment industry. She shares wisdom on what it looks like to optimize well-being at a workplace, how to be prevention-oriented, and some insights on stigma she didn’t realize she carried from her own mental health journey.

Jessi Gold, MD, is the first Chief Wellness Officer for the University of Tennessee System and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. (This conversation was recorded before she started these roles.) Dr Gold is an internationally recognized speaker, media advocate, author, and mental health consultant with a special focus on college students, healthcare workers, and the entertainment industry. She also lives with depression.
 
Dr Gold has been spreading the light for decades with her critical work, and I’m thrilled to be sharing her wisdom about optimizing well-being with all of you.

Trigger warning: We talk about systemic challenges inherent to working within the US medical system and their mental health consequences, mental illness self-disclosures, and living with depression.

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Welcome to Season 2 of Spread the light with Dr Devika B. Here, we know that stigma festers in the dark and it scatters in the light. And this season will take that even further. We’ll dive into the ways that stigma shows up in culture, in norms, in policies, and in institutions — and how we can disrupt and rewrite that.

To kick us off: In this powerful interview with perinatal psychiatrists Dr Nancy Byatt and Dr Crystal Clark, hear about what breastfeeding guidelines miss about the potential mental health risks for new mothers and families. Read more on this pivotal topic in a piece I wrote for Slate.

Trigger warning: In this interview, we talk about mental health impacts of breastfeeding, trauma, and gender inequities related to parenting labor.

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

This episode features Amy Brinkley’s incredible journey — and how she uses her personal experiences with substance use and mental illness recovery to drive national change and support others to sustain recovery, especially after incarceration.

Amy Brinkley is a nationally recognized leader in mental health and substance use recovery. Motivated by personal recovery experience and the suicides of three brothers and her mother’s overdose, Amy is dedicated to driving change through effective peer support and recovery-oriented systems of care.

Amy serves as the Recovery Support Services Coordinator for the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, and also serves (with me) on the national Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She founded Paul’s Plan Ministries, which supports people exiting the criminal justice system, named in honor of her brother.

Amy lives in recovery with opioid use disorder (14.5 years sober), depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She is mother to four children, three cats, and a cherished Labradoodle named Ruby.

Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about substance use, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation and attempts, loss to suicide, and incarceration.

#mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #trauma #depression #suicidality #stigma #mentalillnessstigma #spreadthelight #spreadthelightwithdrdevikab #mentalhealthtreatment #mentalhealthmatters #resilience #healing #psychiatry

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Lara Burmeister, MBA, is a first-generation German-American who has spent most of her career working in roles to combat climate change. She lives with depression.

Hear about what Lara challenged herself to do to get through her darkest moments, her well-time and red flag toolkits, how depression changed her, and how she rebuilt her identity in its wake.

Trigger warning: In this interview, we talk about passive suicidal ideation and depression.

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Dr Ade Osinubi is a resident physician in emergency medicine, a documentary filmmaker, and photographer whose work focuses on telling the untold stories of minority populations. She recently created the documentary Black Motherhood Through the Lens, about four Black women's experiences with reproductive health in the US, recognized in Forbes and PBS. She has written for the Washington Post, Teen Vogue, and Glamour magazine on topics related to health equity. She received the 2022 National Minority Equality Forum 40 Under 40 Leader in Health Award and the 2023 Black Health Connect 40 Under 40 Award.

This conversation with Dr Osinubi touched on her decision to go public with her mental health journey; navigating and relearning her relationship with her faith; her experiences as a Black woman in medicine; and her mission and convictions as a storyteller. 

Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about misogynoir, death by suicide, death by suicide, the toxic conditions in medical training, depression, and anxiety.

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...

Justin Bullock, MD, MPH, is a fellow in Nephrology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr Bullock is a passionate medical educator and an identity safety researcher. He is outspoken about his lived experience as a gay, Black, bipolar physician. Dr Bullock's work and story have been featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, Vox, and Forbes, among other places.

This conversation was poignant — covering Justin’s journey from deep stigma to self-acceptance and radical openness around his story; his advice for preserving agency during psychiatric hospitalizations; and his take on physician monitoring programs.

Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about suicidality, depression, self-harm, hypomania, family violence, imprisonment, and police violence.

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SPREAD THE LIGHT WITH DR DEVIKA B:
Because stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.

* Join our well-being newsletter community that examines evidence-based trends in health, innovation, and culture, and destigmatizes mental illness — centering lived experience, equity, justice, and cross-cultural nuances: askdrdevikab.substack.com

You'll also find written versions of this interview and others like it there — and links to relevant sources.

* More video interviews like this one: youtube.com/@drdevikab

* Website: www.devikabhushan.com

* Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrDevikaB
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/drdevikab
* TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@drdevikab
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/devika-bhushan-md-faap-183702149

If you or a loved one needs help for a mental health crisis in the US, don’t hesitate to call or text 988 — or reach them online here. Find other resources here, search for a treatment facility here, and find a therapist here. Here are resources specifically for LGBTQ people. If you’re a US-based clinician or health student dealing with “any issue, not just a crisis,” reach out to the Physicians Support ...