STAY Tuned: Supporting Transition-Age Youth with mental health conditions

Part 2 of our conversation with Scott Bryant-Comstock covers the intention of, and evolution of, the Children’s Mental Health Network (CMHN), an organization he founded to act as an independent voice supporting improvements in mental health practices for children and young adults. The CMHN managed to bring together people from diverse backgrounds for dialog around interventions, policy change and current systems of care. This “old geezer” (his words) shares experiences and wisdom, but reminds us that as an “elder” he can give us his wisdom, but that the engine that’s going to drive mental health improvements forward in in the hands of the young adults with lived experience, and he urges us to “get busy”. Scott’s storytelling abilities and his journey is not to be missed! 

Do you procrastinate until the last minute for assignments and then feel frustrated at yourself for not starting sooner? You’re not alone. In this episode of STAY Tuned, Emily and Mei (our podcast hosts) get real about their personal ADHD journeys, exploring what it’s like to be diagnosed later in life. From struggles throughout school and work in young adulthood, they share their highs, lows, and everything in between.  

Join us for a relatable conversation about the challenges faced by women who are diagnosed with ADHD as adults, including issues with self-esteem, procrastination, and managing day-to-day responsibilities. 

This episode is perfect for anyone interested in learning more about ADHD or seeking a deeper understanding of late diagnoses. 

In today's episode, we speak with a remarkable guest, Scott Bryant-Comstock, an advocate in the field of mental health for over 40 years, and Founder and CEO of the Children’s Mental Health Network. Scott shares his decades-long journey from working in halfway houses in San Jose to pioneering parent-professional collaboration in national mental health policy. His career is filled with funny stories and transformative encounters; and has powerfully impacted the mental health space. 

Join us for part 1 of his story, as Scott unravels his personal and professional evolution, revealing the lessons learned from navigating complex systems and embracing human imperfections. Whether you're new to Scott's work or familiar with his impactful legacy, prepare to be inspired by his unyielding commitment to listening, learning, and forging new paths in mental health support. 

If you enjoyed this episode, stay tuned for part 2 of Scott’s story coming soon! 

There is a stereotype that gaming is a waste of time, but this episode with Derek Lewis, a member of our Young Adult Advisory Board challenges that notion head-on. Derek shares his personal journey, revealing how gaming became a lifeline for him, while growing up in a gang-prone LA neighborhood. We talk about how gaming helped Derek build meaningful relationships, including one with a gamer friend who stood by him as his best man at Derek's wedding! Tune in to learn how virtual worlds can become real sources of support and community, proving that sometimes, the best friendships can be found behind a controller. 

Debbie Nicolellis, the Training Director for the Helping Youth on the Path to Employment (HYPE) Study at the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research brings her knowledge on all things accommodations in this episode.  What can mental health accommodations look like in school and work? If your medication makes you drowsy in the morning, maybe it’s shifting your work hours to start and end an hour later.  Who can use accommodations and how do you set them up? Debbie answers all our questions on how accommodations can help you be the best version of yourself in school and work.  

AmandaGrace Krier, a certified peer specialist with Youth MOVE National joins the show and discusses her journey advocating for herself in school and then in the workplace. There is not just one way to practice advocacy. It can look like anything from standing up for yourself to standing up for others through legislation. For AmandaGrace, self-advocacy was not always easy but was a skill she had to practice. Now she teaches others how they can practice advocacy for themselves, and she shares these tips with us including tips on obtaining accommodations in work and school. 

Can a mobile intervention using avatars help young adults manage their mental health after being discharged from the emergency department? Dr. Lourah Kelly’s “Avatar Project” explores this possibility. She’s testing an app-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for young adults with alcohol misuse and suicidal thoughts who have visited the ED.

Lourah shares that “this age group [has] the highest rates of alcohol use disorder and suicidality, but very low rates of utilization of behavioral healthcare for either problem.” There aren’t enough healthcare providers available, and young adults often want to manage their problems on their own. This avatar-based mobile intervention may help bridge this need and access gap. This is a fascinating episode where we learned how an avatar-based app is created and how input from young adults is driving the content of this tool. 

Read more about Lourah's project here: ⁠https://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2024/01/mobile-health-intervention-study-for-binge-drinking-suicide-risk-among-young-adults-to-start-at-umass-chan/⁠

Learn more about ⁠Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research⁠.

Links mentioned: 

-The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers support and connection through mental health struggles and crises and is also available for friends/family of persons in need of support. Call or text 9-8-8 anytime, or chat here ⁠https://988lifeline.org/⁠ 

-The SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator is a confidential and anonymous source of information for persons seeking support in the United States for substance use/addiction and/or mental health problems. ⁠https://findtreatment.gov⁠  

-The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator is a free national resource to help people who want to cut down or stop drinking, with searches for quality providers, some questions to ask providers to make sure it’s a good fit for you, and things to consider when choosing your care. ⁠https://alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov/⁠ 

Today we talk with Joshua Calarino, a member of our Youth Advisory Board, about ways getting involved in his community has helped his mental health.

For more information about our Young Adult Advisory Board, visit https://www.umassmed.edu/sparc/isparccenters/engaging-the-mental-health-community-in-research/engaging-the-mental-health-community-in-research2/

For more information about Youth MOVE, visit https://youthmovenational.org/

Do you find yourself going back to your childhood favorite shows and movies like Wizards of Waverly Place, Mulan, or Max and Ruby? Maybe you find yourself playing your old games like Webkinz, The Sims, and Pokemon. It’s actually quite common if sometimes all you want to do after a long day of work is consume the nostalgic content you grew up with. But what we wanted to know is, what is it about nostalgia that soothes us? Why do we find comfort in the things from our past? Can nostalgia be intentionally implemented as a tool to help us cope with our stressors in life? Join us as we explore these questions and discuss our childhood favorites to hopefully give you your own dose of nostalgia for the day.

Notes from the podcast hosts: This isn’t a topic we’ve focused on at Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research but it is a topic that we were curious about. So we did a little bit of our own research and found these sources. We thought we’d share them, although they don’t come from our research.

Sources:

"Once upon a game: Exploring video game nostalgia and its impact on well-being" https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328087196_Once_Upon_a_Game_Exploring_Video_Game_Nostalgia_and_Its_Impact_on_Well-Being

"Nostalgia confers psychological wellbeing by increasing authenticity" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103122000981

"Flow and Pokémon GO: The Contribution of Game Level, Playing Alone, and Nostalgia to the Flow State" https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322581896_Flow_and_Pokemon_GO_The_Contribution_of_Game_Level_Playing_Alone_and_Nostalgia_to_the_Flow_State

Graduate high school, graduate college, get a job. A deceivingly simple timeline that young adults were expected to follow since they were kids. In reality, life is messy and we're here to tell you detours along the way are normal and there's more than one way to reach your goals. In this episode, we bring on Maya Ingram, a Project Director here at UMass Chan Medical School. Maya tells her story of how she navigated the ups and downs life has thrown at her all while paving the way for her career.