Season 6 of Healthy Minds with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, the Emmy® nominated public television series focusing on the nation’s most important mental health issues, is airing on KENW in Portales, beginning September 17. Below are details of each episode.
If you are interested in discussing anxiety, depression or other mental health issues, I would be delighted to arrange an interview with the host and executive producer Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein. You can email me at mmanners@mannersdotson.com or call my mobile: 718-986-7255. Dr. Borenstein is the President and CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, the nation’s largest private funder of mental health research grants. He developed the Healthy Minds series to inspire conversations about mental illness and provide understandable information and resources for viewers. https://www.bbrfoundation.org/healthy-minds-tv


Episodes
Treatment Resistant Depression & Rapid-Acting Antidepressants
Ketamine, originally used as an anesthesia medicine and later abused as a club drug, may be one of the most important developments for treating depression. John H. Krystal, M.D., Chair of the Yale School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Professor of Translational Research, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, discusses his ground-breaking study that could provide antidepressant relief for patients within hours instead of the weeks required for traditional medicines to take effect.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Pioneering work with magnets can help treat depression and other psychiatric conditions. Mark George, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Radiology and Neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, explains the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a noninvasive procedure that stimulates nerve cells in the brain.
Anxiety In Children, Teens and Young Adults
New advances in therapies consider the brain’s dynamic reorganization during adolescence and incorporate technology like virtual reality and phone apps geared for young patients. New York-Presbyterian’s Youth Anxiety Center Program Director Avital Falk, Ph.D., and Research Co-Director Francis Lee, M.D., Ph.D., Chair, Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Psychiatry, discuss the latest treatment options geared specifically to young patients.

Youth Mental Wellness
New perspectives on the role school teachers and parents can take in normalizing mental health issues include school-based clinics, mental health curriculum to match existing programs for physical health classes, and parent training. Ann M. Sullivan, M.D., Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health, discusses the impact of mandated state education programs and new tools including a crisis text line.

Stem Cell Research and Mental Health
Scientists can re-program adult skin cells and blood cells to behave like neurons in the laboratory to help unravel the course of disease and plan intervention before the onset of psychosis. Kristen Brennand, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Psychiatry, explains how these cells, as well as technology to edit cell DNA, can advance the early detection and treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism and more.
Chemical Dependency and the Opioid Epidemic
A well-rounded approach to drug addiction treats the brain’s rewards center, memory center, reasoning center and motivational center and addresses a patient’s underlying mental health disorder. Lloyd Sederer, M.D., Distinguished Psychiatric Advisor to the New York State Office of Mental Health and author of The Addiction Solution, explains this holistic way of treating chemical dependency, the role of the patient’s family, and new developments in non-addictive pain medication.

Crisis Text Line
A national hotline for modern times allows someone in crisis to reach out by text 24 hours a day for anonymity and ease of use. Ashley Womble, MPH, head of communications for the Crisis Text Line, the first resource of its kind, explains how responding counselors are trained and the ways aggregated data from these text conversations can help improve community services for mental health across the US and Canada.
Youth and The Criminal Justice System
New perspectives on the juvenile justice system aim to rehabilitate rather than punish at risk youth who are often suffering from undiagnosed mental health issues. Altha J. Stewart, M.D., psychiatrist and director of the Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Past President, The American Psychiatric Association, discusses the work being done to change the paradigm by involving parents, schools and the community to be proactive and positive in their approach to disciplinary problems and patterns that might lead to criminal behavior.

Minority Issues In Mental Health Care
Cultural sensitivities and access to diverse professionals have been long-term issues for many minority communities in seeking help for mental health issues. Racism and discrimination may be considered mental health issues in society today. Dr. Altha J. Stewart, M.D., an experienced health care administrator and nationally recognized expert in public sector and minority issues in mental health care, shares her experience, and how things are changing with a new generation.

Intersection of Mental & Physical Health
Recent research and a better understanding of the relationship between mental, physical and social health indicate that they are both interdependent and crucial to our overall wellbeing. Kelley Carroll, M.D., Chief Ambulatory Officer; and Michael Claeys, Executive Director of Behavioral Health Services at Grady Health System in Atlanta share their experiences working together on health care integration.

Helping People Who Are Homeless
Nearly a quarter of the nation’s homeless population suffer from an untreated or under treated psychiatric condition. Leading advocates Tod Lipka CEO of Step Up, and Philip Mangano, president and CEO of the American Round Table to Abolish Homelessness and former “homeless czar” under two U.S. presidents, discuss the latest research, innovation and new strategies to make mental health services a priority in solving the larger issue of homelessness.

Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Challenges
Decades of research into the factors that make people resilient after trauma has identified common factors people can use to train themselves to face challenges. These include optimism, having a role model, following a moral compass, reappraising and putting events in context, and finding a support system. Dennis S. Charney, M.D., world-renowned expert in neurobiology and the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders and Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will discuss resilience and how his own research was put to the test when he was the victim of a violent crime.

Healthy Minds with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein is produced by the Brain & Behavior Foundation, presented by Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) and distributed by the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA).

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation awards research grants to develop improved treatments, cures, and methods of prevention for mental illness. These illnesses include addiction, ADHD, anxiety, autism, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, eating disorders, OCD, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded more than $408 million to fund more than 4,900 leading scientists around the world, which has led to over $4 billion in additional funding. 100% of every dollar donated for research is invested in our research grants. Our operating expenses are covered by separate foundation grants.

For more information: The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation