Mental Health Guide: Panic Attacks,ADHD,Depression—What You Need to Know ft.Dr.Satyen Sharma |TAKS 9

Mental Health Guide: Panic Attacks,ADHD,Depression—What You Need to Know ft.Dr.Satyen Sharma |TAKS 9

India as a society we are great at not taking care of our health. You will find that the biggest records some Indian patient for us having all these problems are like very normal and all brain related issues are invisible anyway. Exactly. It’s still stigma and taboo. How do you exactly take care of your own mental health? Well, I will say that uh my primary focus is on getting a I I used to think that you know I’m getting heart attack. I’m like doctor I think I’m getting heart attack. I’m I’m I’m so young. What’s wrong with me? I used to ask this something very bad is going to happen and I don’t understand what’s happening. What’s happening? What kind of you know issues brain health you know problems and conditions you are coming across among teenagers. The biggest problem which I see today are the to which our young kids are exposed to. They are programmed. They are created with the best knowledge of human behavior to not serve the human but to serve the We understand that social media is a fake society. But teenagers come to me with the complaint that somebody has you come across these kind of cases. So today’s episode is very close to my heart because we have discussed something which is related to almost each one of us. So many of us go through this and we do not even talk about it because many times talking about panic attacks, being on anti-anxiety pills, having suicidal thoughts, high functioning depression, adult ADHD, all these topics, we have knowledge but we don’t want to accept that we can be one of those who are suffering from it. So if you are someone who is able to resonate with all the conditions that I’m talking about any of it then today’s episode is definitely meant for you. Today we have Dr. Satya Sharma who has more than 18 years of experience in human psychology. He is a very leading psychiatrist u helping thousands and thousands of people in his career. He would be sharing everything that we want to acknowledge but we find it difficult to accept and how not to just acknowledge and then come out of it. So today’s episode is going to change your life for the best. Do watch it completely and do let us know how did you find it. Thank you so much talk. First of all thank you so much for taking out time. We all know that you are super busy and still you took out time and today you are here to uh help guide all our followers as far as their mental health is concerned. So first of all thank you so so very much. So I should thank you Amitita for arranging all this at such a short notice. Thank you. The honor and the you know happiness is all ours. And uh doctor I want to ask this question that you know you have successfully um treated more than 27,000 mental health uh uh cases in you know in your career. So what exactly um helped you get into this particular career? Was it always you were interested in human psychology or was there someone in your family who probably inspired you to this journey? Right. So when I went into my medical college, I think I I was very clear that now I’m going to become a doctor and I’ll be in forge. So my life is sorted. Okay. But by the time I passed out, uh I started having some doubts about whether I should be continuing in medicine. I I started uh finding that I was more of a management guy, right? But both my parents are doctors. I come from a family of doctors, engineers, technocrats mostly. So that uh when I shared that with them that probably I need I would love to explore management as a career they did ask me this question that you know is there anything in medicine which would be exciting for you or which you would find interesting and I had see I’m a second generation psychiatrist my father retired as the head of the department medical college patella and he stayed at that position for almost 20 years I had seen him working in this field and you know I think human behavior is something which all of us are interested in. Very true. Right. It’s so fascinating and to deepen your knowledge about it. It’s to a curious mind it was it was a very worthy challenge. So I I I shared that I would I would love to go into psychiatry as a branch right and uh because I was very clear that this branch is still evolving right and and you know today we can safely say that probably it’s the last frontier. Yes. Yes, the human brain, right? Our behavior, the world around us, the world which we have built for ourselves, it’s in the end all a product of various human brains coming together and and doing things the way they do them. Me too. Me too. So that that’s how I ended up in psychiatry and I I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my career. So you are like extremely happy that you chose that as your career. Okay. And even even to young doctors who are struggling with the idea that which branch they should choose, I I’ll say that even if you have a little interest in human behavior in in in making the human condition better, right? This is a very satisfying branch to work in and unfortunately we can definitely say that you know the need to have more uh you know like unfortunately because there are so many cases that we always and always come across. So even though we don’t want to say this in a in a good way but people do need more uh psychiatrists and people who can help in this particular industry. Do you also feel the same? It is a reality. Yes. You know in fact in the around 201516 there was a WH article which I was reading and it said that by 2020 psychological and uh mental health related issues are going to overtake cardiovascular issues as the leading cause of loss of productive manners. My goodness. And that time COVID had not even hit. No they had not taken CO into consideration. Right. Yes. But when COVID came, I think all of us suddenly got this huge stressor, you know, and a and a common shared problem where we were put into very unnatural constructs. You know, our life could no longer continue the way it always was. It wasn’t business as usual. It was a very what one would call a black black swan event, right? a once in a lifetime experience which made a lot of people reook at their life priorities how we are living it what kind of a life we are creating for ourselves right I I many a time say this that almost every virus a new virus when it is discovered it comes with both a problem and a gift for humanity so very true so very true so that’s exactly why I always say that co is you know I don’t like to say it that But it’s actually a gift because I discovered this aspect of my life because of Yes. Yeah. So what you’re saying is 1980s very true. 1980s if you remember there was HIV AIDS. Ah yes it came out it came out as a threat. It came as a life-ending virus right everybody was very scared. Today of course HIV is something which is completely manageable. Very true. If you are discovered, diagnosed with HIV positive, you can hope to live a near normal life. You can marry, have kids, everything can happen. But at that point in time, the gift it gave us was that we started talking about safe sex. We started talking about a taboo topic which nobody was touching otherwise. True. And co I think the gift of COVID was we started talking about mental health. Wow. This is so beautifully put that you know you are actually want to focus on the gift side of co which normally people don’t want to talk about right you know of course it’s it’s much more attractive and easier to get you know caught up in the negativity of the things very true very and not see the the the silver lining and the the positive aspects which every every event has brought. So true. So true. Doctor, so doctor, as a as a psychiatrist, what is according to you the most misunderstood aspect in mental health? Okay. I’m so glad that you asked me this, Amrita, because this is a very good starting point where I want people to understand in the end, let’s not even use the word mental. Let’s use the word brain and brain health. Yeah. Brain health. Right. Because mental health, I believe, is to some extent stigmatizing. Yeah. Right. Let’s start by understanding is the question that comes. Yeah. You know, let’s not say I mean in my entire career I can assure you I have never met even a single mad person. I have only met people with various brain health diagnosis and conditions. Right. And and I’m I’m lucky that I’m living in a time and the science has progressed to that stage where we can help these people. Yeah. where the awareness can be created. Not only awareness, solutions also, right? Awareness. Yes. What you are doing right now is so very valuable to me. Yeah. Because we’ll be able to break down the mythology and the misconception and the aura around so-called mental health issues. Very true. Let’s talk about the brain. What is the brain? What does it do? And how do we make life better for the brain? because your quality of life will in the end depend on how well this organ is working. Very true. That’s that’s so true. And and don’t you think doctor unfortunately uh you know in school colleges we do not even discuss about these things the way it should because I come across so many people who are highly highly educated like you know from IITs, IM you know all the IV league universities and totally broken in their uh you know in their life. So it’s not like to demean or anything but just to you know that makes us realize that this mental health if you have everything in your life you know like uh but if you don’t have capacity to manage your emotional health nothing is going to uh you know then your quality of life will suffer very very very significantly and it I’m I’m very glad that you took the point of well educated intelligent brains you know so many times I use the example get Look, if if you are somebody who’s using your brain for your livelihood on a day-to-day basis, that means you have a good brain, right? You’re not using just your body. You’re not just a daily wage worker. I mean, full respect to the to the labor and the work which they do, but they are not using their brain to the extent to which say a computer programmer or a senior management guy is doing. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So when your entire work efficiency depends on how well this organ works, you should be more aware of how to keep it in, you know, good condition. Wow. Very true. Very, very true. Very true. Cycle there is a bicycle. If there is a problem, no problem. But in a multi-million dollar jet, even if one screw is not in the right orientation or in the right place, you cannot hope for the jet to take off. Very true. That’s why most good planes, yachts, and more complex machines require regular maintenance. And the higher their work capacity, the more efficient, the more you know the more money is riding on them, the more emphasis on keeping them in proper working condition. Very true. Right? So why why don’t we do the same, you know, for our own this master organ which is going to determine the quality of your life and the life of people around you and everybody you love and everything which you stand for. Very true. In in today’s world doctor I also feel that you know people have all sort of knowledge like you know I’m sure you also must be coming across most of the people who come with everything that they can use on themselves and come out of it but that doesn’t happen right implementation is one thing that you know always and always is l you know lacking and from huh that that gives me such a great example which I want to share I’m sorry I’m kind of interrupting because otherwise I’ll forget. Yes, please, please. I love that you’re interrupting. So, so medical decision making is a complex process. I’ll give you the example of one of the most brilliant brains which the world has ever seen. Steve Jobs. Okay. Six industries that one brain was able to disrupt from smartphones to animation to some people say that even the internet was invented on a Nexus machine right which which Steve Jobs was in charge of to the way we buy music today streaming services I you know iTunes and all that man there is no doubt about it that he was a fantastic brain. Yeah. Right. which disrupted six different industries and he is even remembered today as a pioneer. Yeah. When it came to his own health, yes, he had pancreatic cancer which was diagnosed early. He had the option to go for a surgery and be cured of it. He took the decision to not go for what was scientifically established treatment but try some naturopathy on himself which delayed the decision of actually going in for proper medical treatment. Okay. So and we lost him at a very no one as bright as Steve Jobs can make these mistakes then people you know so I I have so I do not judge anyone. Yes. Exactly. I understand many of times people come to me after exhausting all kinds of options you know from faith healers to you know trying out things which which they feel might help. Yeah very true nothing works they finally come then finally they do come to me and I do have to hold myself back to not admonish them to not not judge them but to to help them at of course you know like any disease like any process the earlier you catch it the better the outcome. Very true. Very true. Very true. And I do see that, you know, oh, had I got hold of this patient 2 years back, 3 years back, 5 years back, I could have done it so much better. Yes. Very true. But it’s okay. Whenever a person has come to me, my job is not to judge. Yeah. You’re grateful that person has come to you. Yes. Yes. That from here onwards, let’s see what best we can do. Super. Very true. Right. So, uh, doctor, now coming to the next question. uh you know we are seeing huge amount of you know panic attacks and uh anxiety attacks. Yes. So uh first there are two questions. First I want to understand is there any difference between the panic attack and anxiety attack because people nowadays use it very lightly interchangeably. Yeah. Second is according to you especially after co why suddenly you know this this is almost had become an epidemic where you know all out of four to five normallook people you know suffer from anti-anxiety you know like they are on anti-anxiety pills or having all these issues. So can you help us with this? Sure. See, we definitely should look at CO as a black swan event. It’s a once in a-lifetime thing which happened and which disrupted life as we know it. Very true. Right. And it happened for a couple of years. You know, the second wave was actually much more deadlier and much more, you know, traumatic for all of us. Trust me, it was a worst phase of my life. But it also brought best part in me. I’m sure. Right. because uh adversity, bad times do bring out the best in people. They do do that, right? So it’s not that uh you know there are there are known facts that very good times tend to make people soft and not as resilient and as uh creative as they can be which difficult times bring. Difficult times do bring out the best. Yes. Yes. Because you just want to survive and come out of it. Yes. And you and you find new ways. Yeah. news way to you are you are forced to think outside the box. So very true. So very true. So so co let’s let’s consider it as a mega stress which humanity faced as a whole. Mhm. Anxiety is just one symptom. Okay. Out of the entire plethora of so-called mental health conditions and diseases which people can exhibit. Okay. Right. And I I have shared in another podcast with Nidas that you know that entire vocabulary is evolving how we define mental health issues how we you know put it or try to you know make sense of it by putting it under various labels. It’s an evolving science we and anxiety and panic attack are in the end the same process just at different levels of intensity. Okay. Like you asked right? So panic attack is a sense of imminent doom. Okay. It lasts for only a few minutes maybe 15 to 20 minutes but that experience is deeply traumatic. Yeah. It’s scary. Very scary. I have gone through it. So I know exactly in 22 I have actually gone through it. I was Yeah. And I did not know. I I used to think that you know I’m getting a heart attack. I’m like doctor I think I’m getting heart attack. I’m I’m I’m so young. What’s wrong with you? Life is coming to an end. Exactly. something very bad is going to happen and I don’t understand what’s happening. What’s happening? Very true. Very true. So that is the experience of it and like you very rightly said a lot of people think it’s a heart attack. Yeah. But your cardiogram comes out normal. There is nothing wrong with that. 7 to eight ECGs in span of 6 months is what I have gone through doctor. Right. My god my heart goes out to you because it is a harrowing experience. Exactly. And it’s not only the episode, it’s the time between the episodes which is again filled with so much of worry, so much of anticipating. Exactly. And here doctor, I just want to ask one question uh which is related to my experience and I also come across many patients today who share the same thing. I want to know from your perspective. Many times it happens that when a person is going through a stressful situation they do not feel that stress and they do not get that panic attack or anxiety attack the way we are talking when things are normal that is suddenly you know like I used to like I have gone through a lot of stress I have lost a very close person to co I was fine at that time I could manage my emotions everything well and then when things are normal when I feel that things are getting normal me my spouse my child we are like sitting having fun suddenly I I’m having sweaty palms. My heartbeat is increasing. My blood pressure is shot to like 180 100 and I don’t know. So why does this happen that when you’re going through stressful situation, you don’t feel it. But when everything is fine, you get that attack. So what exactly happens with it? This is I’m so glad you are asking me this. This is coming from personal experience, right? And and we so need to put the record straight as to exactly what’s happening. Yeah, I am putting my very um you know personal personal Yeah. And I’m putting very um you know brave face but right now I know what’s exactly happening. I’m just going back to those moments where my my child used to look at me as like am I losing my mom? You know that kind of thing. So doctor please I I really want to know that what exactly happens. Let’s break it down. When the stress is happening, when more demands are there on you, your body brain goes into a hyper work mode, you understand your responsibilities. Your adrenaline starts pumping and you say, “I have to solve this. I do not have the luxury of breaking down right now. I have to solve it because who else is going to do it?” You don’t see anybody who’s going to manage it. I have to manage it. So, you step up. Yeah. And your body brain it brings out its second wind. It brings out its reserves. It it brings out every ounce of whatever you have to give your brain more bandwidth so that you can be effective in managing that situation at that point in time and you manage that manage it very well. You feel good about yourself. Absolutely. Yes, I did well. And you actually have done it well. You know when other people are probably losing their mind and they are panicking and they are they are not able to make the right decision you’re able to step in and bring sanity to that very crisisoriented situation right very true right so at that time your body is working on yes understood it is redlinining you know the the engine to use a very car term is redlinining now you are working on a very high level of uh revolutions per minute RPM okay Right. Okay. But when that high RPM stage is gone, once you again try to come back to the normal cruise mode, some damage has happened to the engine. Oh yes. Right. Engines are not there is a reason why we call it redlinining. You are not supposed to go into that zone for very long. But the demands were such you had no choice. Yes. You had to redline the engine. When you come back to cruise mode, now all those traumas which have been created, all those extra stresses which your brain has taken, now the vulnerabilities start showing up. Okay. Now you don’t have to put up that brave face. No, now you are suddenly relaxed and soft. But but the damage has been done, right? And now to acknowledge that yes, I had extraordinary stresses on me. I went through it bravely. Don’t question yourself. Why am I feeling this? I should not be feeling this. No, we are human. Many people lose lot of time on this. You know, going into guilt, going into selfquesting, going into uh negative self-t talk. Acknowledge it. It’s happening. All emotions and all conditions are valid. You are a human being. Okay? You’re not a perfect machine which has to be perfect at all times. We are not we are not you know even machines are not designed to be that machine like very true right and I use the example of a machine for this. Yeah because at at one point even we are working like machine only. We are you know modern life I repeatedly say that it is very brain unfriendly. At no point in human history was this much stress to be perfect at all times. there life was slower. Yeah. Demands on us were lesser. Yeah. And it’s going to get worse. Unfortunately, it’s going to get worse for the coming generations and the coming times. Okay. Because like we said, in the end, it’s a fight between the brain’s ability to maintain that equilibrium and the stresses around us. So, and what is stress? It is change with which the brain has to deal. So your brain dealt with change at a high level of performance. Yeah. So every time it wants to get vulnerable now now that you are in normal mode acknowledge that that high level of productivity has done some damage and you need now self such a logical answer doctor. So uh now is the time to again using the the car example or the metaphor now the car needs to go through a good servicing. Yes. So what exactly that good servicing for humans? So yes what kind of procedure we need to follow. So not only are we going to now try and get into a lower stress lifestyle, we will also need to start identifying what vulnerabilities have been exposed. Like in your case, anxiety was there, panic episodes happen. Of course, natural suspicion of stress, heart attack. Yeah. Comes out, heart attack. Where does brain health start when you are physically okay everywhere? Yeah. M but there is a problem. Yes. Which is outside your area of uh you know control control and understanding like what’s wrong with me? Yes. Yes. So this is the time when we need to sit with an expert and ask that stress but symptoms I want to address this. Yeah. No doctor I would give my own example how I worked on it and I want all my followers also to know because I don’t share this uh so openly. So when I uh you know realize that you know I’m going through some sort of you know issues that I’m not able to understand and there is no physical problem because of ECGs and all. So my GP told me that Amita you know what you have to meet a psychiatrist and my first question was no doctor I’m not mad problem and he’s like no you don’t need to be a mad person to go to a psychiatrist but you need an expert to help you come out of it until then organ and I had not come across all this you know energy healing and everything so obviously so what worked with me was you know meeting right person meeting right doctor him making me realize that okay there is nothing wrong you’re not mad you’re not mental this happens with you know many people I’m happy you’re acknowledging it I was put on medicines and similarly during the same time I also came across journaling and working on my emotions both things together and certain therapies with the you know the so both treatment as well as a lifestyle change and 3 4 months I was out wonderful so of you know just 3 months and my doctor said that you don’t need to be on medicines Amita S you were never mad and you are and then when I told him that this is all what I have done he was the first person who told me that you know what you should create awareness because your own you know what you have gone through and that gave me that first I still very well remember that thought should I help people but my my question was to doctor who is going to believe in me because you are only gone through all this why should we Exactly the same reason people will believe in you. Exactly. Because you know how it feels your lived experience. Exactly. They will relate with it. Very very true. Right. And having now overcome it. Exactly. Right. You are a success story. I will say that you are my brand ambassador for brain health. Yes. Please I I want people who have a journey to share especially you know the positive effect which you felt with medicines. Right. So you know you were able to take the right decisions even though without realizing this that you know otherwise this podcast wouldn’t have happened from my end. Exactly. Exactly. So once you overcome it once you have conquered a certain condition I think it then becomes your duty. Exactly. To now spread the light. Yeah. And I feel that you know whatever doctor I have seen I’m sure you also must have seen such kind of success stories where people have gone through difficult time they came out of it and at that moment they realiz absolutely you know so that I was at all like that the kind of confidence it has given me is like now it’s you know making sense that you know finally I’m discussing with the person who who truly makes everything you know logical. So we all have a role to play. Very very true. Very true. I’m so glad this conversation is happening because I I have people know that I have gone through it but I have never discussed it in this detail. Now doctor coming to the next question. I am a mother to a teenager. Okay. So uh from a psychiatrist point of view what kind of you know issues brain health you know problems and conditions you are coming across among teenagers. Okay. So the biggest disruption and the biggest problem which I see today are the screens to which our young kids are exposed to. Right now what happens? Number one, all those different apps and all those different uh you know things on the screen they are designed to keep you there on the screen for the longest time possible for the benefit of the company which is running that app. Very true. Very true. Right. Yeah. And it comes at the cost of a few very normal things. Number one, boredom. Our teenagers today don’t have the luxury of boredom. They cannot be bored. Give me my cell phone. So they are constantly distracted. Right. Yes. The second casualty is not moving enough, physical movement, sport, exercise. They lose interest the moment they get addicted to because Exactly. You know and addiction probably is the right word to use in case of devices because you know they are programmed they are created with the best knowledge of human behavior to not serve the human but to serve the tablet. Very true. So to serve that uh company which is making that tech. Yeah. Very true. Right. It is not healthy for the brain. So what it does I see in young people delayed gratification is no longer there. They want everything instantly right now immediately. Very true. Right. And and we have unfortunately all those apps where you can order things and they’ll be delivered in 10 minutes, 5 minutes. Right. So waiting for things is not happening. Yeah. So frustration happens very quickly. Yeah. So no patience, you know. They they do not know what is what is the meaning of patience only. Right. Right. That is a problem. Yeah, I would I would and and how can parents make it better for the kids is by also becoming a positive example. For example, if you can identify a particular day and it’s very tough I I’ll I’ll acknowledge it at the doing my mental math you know how I can make it as a as a mother. Supposing you go on a family holiday or supposing you go on a or or you identify a day in the week to be a device-free day. Okay. With the parents leading. Yeah. Only then you know the kids will follow us. Yes. Very true. I’m hoping for it. You know, it’s going to be tough. It is going to be tough. I am going to be toughly as well. Of course it is. Because even when we say when we talk about kids, we adults are also so many times addicted. We are. So we all know let’s acknowledge it that we are addicted and so we all know you know that night routine you know sleep routine and everything but how many of us are actually you know using it or applying it to our on our lives. So yeah so knowledge is one part application is a different story altogether. Okay. So, uh doctor, what kind of you know issues because of all this what kind of cases that are coming uh to you? See everything. Can you give some examples? Everything from physical health issues to brain health issues, school refusal. Can you just give you know a little bit uh you know more examples on in terms of children? Children. Yeah. Teenagers especially. See we understand that social media is a fake society. Yes. It is not real. H right. But teenagers come to me with the complaint that somebody has unfriended me that I am not being made part of a particular WhatsApp group or I have been removed from a particular friends group and it’s causing distress. You you come across these kind of and not only me even the police is facing these things. You look at any number of complaints with which average young people are going to the police, it is it is online issue. That just reminds me one unfortunate incident that you know many of us might have read. One very famous influencer you know committed suicide simply because she started losing the followers. Exactly. So so the mattresses of success. Yeah. What amounts to a good life or a great life or to a acceptable life? What is success? What is a you know how do we define it? The social media has skewed those understandings. Okay. In the end, the quality of your life depends on how many deep and meaningful human relationships you have which social media cannot provide. Those are not real relationships. Yes. Those are just followers. Those are just people to whom you are portraying a false image and they are consuming it, right? Yes. Yes. So, social media is causing depression. Social media is causing anxiety. Social media is definitely causing uh uh sleep issues. It is also causing poor coping mechanisms for that including addictions. Yeah. And the growth everything is getting affected for these kids. you know kids are simply not getting enough physical exercise because of it. So very true. So we we need to use these devices. You see there is no way of there’s a very common human failing that we try to do everything in extremes. Yeah. You know so gadgets no gadgets that’s not realistic. Yeah. But a more yes a more more mindful consumption. Right. Understanding that you should be using the gadget instead of the other way around. you know not the gadget using you and the parents have to make the positive maturity of parents would also matter here totally so parents have to make an example rather than trying to enforce a rule which would be unfair okay wow that’s amazing so coming to uh our next question doctor what what’s the age of youngest uh patient that you have handled and what was if you can share what was the reason why that child or why that patient had come to you. So see I I see I’m not uh uh I’m not myself specializing in child psychiatry but I do have in my organization doctors who deal with child psychiatry cases. So I will I will share that right. So one good thing is that now there is early diagnosis of certain conditions right like we say autism so what earlier we used to say that around 3 to four we should only be becoming more aware about how the child is behaving and then only think in terms of a diagnostic label or you know addressing it or treating it. Now the age is advancing as in people children at a younger age now are able to exhibit those those uh symptoms symptoms where an intervention becomes necessary right and to a large extent again you know parents are using these devices as a digital nanny. Yes very true. Yeah very true. So while taking this easy way out see now in the end what the child is doing is mindless eating. No. Yeah. Very true. So there is no connection between between the food and the activity. Very true. Right. The brain is being occupied by one thing and mechanically something else is happening. Also you know many issues are happening even in toddlers. Yes. So even amongst very young kids. See, so several good governments like say France and in Europe, they have come up with very clear-cut guidelines that no content can be created or targeted at a child under 3 years of age. Wow. Right. Do you think that you know in India something like this I hope it happens. I would love it if it happens that we become more responsible in terms of content being directed towards very young children and there should be guidelines that at least till 3 years of age children should not be exposed to screens and devices gadgets right and and and definitely uh you know content should not be created specifically targeting very young children I would want it if that can happen at a policy level that would be fantastic will be will be you helping a kid have a better brain health down the line. So very true. So very true. Uh Dr. Next question that I want to discuss is again something which is becoming very very unfortunately very common that is functional uh depression where people have high functioning depression high functioning depression where people are living very normal life when we see them meet them in pe you know person or see their social media everything is amazing but they are going through that you know all the symptoms of depression what is your take on this like so that that slow 9 to5 dying oh Right. So you are you are coming across more patients who belong to the working population because the expectation is that you have to be productive. Ah you have to be productive all the time even if you are suffering and you have to put up front. Let me just you know let me just again say it because this is this is this sounds so simple doctor but this is so uh true that you have to be productive even when you are suffering. Yes. And according to you that’s the real cause of that is the problem that so so see India as a society we are great at not taking care of our health you look at all these textbooks of surgery and gynecology you will find that the biggest records some Indian patient right where did we pull out the biggest fibroid again some why we are so used to living a substandard life and living with a disease. Yeah. So for for us having all these problems are like very normal and all brain related issues are invisible anyway. Exactly. It’s still taboo. It it doesn’t come up in a test. You can’t blood pressure and know how much stress you are carrying. Yes. There cannot be a sugar-like test which tells you what number of uh stress or depression you are going through. You are going through. There is nothing right. And there is no imaging which will tell that this brain is now depressed. Yes. Right. So people many a times and especially high achievers, intelligent people like we talked about before, they put this extra pressure on themselves to always be productive. Yeah. Even though slowly they experience these symptoms that motivation is going low that anhidonia or or the inability to feel pleasure is happening that they are not enjoying anything which they are doing that their hobbies now are not fun anymore that they are just struggling. So they try to probably use maladaptive practices. If they’re having anxiety, his friend will say, “Yes, people cannot go to sleep without two pegs of whiskey.” Exactly. And then they take pride in it. Unfortunately, you know, so in in the US, you remember there used to be a time when if you do not have two heart attacks before the age of 40, you were not considered successful. Oh my goodness. Oh my. So we need to stop wearing it like a medal. Yeah. As a badge of honor. Absolutely not. Right. Yeah. To to to say it’s not healthy. It’s not sustainable. You are reducing your life and you are definitely reducing the quality of your life. Okay. So to live with more awareness that if I am going through high functioning depression, I’m very glad that we are raising this issue. Yeah. Because people that you are working, you are productive but you’re not happy and you are showing all other signs of depression. You are cutting down on your social interactions. You’re not able to enjoy your life. Your food habits have changed. Either you are gaining weight because of excessive eating or you are completely ignoring your food and you’re realizing you’re harming yourself but you’re still not stopping. Yes. Yeah. So success is not just increasing the pace of life, right? Yeah. success means improving quality of life as well. So doctor when people’s for example people who are listening to us many of them will probably have this question that am I also suffering from this because the moment we create awareness about this high functioning depression people realize that I might be going through it. what kind of uh you know work or what kind of uh uh you know the the stuff that they need to do from their side so that they come out of it and is it preventable also like you know if a person realizes that yes my life is like this but I wish to prevent it right how exactly that can be done so I’ll I’ll give you an example I uh when I was a young professional setting up into my own uh practice and everything of course you know you you want to be successful and and we have in India I think it is very deeply internalized that hard work is the way to success and that hard work can happen at the cost of your relationships at the cost of your sleep at the cost of your own you know enjoyment in fact if you don’t uh uh you know um stay awake all throughout your night just to create that success then you’re not creating you are probably not working hard enough yes you’re not at all working Right. Very true. So as a young professional, I suddenly realized one day that I have and and and I love cinema. I love going to the theater and watching good cinema. You know, I I’ve my hobby and I enjoy it a lot. I realized one day that for the last 3 years I have not gone to a cinema. And I for me it was a wakeup call. No, this is something is wrong. Why am I not following my hobby? something which I enjoy and and is is is work the end all and the only goal of life and probably as a psychiatrist you have the luxury and the training and the knowledge to actually assess yourself a little better and acknowledge it. Yes, you know that depends on your level of uh honesty with yourself, right? But I was able to see the signs and take a deliberate decision that I need to reduce the amount of work I’m doing. Dr. I have one question here. If a person is suffering from that high functioning depression, they know everything. Okay, whatever you are saying definitely making sense to them, but they do not have that motivation only to do anything. So during that time what exactly the steps they can follow where they will get right guidance and they can come out of it. Sure. So there are different levels of insight. There is intellectual insight. I know that I am in a problem but yeah this is how this is how life is right. Yes. Midlife crisis. Yeah. or or you know and then there is true emotional insight where you say yes this is happening to me and it is in the long run not healthy so I probably need to change something that is where action actually happens towards taking control of your life and making those necessary changes which will serve you in the longer term. Okay. Okay. Okay. So if you are going through high functioning depression first please go see a specialist to actually get yourself properly assessed diagnosed you know don’t don’t I mean there is there are all kinds of self assessments and I I’ll say it is very dangerous always it is very dangerous like am I suffering from high function depression and you will get everything and you will decide that okay I am having yes but I I think it is too important to be you know dealt with it in such a flippant manner Yeah, exactly. We’re talking about the most important organ which you have which is going to you know contribute to everything good which is coming and what you’re saying is so right doctor because most of the people the moment they realize they’re having it they feel good and that’s it you know but that is just the first thing exactly the answer they feel that they have got the answer right so so after that what what exactly I I would say that meet a professional professional so share it with medicines do work here in this work for you? Yes, of course. Yes, they are working for me. I take my medicines. Okay. Right. I uh when I was a student, I realized that I did extremely well in in vivas in concept understanding but when it came to long type answers, I used to struggle with deeper work, I would have problems and much later in life, I got diagnosed with my ADHD, adult ADHD and I am treating myself for that. Okay. Okay. Okay. So medicines. So do not look at medicines when it comes to brain health as a taboo also. No no no they there. That’s why I’m taking medicine. You don’t have to think about it. Guys please I hope you’re listening to doc. And if you are realizing that you are suffering from uh you know any of these conditions rather than taking that call that yes I have it go meet a specialist get diagnosed and do go for medical help if that is what you need. There is nothing wrong in it. Thank you so much doctor coming from you this means a lot and and I think you know awareness is a very important part of my job. Yeah, my job is not just to diagnose and help people manage and treat their conditions. M it is also part of my duty to tell people that boss it is all right you know I mean at one point in time did we not normalize that yes after a certain age maybe hypertension yeah exactly and we accept right if you have diabetes if you have type 1 diabetes insulin dependent you make your peace with it injection very true right and it is never a very enthusiastic choice choice which you make. In fact, you have no choice. Very true. It is the disease and the condition which dictates what treatment you’ll need to take. But doctor, what is your experience? Do people come out of it or do they have to take uh their medicines for the rest of their life for high function depression and highly variables, highly variable stories, right? Like in your case, there was there was a certain amount when you needed that support, right? So depending on I I always say that we should have our goals in clarity. What are we looking for? Yeah. What do I want to achieve? What do I want to achieve? Having this specialist in my life, medicines and therapy and all those modalities, they are just the tools. Tools to help to help you, you know, reach that goal. Very true. Those experts are best placed to help you use those tools effectively. Yes. Right. If you have to build a house, I mean, you know, in theory, but you hire amazing. Very true. Right. Because he’s specialized in using that tool to the right degree. Yeah. So, meet right person. So, you meet the right person, let them take the call. What you have to do is hold your specialist accountable to the result. Yes. There is scope for improvement. You know I’m still not there. Be honest. I don’t I don’t feel like myself yet with your specialist. Yes. Share it with them. Any good doctor will appreciate this positive feedback loop where they are coming to know of what is happening and they can fine-tune the treatment. The more honest you are, the better would be the treatment. Absolutely. Very true. And from there now doctor coming to you know the next topic of adult ADHD. Again this is uh you know becoming very very common. So what again are the symptoms for this? Adult ADHD is you know spoken so widely. What are the peculiar symptoms of the same? So when we talk about ADHD as a brain condition let me tell you one thing. Every brain has a ad process. Okay. Every human brain has a attention deficit process just like it has a obsessive compulsive process. Yeah. These are various circuits in the brain, various pathways which are activated to different degrees in different brains, right? And you have no control over them. This is part of your genetic makeup and your genetic lottery. We can’t choose our genes. They are what they are. It’s a hand which has been dealt to us by chance. Yeah. Right. Very true. So ADHD as a disease entity, as a problem statement was only diagnosed in 1980s. Mhm. Right? It was codified and it was studied and it was written that yes this kind of behavior happens because of a brain process and it causes three major symptoms. Okay. Number one inattention. Okay. As in you are not able to put deep attention into day-to-day boring tasks. Okay. Right. The second one is very quick distractability. M so those kids who are trying to study but they see a butterfly or a little movement around them and are immediately distracted. Yeah. Now it’s very common among it is very common. Exactly. Yeah. So and I feel it is unfair to expect very young kids to have deep focus because it’s it’s not natural. Yes. Luckily the AD process with age reduces in everybody. It reduces. Okay. Right. But if it persists in a schoolgoing child then of course you need to look at it as a problem because this is a beautiful point that AD process will reduce over time but if it does not then it can probably give rise to adult ADHD problems you know problems and untreated ADHD in a small percentage of people will persist into adulthood but can it get diagnosed like perfectly absolutely as in see the three basic Six symptoms. Yeah. So first we understand inattention distractability and third one is impulsivity. Impulsivity meaning. So impulsivity meaning taking sudden decisions without looking at the long-term picture. Leaving a job in between right so you will find if somebody has a history of quitting a job very quickly because oh it got boring. I did not like the atmosphere. It was not challenging or whatever. But if there’s a pattern of people quitting these jobs or quitting probably relationships very quickly for novelty. Yes. Yes. Yes. It could be a pointer towards a ADHD process. And I’m saying with full responsibility, don’t just take these symptoms symptoms and label yourself. Yes. Exactly. Go for a proper diagnosis. It’s an entire process. Very true. Right. I’m just pointing at most common symptoms. Yeah. Right. So this is just to give you know the knowledge and create awareness. Absolutely. This is how you should get diagnosed in in lie of a medical consultation. Yes, you need to meet a specialist professional to call if it is adult ADHD. So we are create making it very clear here. Doc is here. We are very thankful that he’s creating awareness. But kindly do not label it just by listening to this podcast. This podcast should definitely help you in you know pushing you to meet a right person so that you come out of it and not label yourself with any problems right doctor thank you so so very much for this so I I like I started treating myself in my late 40s oh my god oh and I suddenly found that oh it’s not that I am lazy or that I am you know unable to do it it’s just that I have an active ADHD process which prevents me from doing deep work. Okay. So today I can do better academic work than I could as a student. Okay? Right? And it’s a missed opportunity. I agree with that. But I don’t blame anyone for it. Like I said, it started being codified in the 80s. It started being taught in medical college in the ’90s. By the time I was already in my medical college and studying and suffering from it. Okay. Right. So there are a lot of adults who an entire generation of them who missed being diagnosed in those days. Exactly. And they were probably labeled as problem kids, as hyperactive. They would have bad handwriting. They would be missing out on spellings a lot. And their teachers routinely would tell their parents potential he’s not able to unlock it. He’s intelligent but careless. Yes. And then when it comes to adults, we many times say that. Exactly. And that’s how we just, you know, call them that you know there is there is no maturity. maturity to this person and we just label that person. Yes. So doctor now when it comes to this adult ADHD do what are what can be the reasons is it like unprocessed childhood trauma or is it uh something related to genetics what is your observation when you are treating adult ADHD amita one thing which I understand in case of all non-communicable diseases whether it is hypertension whether it is a history of diabetes in a family whether it is certain amounts of cancers which we see within certain families and also So the entire spectrum of brain related disorders or dysfunctions, right? It is strongly and rather I would say only genetic in nature. Oh, your diet was cast in your genetic code. Okay. Right. Huh. It got uncovered and it might have been triggered and the and the symptoms might have happened after a certain stress which we today call as traumas or you know certain negative experiences and that’s what every person does not and we tend to hyperfocus on that trauma which does not solve the problem. We need to look at what is the genetic process which needs to be gently maybe just modulated just changed a little bit. So today if I say that my ADHD happened because my teachers did not give me enough attention or something like that then I’m not looking at a solution-based approach. Very true. You’re trying source one of the sources or or I’m just trying to blame somebody. Yeah. Very true. Rather than working on a process and and a treatment plan which can actually help me. Very true. So trauma many a times I feel is is overemphasized and you know unfortunately we we’ll be making the same mistake which the good Dr. Freud made of making the mothers the villains of everything everything was early childhood trauma or some mistake on the part of the mother. Exactly. And it would be unfair to Yeah. Very very true. Very true. We we don’t choose our genes do we? Exactly. We can choose our circumstances to some extent. You know that that entire debate of nature versus nurture I think is now strongly going in favor of nature that it’s nature which will overcome a lot of nurture. Oh, you know that people you will see who have had very tough and uh rather difficult circumstances in their young life but because they came from a very good stock of genetic uh components they were able to go through that and rise to you know to great heights in life. So uh doc my next question is again you know kind of very close to my heart and what we are discussing only um you know what kind of role genetics play in this mental health because as I discussed earlier I come from a family where mental health issues or brain health issues as you say run into you know my generation and right now we are having from my father’s side fourth generation who is uh you know suffering from uh the same so uh if I have to uh you know talk very vulnerably uh here in this podcast. Then we almost took all our lives like I have spent my entire life creating the stories around each and every person who has suffered in each generation. We created stories that comforted us comforted us and today we are actually looking at you know logical explanation of the same. So my question to you is you know to what extent a person suffering from these brain health issues uh you know can come out of it. What are the chances what does from your observation? See this is firstly I mean thank you for sharing those you know personal very deeply uh I would say these are these are kept like family secrets. Nobody talks about it. they are pushed under the carpet and people prefer to give alternate explanations for that right but you had very honestly shared with me right that there have been clear-cut signs that something wasn’t right and and in my own practice and in mind we routinely take a three generation history okay right now in those times we did not have the vocabulary for it Yes, very exactly. This is how I have heard all the stories about everyone. But yeah, you know, comfort and you know create logical explanations. Yes. My entire life has gone into you know like listening to these stories doctor. So all these things you know really hit differently when you’re talking about it. Exactly. Whereas what we need to now look at is what is the genetics telling us. Okay. Right. If there are these stories what kind of a behavior are we talking about? What kind of a brain process would have caused that behavior? And now we can now we are better equipped to predict as to what can happen and make sense of the current behavior in our younger generation. Right? So it empowers us. Yes. Having knowledge of your family’s uh history right is a clue into the genetic past. Yeah. And for modern psychiatry, for modern doctors, it is worth its weight in gold. It tells us so many things. Wow. Right. Yes. So if you can get that history and share it whenever you feel you know that a child or somebody young or yourself that you need to understand your brain better. Yeah. All these things are hindering. But a person can come out of it. Absolutely. In this day and age. In this day and age. See when our country got independence you will be shocked at what the expected uh life expectancy was in India. What was it? It was 28 years. My god. You’ll be shocked. We are already living on bonus. I feel that way. No. No. So over and there were you know very uh specific events which were responsible for it. You know the great Bengal famine happened. Lot of young deaths happened. Today we have a life expectancy which is above 70 and and and in good urban areas or even rural areas where we see good level of nutrition, good me uh good medical health care uh available and proper vaccination, hygiene, all these things are met. We see our family members living in their 90s also these days right? So all that has happened because of advancements in modern medicine. Very true. Right? Let’s give it its due like small pox as a disease. We were able to eliminate it completely in 1977. Earlier small pox used to eliminate entire villages, entire communities. They would die of small pox. There used to be plague episodes which were mahamari. Yeah. Where people used to die young. Yeah. Now, now we don’t now we don’t even hear of it. Yeah. Very true. So all that has happened. Absolutely. All that has happened because of advancements in medicine. Mhm. Now just look at your smartphone. Look at the car which you drive and compare it with the car which your parents were driving and the phone which you had at your home. The trunk dial one. Yes. 30 years back. Yeah. Now if those technologies have come so far, why are we not able to accept that medical science has also come at the same level if not better? Yes. All we need is to acknowledge and meet a right person. Pick the right expert. The solutions are available. Yes. Yes. We we don’t know a lot about the brain but we know enough to help to help people and get them out of it. Yeah. Uh Dr. Now next uh topic almost last topic I would say is kind of very deep and this is my question since I was almost 12 or 13 years old which is related to uh a suicide. Okay. Okay. So uh I’ll tell you my own story uh why this question has haunted me all these years and probably I feel today I’m going to get an answer. So uh uh uh I was 12 years old when I have witnessed um uh a suicide in front of me that too by my friend’s elder brother. He was 16 17 and we of course did not know anything. We just happened to enter the house and we happened to see that since that day even right now I’m talking my I can feel that you know my heart getting heavy. So my question was because I had just played with uh you know him and his brother two days back everything was fine. We were you know sharing jokes and we were just you know planning our summer vacation what exactly we would be doing and this and that. And after 2 days he was gone. And after that you know I have come across we we all come across so many uh you know suicides where people otherwise looked normal. Yes. And one fine day they were just gone. So what exactly leads to this kind of you know suicide is it always a builtup or is it like sudden decision? All right. So I’m so glad that you are asking this question because suicide as a cause of death amongst the young is a fastest growing number. It has already overtaken accidents as a cause of death amongst the young and we need to acknowledge it. We need to address it and we need to understand it better. The first thing I will say is that every suicide is preventable. Right? every person almost every person you know the statistics uh Dr. Dr. Angeli Shabaria my colleague from Bombay uh she’s a psychiatrist she has written a book about it you know death is not the answer and she has tried to go very deeply into the topic of suicide okay I would recommend everybody who feels curious about the topic of suicide and you know anybody who wants to educate themselves about it should definitely read that book right suicide it has been researched and found that the person who completes a suicide shares that intention that even to some extent the plan with at least five to seven people before the act. Okay. Right. Many a times it is a slow buildup. It could be a cause of untreated depression. you know suicide the final sequel as a medical condition of untreated depression of other kinds of brain illnesses like psychosis right or it could be some immediate event because of which the person takes an impulsive decision. So it can be both ways build up. It can be both ways. It can be a slow buildup. It can be an immediate choice in a impulsive person who feels that something uh you know un something something so drastic has happened in their life. It could be public shame. You know very recently there was there that a child you know very young child again was punished by a shopkeeper for suspicion of shoplifting. M this happened a couple of days back and and uh the child couldn’t stand that public trauma and ended his life. Yeah. Right. So it can be immediate based on a single incident. It can be a buildup slowly and during that buildup that person many a times shares that suicidal intention. Now I’ll ask you a question. I’ll ask every viewer to ask themselves this. Supposing a good friend comes up to you and says, “I think I don’t want to live anymore. I think I want to just end my life.” How are you going to answer this? I think I will definitely ask the person to So, so most most average answers will be don’t talk like this. Don’t think negative. Yeah. Yeah, this this again is a problem nowadays because people believe so much in manifestation which is a true thing but negative mindset don’t be so negative you know manifest good it’s not it’s not negative but when what about a person when the person is going through a you know being you know what the problem is that person is feeling helpless exactly and he’s feeling in pain and then we talk about positivity they’re not exactly You are doing a disservice. Exactly. By telling him that your emotions are not valid. You need to think differently. Yeah. Change the mindset. Mindset changes. Is it that simple? Do you switch a flip? What do you do? Think positive? No. It can’t happen. Definitely. You know, doctor like to uh you know tell our you know viewers if you are going through something like this and if you are surrounding your friends, your family, they are simply asking you to change your mindset. You have tried every possible thing but still it’s not working. Please understand it’s not always about your negative mindset. You truly need uh medical support. You need somebody to guide you uh you know help you to come out of it. So not everything is related to just mindset work. It it there is something called as health issue, health condition. Please do consider it. One of the biggest reason why we are having this beautiful podcast today is to make you realize that you can’t manifest a life when you are having a problem in your life you know actual condition a brain condition. So and doctor is you know putting it and sharing it in the most amazing way. So please make a note of it and instead of getting defensive or challenging this belief I think it’s very important that what that person is doing is a cry for help. Yes. Right. If they say this, acknowledge it that okay, you are feeling like this and it can happen. I understand it. It can happen. I may not be able to feel what you are feeling, but yes, it can happen. Let’s talk about it. And the next step I would say treat it as a medical emergency. Okay? Tell them boss look I’ll go with you. Let’s meet a psychiatrist. Let’s meet a specialist. This is not normal. Let’s not ignore this. If you’re having these thoughts, okay, you may be successful in life. In fact, you know, that is the bigger problem. Yeah. That there is nothing visibly wrong in your environment or in your life. But those thoughts are coming. Yeah. So it is the right time to treat it as a medical emergency and get the right help. Just a little bit of empathy, a little bit of not debating it but sitting with that person and saying come let’s solve it together. Coming to you know we have discussed about you know your profession and the kind of people that you meet the way you are helping people uh but because you are into this field and you uh you know meet so many people going through this deep trauma and you help them day in day out like that’s your profession how do you exactly take care of your own mental health oh yes so I will I will say that uh my primary focus is on getting a good night’s sleep. Okay, number one. Okay, I try never to compromise my sleep hours. Okay. Right. Even if I have to sometimes medicate myself for sleep, I’m okay with that. Okay. Right. I use I know understand which medicines my are are working well for me, I use that to sleep well. Okay. Okay. Okay. That is number one. Number one. Number two is to be more regular with my exercise routines. Okay. Right. so that I can actually uh see exercise is a fantastic thing for your brain health. Yeah. What kind of a therapy for your see therapy is a over word overused word. I will not say therapy. I’ll say it’s a necessity. Yeah. Okay. Uh healthy mind in a healthy body. I totally believe that healthy mind and healthy body. Very true. Yes. Right. So because it is all one system only. Yes. There is no we should not artificially say that the brain is different and the body is different. They are the same system. The healthier and more robustly you are using your body the better it is for your brain health. Right? Plus I I am I have been put I have the luxury of having a very good psychiatrist in my life. Right? I have uh I don’t uh treat myself. I have a friend who I trust implicitly. Okay. He has put me on a regimen which helps me stay at my best in terms of my medicines and I I regularly consult with him. So this one thing is most amazing even doctor has a doctor and he totally surreners. So guys this is definitely um you know uh a sign for all of us because many times we all feel that you know I don’t need any help self-help book and you know everything will be fine. So all those people who feel that you do not need help even when you know that you know something is not correct with you please always and always have what he just said as a reminder in spite of being so successful in his life creating such amazing results. He is still surrendering to another psychiatrist and he is not looking at himself at that time as a doctor but as a person who needs help. Yes. So if he can take that help, why can’t us? Yes, doctor. This is such an amazing amazing uh you know thing that he every time I share it, people tend to get overly excited about it. But I want to normalize it. See, I could be a diabetic doctor with diabetes. But it doesn’t come that easily, you know, doctor probably. I I I believe it should. Yeah. So probably in your it should be very natural. But for us I I do understand I do understand that even psychiatrists have a lot of misconceptions about their own medicine sometimes. Very true. But in this day and age I believe that if you are a good psychiatrist by now you should have found with the help of your colleagues and your own uh you know knowledge something which will make your brain work better. In the end it’s it’s all about making this one one Yeah. improving the quality of life should be the only for me it’s only a quality of life question. So where people talk about you know money and success you actually you know are talking about what really matters improve quality of life by improving your and your success will follow. Ah very true. You will be in the end see does money contribute to your happiness beyond a point? No I don’t think so. Right. Does your social position? Yes. Right. Beyond a point. Below a certain level money or lack of it will cause misery and problems. Right. But after a point it cannot it cannot add to your happiness. Very true. No after that point I think you should be looking at what actually contributes to overall perceived quality of life. Wow. Amazing. Amazing. And now our last question doctor but I think the most important one as a CEO and founder of Mindsmith India. Uh what are your future plans? So my plans are to make this country and this world a better place. Uh one brain at a time. one brain at a time and where can we uh see um you know Mindsmith India coming up next? Oh, we do have quite a few ideas which we will be uh unrolling briefly you know in the coming couple of months. Wow. And uh yeah a few cities are on our target. We have started doing our homework on them. As soon as it happens definitely we will inform our viewers and everybody. Amazing. We all are looking forward and all the viewers here we are tagging uh you know doctors mindsmith India foundation uh s ID here. So if you are someone who is struggling who are not understanding exactly how things can work out kindly do connect with him and his team you will definitely be thankful that you listen to this podcast and something amazing came out of it. Uh yeah and Dr. Now before we um you know uh close this I want to have a quick rapid fire with you where I’ll be asking you certain questions and you I want a quick answer from you. So are you ready? No overthinking. Okay. Okay. One line or a thought that always calms your mind? This two shall pass. Ah wow very nice. Therapy or meditation what’s more underrated? Medicines. Neither therapy nor meditation. I’ll say medicines are hugely underrated in the last two decades. If you ask me what is the biggest revolution that has happened in brain health, I’ll say the quality of our molecules. Medicine. Wow. Amazing. Amazing. That’s that’s a beautiful answer. And I think even today’s podcast has created this awareness about medicines which is still considered as a both of us are benefited from it. Very true. Very true. So we’ll be doing a disservice if we don’t give it the credit where it is due. Exactly. Very true. Very true. one mental health myth that you would like to bust today. It’s not that complicated. Wow. It’s not that complicated. In the end, the brain’s job is to maintain the equilibrium. Stress reduces the brain’s capacity to maintain the equilibrium. There are treatments available. Don’t overthink it. Amazing. One best moment you look out in every patient that you treat. One best moment. So whenever a patient is able to do the things which they have always wanted to do their own personal goals their own personal achievements and it is different for everybody right so whenever they cross that mental barrier whenever they achieve a certain goal yes and I I feel so lucky Wow and so blessed to have been part of that journey wow that’s so Beautiful one book that transformed your way of looking at life. Ah, so many of them just one. A whole new mind by Dan Pink. Daniel Pink. A whole new world. Note of it. Oh, it’s a fantastic book. Yes. Wow. Amazing. I’m going to read this next. In one word, what does um you know uh a healthy mind u sound to you or look like? Balance. Balance. Wow. Simple and finish this sentence. Um uh the mind is not a machine. It is there is no mind. There is the brain. Okay. If mind is not machine then it’s just brain. Nothing. It is the the brain everything. Even though my company is called mindsmith. Yes. Exactly. But we have evolved from the brainless mind to now a mindless brain. Oh yes. Very true. Very true. when I’m treating I don’t treat the mind, I treat the brain. Wow. Amazing. And what a banger episode we had. Dr. Thank you so so so very much. And I’m sure that we have discussed so many things. This is definitely not the only episode we would be coming up with. We will definitely have more insights on it. We will go definitely deeper into it and I hope you enjoyed uh you know discussing and creating awareness as much as we all enjoyed it here today. Thank you for this opportunity Amita. I really look forward to it. If you want to do a follow-up podcast, I’ll be all up for it. Thank you so so so very much. Thank you. Yes.

What if everything you’re feeling: the anxiety, the burnout, the lack of motivation – is trying to tell you something? 🧠✨

In this heart-to-heart episode of The Amrita Kunal Show, Amrita sits down with Dr. Satyen Sharma, a leading psychiatrist with 18+ years of experience and over 27,000 lives transformed. Together, they dive into the unspoken struggles many of us face: panic attacks, high-functioning depression, adult ADHD, and the overwhelming pressure to “keep it together.”
From his own journey with ADHD to his groundbreaking work in helping thousands find clarity, Dr. Sharma shares how we can understand our brain, embrace our emotions, and heal in ways that go beyond just medications.
This isn’t about quick fixes – it’s about accepting your brain’s needs, trusting the healing process, and understanding why taking care of your mental health is the most important journey you can embark on.
🌿 If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, lost, or unsure – this episode is your space to start healing.

📲 Connect with Amrita Kunal (Host):
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abundancewithamrita/
🎙️ Podcast: The Amrita Kunal Show

📲 Connect with Dr. Satyen Sharma (Guest):
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsatyensharma/

#theamritakunalshow #TAKS #mentalhealth #depression

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