Faculty experts from the Michigan Medicine Department of Psychiatry, the Department of Sociology at the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and the School of Nursing joined Michigan Minds to talk about different factors that impact mental well-being.
Learn more and tune in to each episode below:
The Impact of Social Support on the Risk of Depression
As director of the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center, Srijan Sen’s research focuses on the interactions between genes and the environment and their effect on stress, anxiety and depression. Sen joins Michigan Minds to talk about recent data from the Intern Health Study, the impact of social support on depression risk and Mental Health Awareness Month.
“We saw the relationship between work hours and depression hold across the spectrum of hours, from 25 hours all the way up to 100 hours a week. So this indicates that in this population, work hours are an important driver, and probably the most important driver, of depression. And if we can reduce the work hours, we will likely reduce depression.”
‘Gaslighting’ and its Impact on Mental Health
‘Gaslighting’ has become a popular term recently, and Paige Sweet, PhD, assistant professor in the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, joins Michigan Minds to talk about what ‘gaslighting’ means, how it relates to and impacts mental health, and resources that are available to community members seeking support for their well-being.
“Gaslighting and psychological abuse don’t take place in a vacuum, they’re part of a broader social context, and it’s important that we really pay attention to power differentials in those larger social contexts in order to really address something like gaslighting.”
Supporting and Protecting Nurses’ Well-being
Christopher R. Friese, PhD, RN, Elizabeth Tone Hosmer Professor of Nursing and Professor of the Health Management and Policy School of Public Health and Director of the Center for Improving Patient and Population Health (CIPPH), joins Michigan Minds for National Nurses Week — which occurs during Mental Health Awareness Month — to discuss how the industry has changed in the past year since he last joined the podcast and the ways in which community members can support the health and well-being of Michigan nurses.
“This is a time for us to reflect and celebrate the amazing work that nurses do day in and day out, pandemic or not, for our families, our patients, our loved ones, our community. My wish for Nurses Week this year is to have a real partnership with the public to heighten these concerns and make sure that we’re all working in the same direction, which is better nursing care for our loved ones through better and safer staffing conditions.”
