October 8, 2018 9:47 pm

Tuesday, Explore the World of Mental Health with Neuroscientist Heather Berlin and Chuck Nice

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Everyone is dealing with something. That’s the major takeaway from this week’s episode of StarTalk All-Stars as neuroscientist Heather Berlin, PhD, is back in the hosting seat alongside comic co-host Chuck Nice to answer fan-submitted Cosmic Queries about mental health.

From electrical brain stimulation surgery to PTSD and childhood trauma, we cover everything under the skull. Starting us off with a baseline understanding, Heather explains the spectrum of mental health and how we determine when something becomes an illness. You’ll hear about the opioid crisis and get some insight on the beginnings of the War on Drugs. Heather explains why, in order to enact change, we need to focus on treating those in need, not blaming them.

You’ll learn more about depression and if it can be pinpointed in one place in the brain. Explore electrical brain stimulation and the minimal invasive surgery it requires, although Chuck is not buying the “minimal” part. Discover how much of mental illness we can observe externally through processes like an EEG and fMRI, and also why hearing the patient’s subjective description of what’s happening is vital.

Examine the links between the brain and addiction. Find out how symptoms become medical diagnosis. Investigate what the brain goes through during PTSD and how we can help combat possible mental health problems during times of disaster or life-threatening situations. You’ll even learn how the mental imprints of childhood can impact adulthood.

Please join us tomorrow night for  Addiction, Depression, PTSD, and Mental Health, with Heather Berlin at 7pm ET right here on our website, as well as on our All-Stars channels on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. And if you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
–Ian Mullen