Psychiatrist discusses mental health struggles around the holidays

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• Judy Woodruff:

  The holiday season is considered one of the hardest times of the year for anyone struggling with mental health. In fact, the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that 64 percent of people living with a mental illness report that their conditions worsen over the holidays.

  And now the recent death by suicide of famed dancer, producer and deejay tWitch has sparked another national conversation about the struggles many people face during the holiday season.

  We're going to explore some of those concerns with Dr. Gregory Scott Brown. He's a psychiatrist and author of the book "The Self-Healing Mind: An Essential Five-Step Practice for Overcoming Anxiety and Depression, and Revitalizing Your Life."

  Dr. Brown, thank you very much for joining us.

  I think we have long known that the holidays can be stressful for many, if not all of us, but especially so for people with mental illness. Why is that?

  Dr. Gregory Scott Brown, Author, "The Self-Healing Mind": There are a lot of different factors at play.

  We all know how challenging and stressful the gift giving and even the gift receiving process can be. Unfortunately, some people are enduring financial challenges over the holidays. And, as much as we adore spending time with family and friends, hosting them can lead to an uptick in anxiety levels for some of us.

  But another idea that supported by some good science is the fact that, during the winter months, we're just exposed to less sunlight. That means that melatonin, the hormone that's released in the brain that tells us it's time to sleep, is produced earlier in the day. And that might cause some of us to feel more sluggish, tired and even depressed.

• Judy Woodruff:

  So, what does that mean in terms of the symptoms people have? How does it — how does someone know that these symptoms are there, that they're coming on?

• Dr. Gregory Scott Brown:

  Right.

  So, the symptoms of depression would consist of someone who's isolating more, if they have noticed a change in their appetite. Sometimes, people will eat too little or overeat. If someone is sleeping more than they normally do, if someone is experiencing thoughts of death or thoughts of suicide, these are all indicators that someone may be struggling with depression, especially if the symptoms are lasting for at least two weeks.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Sometimes, people can be good at hiding their symptoms. They can seem as if everything's fine. They may be working really hard to seem as if everything is fine, when, underneath, they're really troubled.

• Dr. Gregory Scott Brown:

  And I will tell you, Judy, that's something that, honestly, we're all thinking about right now, especially in the aftermath of the tragic death of Stephen "tWitch" Boss, right? Everyone is saying that he just seemed to be so happy.

  And my message would be that there's no one face to depression, there's no one particular way that any mental illness looks. And people who are depressed, even people who are suicidal, some of them are able to get up, they're able to go to work, they're able to smile, they're able to hide it quite well.

  And that's why it's so important that we're asking each other how we're doing, that we're checking in on each other. A text or a phone call, especially this time of year, might seem like a small gesture, but it can actually go a long way.

• Judy Woodruff:

  So those are some things that people who may know that a friend or a family member may be susceptible to these dark feelings are good to know.

  But what about for people themselves who are feeling particular emotional stress, or maybe they know they have a mental diagnosis? What should they be on the lookout for? How do they cope with this?

• Dr. Gregory Scott Brown:

  Well, I mean, especially if you're experiencing suicidal thoughts, I'd say that 988 is a really, really great resource that people shouldn't feel the shame of taking advantage of.

  It's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And the thing about is, if you're meeting with a mental health professional during the holidays, it doesn't necessarily mean that you would have to continue meeting with a mental health professional for the next year or two years or three years. Some people just check in when they're struggling, and that's OK.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Is it truly that easy, Dr. Brown, to find someone to talk, to confide in, kind of on the spur of the moment, if you're feeling, again, these dark feelings?

• Dr. Gregory Scott Brown:

  It's a process that is worthwhile.

  Sometimes, it might take a couple of days to really connect with someone. But I will tell you, someone like me, I'm accepting new patients, and many other psychiatrists and therapists are accepting new patients too. And so, again, if you're feeling like you really need a professional to speak with, don't feel ashamed to pick up the phone and at least make that effort.

• Judy Woodruff:

  And, finally, just we know that the these are things that cut — that cut across people by age, by gender, by race.

• Dr. Gregory Scott Brown:

  The suicide rate among men is actually three to four times the rate of suicides among women.

  And so a lot of folks might think that men don't struggle with mental illness or men are able to tough it out, but the truth is that there are over 130 suicides on average every day in the United States, and suicide and mental illness doesn't discriminate against race or gender. I mean, anyone is at risk.

  And that's why we all need to be not only thinking about mental health, but talking about it as well.

• Judy Woodruff:

  It's so hard to think about at this time, but, as you say, really important to remember that this may be going on with someone you know well and someone you love.

  So, thank you so much, Dr. Gregory Scott Brown, for sharing this with us. We appreciate it.

  And if you or a loved one is having emotional distress or thoughts of suicide, text or call the national hot line — as you just heard, it's 988 — to connect with a lifeline specialist for support. They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.