008 - Depression, Responsibility, and Chocolate with Dr. Sofia Raitsin

In this episode, I chat with my good friend, and neuroscientist, Sofia Raitsin.

Topics Covered: 

• That this was take #2 for us to record
• The neurochemistry of depression
• The overprescribing of psychiatric medications and their relative ineffectiveness compared to the Placebo Effect
• How the environmental and behavioural issues that underly mental health issues like depression and anxiety are not addressed by taking medication, which amounts to putting a bandaid on to cover up the symptoms and also leads to other undesirable side effects
• How our lifestyle choices are a major factor in our mental health and wellness
• The difference between a predisposition and a predetermination when it comes to our potential genetic inheritance of mental health issues and how our choices determine how our genes are expressed
• How non-pharmaceutical treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and rigorously training ourselves to think differently is one of the most powerful tools we can use to cope with the things life throws at us
• That exposure to our fears is what helps us to overcome them
• That underneath all of our social fears and insecurities, and our fear of rejection, is ultimately the fear of death
• If Lindt chocolate would like to sponsor the podcast because it helps with depression much faster than antidepressants
• Learning to love fear and see it as a guiding light, showing us the roadmap to the treasures we seek
• The effects on our mental health from having access to so much information about the problems in the world vs. using these larger issues as an excuse to not take responsibility for the more personal nature of our individual mental health challenges
• Sofia challenges me to reconsider my thoughts on this as I share my story of how the 2008 global financial collapse changed the course of my life and that paying attention to world issues has affected my mental health and wellbeing
• The need to take ownership over and responsibility for our lives in order to overcome learned helplessness, push ourselves out of our comfort zone, and face the hard work and discomfort necessary to improve mental health issues
•Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, social belonging, and the social disconnection at the heart of issues like depression and addiction
• The difference between having a fixed mindset and a growth mindset in our ability to fix, change, and transform our lives
• Recognizing no one else is going to do the work for us. No one can. It's up to us

You can find and follow Sofia and check out her beautiful artwork @philosofi_art on IG.