Episode 80 - Mental Health Accessibility For Minorities

On today's episode of Yours Mentally, we talk about the importance of psychosocial life skills and why it is important to incorporate these skills in our lives right from our childhood and up to our adult life. This episode is in conversation with Vyjanthi Trimal who is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Fergusson College, Pune and has an M.A. in Clinical and Industrial Psychology.

We begin the episode by asking Ma'am to give our listeners a brief overview of what exactly psychosocial skills encompass.
Psychosocial skills seem to play a crucial role in our daily lives. We then asked Ma'am if she could provide some examples of these skills and how they impact our interactions and overall well-being.
We also ask, from a psychological standpoint, how do psychosocial skills differ from cognitive skills and are they intertwined in any way?
We then ask, as we progress through life, how do psychosocial skills evolve from childhood to adulthood and are there specific skills that become more prominent in different stages?
Talking about children – we ask what are some foundational psychosocial skills that parents and caregivers should focus on nurturing during a child's formative years.
Mental health and psychosocial skills often go hand in hand. We ask Ma'am how can honing these skills contribute to improved mental well-being and resilience
We also ask that for our listeners who are eager to enhance their psychosocial skills, what actionable tips or exercises can you recommend for daily practice? 
Communication breakdowns can strain relationships. We asked Ma'am if she could share some insights on active listening and effective communication as psychosocial tools.
We then discuss that Self-care is a buzzword these days, but how does it intersect with psychosocial skills and what practices can individuals adopt to ensure their emotional well-being?
And lastly, we ask Ma'am for any final thoughts or advice you'd like to share with our listeners.

Linked below is Vyjanthi Trimal's, if you wish to connect with her you can do so by clicking the link below:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vyjanthi-trimal-22581623/

Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

On today's episode of Yours Mentally, we talk about the postpartum journey of a mother, how it subsequently affects her mental health, and how the mother deals with it. This episode is in conversation with Hiral Shroff who is a Psychology teacher and has an M.A in Clinical Psychology/

We begin the episode by asking that although there is a lot of information available on the internet regarding caring for your physical and mental health before giving birth, why do you think that there isn’t enough discussion surrounding care for the mother post-delivery?
We then ask what are some things that women need to be prepared with, mentally and physically before delivering. 
We also talk about some of the struggles that women go through after their delivery. We ask Miss Shroff if there is something known as postpartum depression. What is it? 
We also talk about some of the common misconceptions surrounding maternal mental health. We ask Miss Shroff how can we address these misconceptions.
We ask Miss Shroff to share some of the signs and symptoms that indicate a woman may need help post-delivery and how can friends, family, and healthcare providers recognize and support someone who may be struggling.
We even ask if there are long-term effects of postpartum depression that can impact both the mother and the child or their relationship.
We discuss about the cultural or societal factors that can negatively affect the mental health of new mothers and how can we address these factors and promote a more inclusive and supportive environment for all new mothers.
We then even talk about women and their feelings about resuming work post-delivery.
Lastly, we talk about the role of the partner in taking care of the mother post-delivery.

Linked below is Hiral Shroff's LinkedIn, make sure you check it out:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiral-shroff-63ba6697
 
Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

We'd like to say a BIG thank you to Miss Shroff for guiding us throughout and helping us build this podcast and make it reach where it is today. Had she not been here, we would not be here. Miss, we appreciate everything you've done for us. It has been 3+ years since we started this podcast and we want to thank every single person involved who has helped us grow and reach here today, we cannot put into words how grateful we are for you all. And to all our listeners, we appreciate every second that you take out from your day to listen to the content we create for you. 
This is the last episode from our side before the new year, we wish you all a very happy and safe new year!

We hope you enjoyed this episode, do give us suggestions on Instagram for what you would like to hear next on the podcast!

On today's episode of Yours Mentally we talk navigating the world of academia in Psychology and learn what goes into research in the field of Psychology. This episode is in conversation with Professor Bittu Kaveri Rajaraman who is a Associate Professor of Biology and Psychology at Ashoka University.

We begin the episode by asking professor if they can tell our listeners in brief what their areas of research are and what have they already published?
We also ask what exactly does animal cognition entail, why did they choose to study animal cognition and what are they working on right now?
We then asked them that since they are working with animals who cannot communicate, how do they overcome that barrier and what other challenges do they face?
We also discuss why did they specifically choose zebrafish, how long has it been since they started researching about zebrafish and what has been their most interesting observation?
We also ask how do they juggle being a researcher as well as a professor? 
We ask if they would you describe the world of academia and research to be “slow”? We also ask professor what have they learnt from your Dognition experiment?  
Lastly, we ask them if they can you give some advice to Psychology students out there who are interested in getting into scientific research? 


Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

We hope you enjoyed this episode, do give us suggestions on Instagram for what you would like to hear next on the podcast!

On today's episode of Yours Mentally we talk about non suicidal self injury and suicidal ideation and the effects it has on one's mental health. This episode is in conversation with Gautham Krishnan who is a Counselling Psychologist.

TW: Suicide, self harm

We begin the episode by asking Gautham how does one draw the line between non-suicidal self injury and attempted suicide?
We then ask if not suicide, what are the reasons and causes one resorts to self injury? Is there any chance of self injury to tip over and lead to suicidal ideation?
We also ask that people are often quick to believe that someone engaging in self injury does it for attention from others? What are your thoughts on this? 
We ask him what are some signs and symptoms that one self injures? And how can one help someone out if they realise that they are engaging in it?
Research shows that there is a higher rate of self injury in teenagers. We asked Gautham how does age demographic play a role in this?
We ask him if there are any particular mental health illnesses that makes one more prone to engage in self injury?
Lastly, we ask him what are some treatments that can be used or some steps that one can take to stop non suicidal self injury?

Feel free to reach out to Gautham on Instagram at:
@the_indiantherapist

Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

We hope you enjoyed this episode, do give us suggestions on Instagram for what you would like to hear next on the podcast!

On today's episode of Yours Mentally we talk about Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Abuse and the effects it has on one's mental health. This episode is in conversation with Mrinalini Nathaniel who is a Clinical Psychologist.

We begin the episode by asking Mrinalini what is Narcissistic personality disorder and what behaviour do people with NPD exhibit?
We then ask how does one draw the line between someone who is a narcissist and someone who has NPD?
We then go on to ask what is Narcissistic abuse syndrome? 
We also discuss the challenges one faces when their partner has NPD and at what point do those challenges turn into the partner developing NAS? 
We also talk about the signs and symptoms of one having NPD and ask Mrinalini to  draw some parallels between the symptoms of NPD and NAS and ask if there any common symptoms?
We also ask what are some common forms of narcissistic manipulation?
We then ask if it is true that wealthier people have a higher tendency of developing NPD? Besides that, what role does gender play when it comes to developing NPD?We also discuss whether NAS only develops in romantic relationships, where the other partner is suffering from NPD, or does it happen in other relationships as well? And are there any other causes?
Lastly, we ask, what treatment is available for someone with NPD and what about NAS?

Feel free to reach out to Mrinalini on Instagram at:
@mannvartan_

Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

We hope you enjoyed this episode, do give us suggestions on Instagram for what you would like to hear next on the podcast!

On today's episode of Yours Mentally we talk and learn about the journey of a visually impaired counselling psychologist . This episode is in conversation with Kankam Khosla who is a Counselling Psychologist at Karma Center For Counselling and Wellbeing.

We begin the episode by asking Kankam that we read that she is a visually impaired Counselling Psychologist. We asked her to tell our listeners a bit about her impairment and how does it impact her everyday professional life?
We then ask her what challenges did she face on the road to becoming a psychologist because of her impairment?
We also asked whether her impairment affect any of her capacities and abilities as a psychologist? If yes, how does she deal with it? Is there anything she does differently in her sessions?
Then Aman asks tells her he's read that when one doesn’t have a certain sense organ, the rest of their sense organs make up for the loss of that one. He then asks her if she agrees with this? If yes, does she think it helps her in her therapeutic practice in any way? 
We also ask if she has ever felt that she received differential treatment from her clients or employers because of her impairment? How does she deal with this?
Lastly, we ask her if there are any people with disabilities listening to this episode, what advice would you give them? 

Feel free to reach out to Kankam on Instagram at:
@karma_care

To book a therapy session with Kankam do check out the Karma website below:
https://karmacare.in/book-a-session/

Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

We hope you enjoyed this episode, do give us suggestions on Instagram for what you would like to hear next on the podcast!

On today's episode of Yours Mentally we talk about people pleasing and the effects it has on one's mental health. This episode is in conversation with Ami Patel who is a Psychotherapist.

We begin the episode by asking Ami how can one draw a line between being kind and being a people pleaser and is people-pleasing a mental illness?
We then ask what negative effects can people pleasing have on a person?
We also talk about the typical traits of a people pleaser and ask her what are some common motivations of people pleasing?
We also ask how can one recognise that they are becoming a people pleaser?
We then ask if people pleasing eventually ends up damaging our relationships?
We also discuss if people pleasing be a trauma response in any way.
We ask her what can one do if their partner is a people pleaser?
Lastly, we ask Ami, how does one break the pattern of people pleasing?

Feel free to reach out to Ami on Instagram at:
@amipatel.therapist

Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

We hope you enjoyed this episode, do give us suggestions on Instagram for what you would like to hear next on the podcast!

On today's episode of Yours Mentally we talk about the Psychology of gender based violence. This episode is in conversation with Simantini (Simi) Ghosh who is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and the current Head of the Department at Ashoka University, India.

We begin the episode by asking  professor what is gender based violence and asked her to give some real life examples of gender based violence so our listeners can understand it better.
We then asked what are the different forms of gender based violence?
We talked about how does the psychological impact of sexual violence differ from emotional violence on a woman?
Often, gender based violence is considered synonymous with violence against women and I know that it is because majority of the gender based violence is seen against females. But how does gender based violence differ for men? Are the forms inflicted on them different?
As a follow up from the previous question, are the psychological effects of violence different on men as compared to women? 
We also asked what are some forms of gender based violence that are seen in everyday life, like in schools and offices? 
We then asked, as a developing country, what can we do to prevent and curb gender based violence?
Lastly, I (Tanisha) read that you are conducting research surrounding gender based violence. Can you tell our listeners about your research? Taking into consideration that this is such a sensitive topic, how do you collect data for your research?

Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

We hope you enjoyed this episode, do give us suggestions on Instagram for what you would like to hear next on the podcast!

On today's episode of Yours Mentally we talk about how to deal with mental illnesses while having a chronic illness . This episode is in conversation with Dr Ruhi Satija who is a consultant psychiatrist and counselling therapist.

TW: Mention of death

We begin the episode by asking Ruhi what is a chronic illness? Can you give us a few examples?
We also talk ask what is the most common mental illness that people with chronic illnesses develop?
We ask her what physical issues can one develop due to chronic mental health illnesses?
We then ask in what ways does a chronic illness impact your mental health?
We also ask how do you differentiate between the effects of your physical illness and your mental illness? For example, if one don’t have an appetite or feel like being in bed all the time, how do they identify the cause?
We ask her how and why are support groups especially important for someone with a chronic illness?
We also ask how can one stop their mental illness from exacerbating the symptoms of their physical illness and vice-versa?
We then ask what are some things one can do to calm themselves down when they are overwhelmed by the impact and the treatment of both the illnesses?
We ask Ruhi what are a few ways to remain hopeful and positive when one has a chronic illness, even if chances of them recovering are slim?
Lastly, we ask her in what ways can therapy be especially helpful for someone who has a chronic illness?

Feel free to reach out to Dr Ruhi Satija on Instagram at:
@dr.ruhi.decodingmentalhealth

Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

We hope you enjoyed this episode, do give us suggestions on Instagram for what you would like to hear next on the podcast!

On today's episode of Yours Mentally we talk meditation, it's importance and the impact it has on the life of human beings. This episode is in conversation with Harshil Karia, founder of Schbang and Level Supermind and Aayush Anand who is also the Co-founder of Level Supermind.

This episode is in collaboration Level Supermind.

We begin the episode by asking Harshil and Aayush that we learnt how both of them really believe in the power of meditation and we feel that there are many misconceptions that come with what meditation exactly is. So we ask, what exactly is meditation for them.
We also ask what difference has meditation made in their life and in what ways has it improved their memory and focus?
We also ask what is their definition of “overall mental wellness” and what tips would they give from their personal experiences to achieve this state?
We also ask that since we’re at the start of a new year, let’s talk about a topic we're sure a lot of our listeners have stumbled upon recently- new year resolutions. We ask them if they believe that new year resolutions are a good way of aiding personal growth and what are some other practices they use to make sure that they are growing as a person?
We've noticed that Level Supermind focuses on a very wide range of subjects. We ask them to give our listeners a basic idea what exactly Level Supermind is and the work it does?
Lastly, we ask them how can we alter the neuropsychological makeup aka the hardware of the brain to favour us in our daily lives?

Download the Level Supermind app through the links given below:
Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=level.game&hl=en_IN&gl=US
App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/level-mind-sleep-journal-body/id1623828602

Feel free to reach out to the level team on Instagram at:
@levelsupermind

Harshil's Instagram:
@harshiljkaria
Aayush's Instagram:
@aayushmisfiit

Podcast managed by - Taksh Jain
Instagram - @taksh_j
Email: yoursmentallypodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram - @yoursmentally

We hope you enjoyed this episode, do give us suggestions on Instagram for what you would like to hear next on the podcast!