a: just look at the number of people, all the way from very young kids and adolescents to more elderly people. you can see a dramatic increase in mental-health cases, from suicidal ideation all the way to suicide attempts. mental-health institutions are now so crowded. it’s reported again and again, in western societies and all over europe and in the u.s. and in israel, there is quite a clear consensus of this effect.
advertisement
we didn’t include kids and adolescents, but a lot of studies coming out, even one very recently from stanford (which suggested pandemic shutdowns physically aged adolescent brains ) are showing really dramatic effects on the mental health of young individuals. this is attributed mainly to lack of social interaction.
a: it’s something which is embedded within us as a very basic response. the stress response has been conserved through evolution — from fish to humans, these are the same genes, proteins and brain circuits that regulate this response. and it’s a vibrant response. it’s a healthy response. it’s okay to respond this way when you have a challenge. the collective aim of this response is to allow you to cope with this challenge, to survive this threat. your heart rate will increase, your blood pressure will increase, your blood glucose and your cortisol levels will go up. this is just in the periphery, the rest of your body. but also, within your brain, your level of fear and anxiety will increase. your cognition, your memory is going to change; your attention, your appetite is going to change. almost every major brain area will respond to this challenge.
advertisement
a: these types of diseases aren’t caused by a change in a specific gene, but many, many genes, and interactions between those genes. we do not understand yet the so-called “signature.” we cannot sequence your dna and say you have a dna which puts you at risk to developing anxiety. we have a selected number of genes that we know are associated with anxiety or depression but it’s not that we have a fingerprint, yet, of such a genome. the genetics is very complex, although we know all these diseases have a genetic component. we can see depression in the family, we can see anxiety in the family, we can see schizophrenia. this is one part of it.
advertisement
a: the last decade in neuroscience has been amazing. the field is booming. today we have technologies that allow us to do things we couldn’t do 10 years ago, from the ability to do genetics at a very high level to the ability to use light to change the activity of nerve cells, allowing us to ask, “okay, what’s the role of those nerve cells?” there are exciting new treatments and approaches in the pipeline. today we are still using medications that have very similar concepts to the same ones we used 50 or 60 years ago. the medical need is immense. we need new solutions. and new solutions will come, but only with better understanding not only of the pathological brain, but the healthy brain.
advertisement
a: ketamine is used for exactly those 35 per cent of people who do not respond to any available drug. the one approved now (in canada and other jurisdictions) is a nasal spray. there are advantages and disadvantages. again, we don’t fully understand how this works. the biggest advantage of ketamine is the fast-acting effect. the kick-in of an ssri (serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor, a class of drugs taken by millions of canadians) is between three to eight weeks, which just isn’t good enough for someone who has a severe depression and he or she is having suicidal thoughts and plans right now.
a: there are approaches which are proven to help for many people, like physical activity. it’s considered the most beneficial way to cope. you don’t need to be an ironman or an ironwoman. just do more than you usually do. we know that exercise generates the development of new brain cells in areas which are very relevant to emotions — the same areas which are affected by antidepressants when they are working.
advertisement
our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, posted, here.