Amanda (Host): This is MIMO Med Talk.
I'm your host, Amanda Wilde.
Joining me today is Desiree Morgan, vice president of Nursing for the Department of
Psychiatry at Maimonides Medical Center.
She'll help us understand depression prevention and
treatment, and how Maimonide is supporting mental health awareness.
Desiree, really appreciate you being here to share your expertise.
Welcome.
Desserie Morgan, MSN: Thank you so much for having me.
I'm very excited.
Amanda (Host): Are there some general early signs of depression
that we should be aware of?
Desserie Morgan, MSN: So, relatively speaking, I think, the holidays can
amplify what's already there, stress, grief, loneliness, financial pressures,
Predominantly early on, if you're somebody who struggles with or lives
with some depressive symptoms, you're gonna notice, there are mood changes,
maybe appetite changes, changes in habits, things you used to love to
do, really depending on the age of the person who's experiencing these symptoms.
If we're talking about children, the children might show more signs of either
aggression or maybe even more clinginess.
some, In attentiveness at school irritability, which is very different
than the adult who might be having some signs of, depression, which will
be more withdrawn, sadness, more of the textbook stuff that we're used to
hearing about, with depressive symptoms.
Amanda (Host): So depression does affect different individuals differently.
Desserie Morgan, MSN: Absolutely,
Amanda (Host): and are some people, just naturally more
depression leaning than other's?
Desserie Morgan, MSN: there's two schools of thought.
there's the idea that people can be more predisposed to it,
depending on their, genealogy.
You know, is it inherited?
Is this something That is, runs in their family?
or is this something That is situational?
Are they experiencing a lot of grief and loss and is this something
That is gonna subside over time?
So, it really would depend on the person individually, what
they're actually dealing with.
Amanda (Host): When would you say it's appropriate for someone to seek
professional help for depression?
Desserie Morgan, MSN: As soon as you're starting to feel any kind of changes
in your mood, when you can sense something early, you can disrupt it.
When you can disrupt something, you can change it.
So I think the earlier that you notice something is going on
either within yourself or with a loved one, that's the time to act.
You're not gonna wait until something's completely exacerbated to act.
Amanda (Host): So disruption can be a strategy.
Are there other strategies individuals can use to prevent depression, both
for themselves and their communities?
Desserie Morgan, MSN: Absolutely.
So, depression isolates, so you wanna build connection.
these are strategies that you can use.
You can plan for triggers before they happen.
If you're somebody that lives with depression and you know
that This is something that you have struggled with in the past.
You are pretty familiar with your own triggers, right?
So I'm gonna speak specifically about the holidays because that's really what
we're gonna be up against right now.
it can be very,
stress inducing stress is going to be one of the major triggers for somebody who.
Deals with depression, the grief, the loneliness, financial
pressures, all of these things.
You have to protect your mental health and you have to plan.
You already know that This is something that you can foresee, you know This
is gonna exacerbate over the holidays.
Assume that you're automatically gonna need to have some
protective factors in place.
the goal obviously isn't to force the happiness.
You wanna stay grounded and make sure that you have support.
So you want to structure your days, protect yourself by,
basically making actionable steps.
Make sure that you have a routine.
Make sure that you are sleeping enough.
That's easier said than done, obviously, but you wanna set a sleep routine.
Any clinician will tell you try to have a sleep routine.
But if you are truly, focused on, your own triggers and you are in a place
where you know that if I don't sleep six to eight hours, I'm gonna wind up
falling back into the, having those bad thoughts, it's gonna be darker for me.
I'm gonna wind up going down that rabbit hole, start setting timers,
get off your phone an hour earlier.
Whatever it is you need to do, set those routines and stick to them.
After a couple of days, it becomes a habit and you start to see that
those symptoms will start to lessen.
Hopefully start eating regularly, move daily, get out into the sunlight, plan
for those triggers before they happen.
Amanda (Host): Those are great things the person experiencing the feeling can do.
How can family and friends support someone who may be experiencing depression?
Desserie Morgan, MSN: So again, we're gonna talk about ages.
If it's your child, let's say This is a teen that, lives with depression.
Stay close, stay connected, and stay in conversation.
Let them know that what they're looking at at on social media,
Those are highlight reels.
So that's not real.
That's not real life.
So there's a lot of comparison that happens that just lends itself to more.
Feelings of inadequacy, more feelings of loneliness and isolation.
And let's face it, like kids, even adults, a lot of us are addicted to our phones.
And we think that what we're seeing on social media is real life.
And then there, there becomes this comparison to that which
makes us feel less than.
That just lends itself to feeling even more depressed and, checked out.
It's important to have that conversation to say that's a highlight reel.
that's not real life.
So have those conversations, check in regularly gauge where that person
is, and don't be afraid to have the conversation and say the words, how are
you feeling on a scale of one to 10 right
now?
How heavy is your, your pain?
and that's somebody who you know is feeling, has experienced depression.
If This is a new thing and you're seeing a change in their behavior.
Again, a lot of people are afraid to put an idea in someone's
head to say, are you depressed?
Are you having thoughts to hurt yourself?
A lot of people are afraid to have that conversation and they feel that they're
putting the thoughts in their head.
that's not the case.
We need to open up and have those conversations.
So the best way to help someone is to just sit with them and say, I am here.
I'm not sure what's going on, but I notice a difference and I'm
here to help if you need anything.
I'm checking in because I care.
and that's one way, but if you know, now you're dealing with an adult say that, has
suppression and you're noticing that it's, sort of obvious that they're, they're not
doing well right now and it's becoming clear that they might need more help.
Stay close, check in with them.
Or this could be, You know, a grief holiday.
This could be a day where it's approaching something that happened
in their life that you know that they're gonna struggle getting through.
Check in, make it routine.
I'm gonna call you Sunday at six o'clock.
I wanna go for a walk with you.
Just be there so that they
have
an outlet.
If they have somebody to talk to, I'm not saying to be the caregiver for them,
but to at least be a connection for them because That is what is missing.
And like the older adult, the loneliness that they can feel, after the
holiday parties, all of That is gone.
They go home to an empty house that used to be filled with kids and husbands.
That's where the risk is when they start feeling lonely.
And lonely is not a personality.
Lonely is.
A health issue And we have to start looking at it
like that.
It is something that we can fix, make those connections.
Tell them to join a, senior center or help them join that senior
center.
Those are some of the things we can help with our family, friends, and community.
be the referral source if you can, or, point them in the right direction.
If you see somebody struggling and you know that There are things that they can
be doing to maybe, Curb that loneliness so that it doesn't seem so isolating.
that's the worst part.
That's where it feels really, dark.
Amanda (Host): so staying connected is really important.
Throughout any bout of depression
Desserie Morgan, MSN: Absolutely.
Connectiveness is protective.
Like really, as long as somebody doesn't feel alone.
That message that they get, that they're not alone, I think is what we need to
drive home to everybody, regardless where they are in their illness.
Amanda (Host): On the medical side.
Desiree, you've been in this field for 20 years or more.
What role does psychiatric nursing play in supporting individuals with depression?
Desserie Morgan, MSN: There's many roles, obviously the clinical one where we give
the medications And we run the groups.
But the real role, the one that I think is the most important role, is the
empathy, the caring, the just lending your ear, Your heart, sitting down
next to somebody and hearing them and kind of being in that space with them.
Letting them vent to you and just empathizing And
feeling their pain and sharing in that space with them for a little while.
Let them know that, the weight that they're carrying
is real and validating them.
That's what a real psychiatric nurse, that's the real role.
Amanda (Host): With your long experience and perspective, from your experience,
are there any common misconceptions about depression you would like to address
Desserie Morgan, MSN: I'll just say that you can't just get over it.
a lot of people think, just get over it, be happy, cheer up.
This is a phase.
Sometimes you just, people put on a happy face and they're
really just so hurting inside.
so no, there's so many misconceptions about depression.
We would need a whole podcast just on that.
Amanda (Host): fake it till you make it.
Doesn't seem to apply here.
Desserie Morgan, MSN: Absolutely not.
You need help.
When you have depression, you need help.
You need, whether it's going to be somebody to talk to, maybe some
medication to get you through.
you just need someone, you need professional help to
make sure that you're okay.
Amanda (Host): can you tell us more about the resources,
Maimonides offers for mental health
Desserie Morgan, MSN: sure.
We have so many, Maimonide does an incredible job.
I mean, we have from intake, we have adult child, the wellness program, perinatal.
We have the college track, which is an amazing, amazing resource.
we have the Addiction Health Center, l lgbtq plus.
we have Psycho Pharm, we have all different therapies.
We have the, licensed creative arts therapy where we have.
Dance therapy, drama.
We have tons of groups, so that's not even naming all of them.
That's off the top of my head right now.
Amanda (Host): But that gets us an idea of the scope of resources that you offer.
You also do initiatives, and I know you've been involved in the
Stigma free initiative for a while.
What is that and how does the Stigma Free Initiative aid in mental health awareness?
Desserie Morgan, MSN: So that's my baby.
stigma free it was a grassroots movement it started in New Jersey,
which is where I am originally from.
And I was a stigma free ambassador in New Jersey, every county
had a stigma free ambassador.
It was a small idea that took off.
It exploded in New Jersey and 72 towns within one county took
off within like three years.
And I was amazed with it.
All it is, is you just proclaim yourself a stigma free environment,
but then something amazing happens.
All of these resources come out of the woods.
you weren't even expecting them.
They just came out of the woods like, oh, I wanna be part of this.
I wanna be part of this.
And so I started to see the interest here in New Jersey of all of these
organizations from, we call it Division and Child Protection.
So, used to be called FUS in New Jersey.
I guess it's called Child Protective Services in New York.
to give you just an idea, something.
Terrifying to parents.
No one would ever go to Child Protective Services for something good, right?
Those are baby snatchers.
They steal babies.
But when we did a, Stigma free, they set up a table at an event I had and
showed the resources that they have, and they have so many amazing resources
for parents who are struggling that they've become a place people seek out
now instead of something to be afraid of.
That's one area.
other things where there's cultural barriers to getting mental health,
resources to understanding mental health so that maybe your family
members don't get mental health care because you don't understand
it just by nature of your culture.
There are organizations that we aren't even aware of that heard
of the Stigma Free that wanted to become part of this and have a table
and get their resources out there.
So when I came over, to Maimonides.
I asked them, you know, who's your stigma free ambassador?
And I realized that I didn't see stigma free signs in New York
as I drove over the bridge and I wasn't seeing stigma free anything.
And then when I got there and I started having the conversation several years ago,
they were so excited about it.
They just embraced it and made it this enormous thing.
And we found out that we were the first.
Area.
We were the first in New York to become a stigma free hospital and
opened our doors to our community.
And said, This is who we are.
our arms are wide open.
This is a place where you will find hope and you will find judgment free zones
where you will get the help you need.
And we had so many resources.
we had our first ever stigma free designation on October
22nd, which we will be doing.
Yearly.
And we had resources from upstate downstate all over.
just eager to help and to show our community that we are one, And that our
doors are always open And we wanna be like the beacon of hope for anybody struggling
living with, mental health challenges.
Amanda (Host): Well, I was going to ask how can communities work together
to create a supportive environment for mental health awareness?
And it sounds like the stigma free initiative is part of that.
Desserie Morgan, MSN: absolutely.
It's education.
we do trauma-informed teaching to everybody in our organization.
We lead with empathy.
And that basically means having conversations around mental health,
not whispering them anymore.
We talk about it, we normalize conversations so that it's, something that
we speak about freely, which makes people feel included and not something shameful
when they do have to talk about it or their family members are living with it.
yeah.
So that's breaking the
stigma
is what stigma free obviously
Amanda (Host): Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And the enthusiastic response indicates a positive shift in
how we think about mental health.
Talk about 9, 8, 8, how it serves individuals
experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Desserie Morgan, MSN: Yeah.
So it's a 24 7, crisis lifeline, which I love that.
It used to be called a hotline.
I love that they call it a lifeline now.
and it can, it's a resource.
It can be called from anywhere in the US actually.
and there's someone there, there's a counselor on the phone, you
call in an emergency, there's someone there to talk to.
Amanda (Host): Well, Desiree, thank you so much for your time today, your insights,
making this information accessible and leading the way in providing
meaningful resources for depression.
Desserie Morgan, MSN: It has been my pleasure.
Amanda (Host): Desiree Morgan is Vice President of Nursing for the Department
of Psychiatry at Maimonide Medical Center.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, call 9 8 8.
For more information about Maimonide, visit MIM o.org
or follow us on social@mimo.org.
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