EP21 Speech 09 - The End of Mental Illness - Daniel Amen, MD

We are on the cusp of a new revolution that will change mental health care forever. The End of Mental Illness discards an outdated, stigmatizing paradigm and replaces it with a modern brain-based, whole-person program rooted in science and hope. No one is shamed for cancer or diabetes; likewise, no one should be shamed for depression and other brain health/mental health issues. Based on the world's largest functional brain imaging database, Dr. Amen will give you a completely new way to think about and treat issues such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorders, ADHD, addictions, OCD, PTSD, schizophrenia and even personality disorders. It is based on the unique Amen Clinics 4 Circles BRIGHT MINDS program, which shows you that in order to have a healthy mind you must first have a healthy brain; and to do that you must optimize the 4 circles of a whole life (biological, psychological, social, and spiritual), as well as prevent or treat the 11 major risk factors that damage the brain and steal your mind. The BRIGHT MINDS risk factors are Blood flow, Retirement/Aging, Inflammation, Genetics, Head trauma, Toxins, Mind-storms, Immunity and Infections, Neurohormone abnormalities, Diabesity, and Sleep. Once you optimize these 4 circles and 11 risk factors, your brain, mind, and life will be healthier; and we can all stop talking about mental illnesses and call them what they really are – brain issues that steal your mind that can be helped when we heal your brain.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn 5 reasons why the term mental illness is stigmatizing, outdated, and does more harm than good
2. Learn how to assess the 11 BRIGHT MINDS Risk Factors involved in brain health/mental health issues
3. Learn 5 brain SPECT patterns that inform diagnosis and treatment