Catch it Early: What Doctors and Practitioners Miss About Mental Illness (Ep. 112)

Guests:  Robert C. Smith, MD and  Vinod Srihari, MD, 

Every day, millions of Americans face untreated mental health challenges—and too often, their first point of contact is a medical doctor unequipped to help. Most physicians - and many others who teach and advise youth - aren’t trained to recognize or treat mental health conditions, yet they’re the ones patients turn to first. This gap in training has devastating consequences, contributing to the mental health crisis we see today.

Dr. Robert Smith, a seasoned physician and thought leader, is sounding the alarm: medical doctors need fundamental training in mental health care. His new book, Has Medicine Lost Its Mind? Why Our Mental Health System is Failing Us and What Should Be Done to Cure (Prometheus Books, March 4, 2025) addresses the poor state of mental health care in the US, why it occurred, what needs to be done, and how to accomplish this politically.

Our Second Guest, Vinod Srihari, MD, spearheads a new program in CT which has just been expanded to reach the whole state after a trial run in 10 towns around New Haven. STEP is a clinic staffed by mental health providers in different fields – psychology, psychiatry, nursing, and social work. This "interdisciplinary" team seeks to provide comprehensive care for individuals who are early in the course of a psychotic illness in order to prevent symptoms from becoming disabling.

We Find Out:

• Why so many mental health issues go untreated and misdiagnosed—and what it costs us as a society.
• The value of early detection and treatment in Mental illness to help with prevention and recovery
• How medical doctors can better address mental health needs with proper training. And tips on how patients should talk to doctors about mental health.
• The hidden consequences of the mind-body split in modern medicine. The importance of integrating mindfulness and exercise into "treatment."
• Practical solutions for integrating mental health care into the broader medical system.
• 
  

LINKS:

Bob’s website:

https://www.robertcsmithmd.com/

 Bob’s Book:

https://a.co/d/2yOHhlp

Mindmap:

https://mindmapct.org/

Mindy and her book: https://mindygreiling.com/

Randye and her book: https://www.randyekaye.com/

Miriam and her book: https://www.miriam-feldman.com/

Hosts:

Who:

Randye Kaye - was a morning Radio Personality bringing humor to CT families when her own son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Now she is still a Broadcaster, Actress, Voice Talent, Speaker, and Author (Ben Behind his Voices, Happier Made Simple)

Miriam Feldman -  is an artist, writer, and the mother of an adult son with schizophrenia. Her book, He Came in With It chronicles her family's story and was released to rave reviews on July 21st, 2020.

Mindy Greili

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Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman