Community in Mind
Glia Mental Health© is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization committed to providing support for depressive disorder to underserved populations using techniques of Interpersonal Group Therapy (IPT). We are a collaboration between diverse concentrations of thought that have come together to try to reduce depression rates. Our mission is to reverse depression at the grassroots level. With a dedicated team, community participation, and a self-sustainable operation, we hope to change the face of depression both domestically and internationally. With these principles and a focus on overall mental well-being, Glia Mental Health hopes to become the foundation for fostering novel depression treatment not only in Los Angeles, but also the world.
A quick introduction for the people making this come to life!
Pratik Doshi is a fourth year medical student at Duke University School of Medicine. He has completed a Bachelors in Health Promotion Disease Prevention and a Masters in Global Medicine and Health Management at the University of Southern California. He is interested in the intersection between health economics, policy, innovation and global health.
Juhee Shah is a Senior Associate at Triage Consulting Group in San Francisco. She completed a Bachelors in Policy, Planning, and Development with a concentration in Health Policy and Management from the University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy.
Sivi is a current Enterprise Relations Manager at Ellevate Network. She has completed a Master of Science in Social Entrepreneurship and Bachelors in Neuroscience. She has experience in health care and multicultural program design.
Weekly blog posts relating to mental health and technology!
This week’s post is a reference to an article published on USA Today by Liz Szabo. The piece discusses the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force’s advisory decision that doctors should screen for depression in all adults over 18 years old and in all women who are pregnant or recently gave birth. Postpartum depression affects approximately 20% of women globally, however, because of the stigma associated with depression and mental health disorders, many do not seek treatment from mental healthcare professionals. This advice is a great step forward in preventing depression before it strikes!
Read MoreThis week’s post will be a reference to a piece published on Yahoo! News by Kimberly Zapata. She writes about her experience with depression and how it has affected those around her. The most important thing to take from this is that she is not apologizing for her illness, but for the missed opportunities. No one should apologize for his or her illness, BUT as a community we should take steps to properly treat and manage these conditions. We here at Glia Mental Health hope to help people like Kimberly to overcome their depression and not miss those precious times with loved ones. We wish Kimberly great success in her future endeavors.
Read MoreIn the article below by NY Magazine, the author discusses the successes and pitfalls of therapy apps that provide group-based virtual counseling to clients across the globe. We at Glia are working towards developing our services to reach a maximum number of individuals by designing an easy-to-use mobile app, as well as in-person services that we hope will reach the underserved populations in the U.S., to provide care to those who do not feel able to get the care they deserve.
Read More"One in five adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness in a given year. 18 percent of American adults live with anxiety disorders. Almost 7 percent live with depression. And 2.6 percent live with bipolar disorder. And we’re not counting children."
Read MoreThis week’s post features an article from NPR discussing the need for depression to be treated as a chronic illness, rather than a transient event. Because primary care physicians, on average, have about 15 minutes with patients, patients battling chronic depression can fall through the cracks. Without proper follow-ups and constant availability of support, something which Glia aims to provide, individuals dealing with depression are not getting the help they want and deserve.
Read MoreA recent article by NPR highlighted the lack of mental health care for immigrants suffering from depression, anxiety, and trauma. Due to their immigration status, many of these individuals slip through the cracks because of inability to get insurance, language barriers, and cultural stigma. We at Glia hope to change the face of mental health care by providing support groups to all who need help without the high cost of care and the necessity for insurance. Anyone can suffer from depression and we at Glia will be here to help!
Read MoreIf you are interested in partnering with us please email gliamentalhealth@gmail.com!