Our representatives are available to schedule your appointment Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.
For a Northwell ambulance, call
(833) 259-2367.
Insights
Podcast: Therapeutic insights from HBO's "One South"
In this two-part episode of the 20-Minute Health Talk podcast, Laura Braider, PhD, and a filmmaking duo discuss delivering and presenting cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapy to college students
The professionals charged with providing behavioral health care to college students face a heavy task; 76.4% reported moderate or high levels of stress, while 44.9% reported an official diagnosis of one or more chronic mental health conditions, according to the Spring 2024 National College Health Assessment. In the same age group, suicide is the second leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Few colleges have the resources to offer the help needed — and those available in the community are stretched beyond thin — leaving many students to navigate their health care needs on their own. That’s where specialized programs like the Behavioral Health College Partnership (BHCP) at Zucker Hillside Hospital come in. With its focus set squarely on issues impacting college students, the staff is not only helping to reduce disruptions in learning, but also saving lives.
The BHCP’s work, which takes place on a unit called One South, was the focus of the new HBO docuseries “One South: Portrait of a Psych Unit.” This unit, overseen by psychiatrist Laura Braider, PhD, represents a space where patients in need can convene with one another and receive care from qualified professionals.
Filmmakers Alexandra Shiva and Lindsey Megrue were drawn to One South for its focus on younger patients. “There's a lot of evidence that says early intervention leads to more positive outcomes,” Megrue said. “We were excited to dig in and learn more about inpatient care on the ground.”
Following patients from admission and evaluation and through one-on-one and group therapy allowed the filmmakers to witness therapeutic practices used on the unit, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectic behavioral therapy.
Megrue, Shiva, and Dr. Braider joined an episode of the 20-Minute Health Talk podcast to discuss the program, the filming process and behavioral strategies you can practice at home.
What is the Behavioral Health College Partnership?
The BHCP works with 96 affiliated colleges and universities. Students at these institutions undergoing mental health crises can be evaluated and, if inpatient treatment is necessary, students receive a referral to the BHCP unit at Zucker Hillside Hospital that is the focus of the One South documentary. On average, patients stay at the unit for seven to ten days, during which time they receive behavioral therapy and work on strategies to better handle their emotions, including:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy is a term referring to a group of therapies based on the finding that negative feelings are often caused by irrational thought processes. The therapy, Dr. Braider explained, seeks to identify the troublesome thought patterns so patients and psychiatrists can work together to correct or redirect them to feel better.
- Clinicians developed dialectical behavioral therapy as a way to help suicidal patients, Dr. Braider said; it has since been reconfigured to help patients develop skills in regulating their emotions and improving their relationships. It’s related to the dialectical method, which originated with Greek philosophy, and essentially means resolving opposing viewpoints through reasoned discussion. Dialectical behavioral therapy can help those struggling with mood disorders, self-harming tendencies, substance abuse disorders, and suicidal ideation.
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): What you need to know
The docuseries devotes much of its time to showing the ways the One South staff guide patients through the practices of dialectical behavioral therapy to help regulate their emotions. Shiva and Megrue noted that many of the unit’s practices could be useful in everyday life.
Radical acceptance
Radical acceptance is recognizing and accepting a situation that can’t be changed — being laid off, say, a divorce or loss of loved one. A key lesson of dialectical behavioral therapy, Dr. Braider explains, is that we have no control over many difficult things in life.
Radical acceptance, however, isn’t a substitute for taking action: The goal of radical acceptance is to help you move on and take steps to improve your situation.
Dr. Braider gave the example of a flight delay due to weather:
“This is not changeable,” she noted, “but I have a choice to deal with how I handle it. And I can have multiple things that I could do. I could throw a temper tantrum, I could scream, I could call the airline. Or I could accept it, and I could play a game with my children.” This, Dr. Braider explains, is radical acceptance in action.
Mindfulness
Because we can’t change the past, explains Dr. Braider, this strategy encourages presence of mind and living in the moment. DBT teaches that to be mindful is to set aside your emotions and logically analyze your thoughts, feelings, actions and surroundings.
Research has found that practicing mindfulness can have a beneficial impact on the body and mind. A mindful focus on the present leads to increased productivity and lower anxiety levels. Mindfulness can also boost immune function, according to a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. A separate study in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology found that it can even foster better sleep.
Shiva has found that connecting sensory stimuli to her presence of mind helps her practice mindfulness. “I take my shoes off and I just put my feet on the ground,” she explained. “It is a kind of sensory experience; I feel more connected to the moment and more mindful of where I am.”
"One South: Portrait of a Psych Unit" will be available on HBO’s streaming platform Max on June 25.
Read more
Distress tolerance
This skill can help you manage intense emotions. You might practice distress tolerance if you’re nervous about an upcoming doctor’s visit. In situations like these, the key is not to ignore the stress. Instead, dialectical behavioral therapy encourages acknowledging and processing it so you’re better equipped to tolerate it in the future.
TIPP is an acronym for a group of exercises employed to build up distress tolerance.
- Temperature: Splashing cold water on your face in times of distress can help center you and allow you to regulate your emotions.
- Intense exercise: Aerobic exercise like running or biking provides an outlet for pent-up energy and heightened emotions. It also increases your body’s levels of endorphins, hormones which lower stress.
- Paced breathing: Stress can cause rapid breathing. Conscious breathing – in which you inhale deeply through your nose, hold for several seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth – can clear your mind and reduce stress.
- Progressive muscle relaxation: An exercise in which various muscle groups in the body are tensed and relaxed in succession. This releases tension in the muscles and improves oxygen circulation through the body.
Opposite action
This is Dr. Braider’s personal favorite tool and you can use it to overcome negative emotions. It’s exactly what it sounds like: If you feel angry, be nice; if you feel sad and want to be alone, plan something fun with others; if you feel fear, stay in the situation until the fear fades.
Waiting in a long line at the supermarket, Dr. Braider said, could be a situation in which the opposite action is the right one. “You're frustrated, you might want to yell out,” she explained. “But instead, you walk up to the cashier and say, ‘this must be a stressful day. Hello.’”
Opposite action can also come in handy in the case of eating disorders, as the journal Behaviour and Research Therapy acknowledges. Those with such conditions battle impulses to eat to excess or, conversely, to deprive themselves of food. Taking the opposite action in these cases would promote healthy eating habits.
Related news
Northwell’s specialist in child psychiatry, Vera Feuer, MD, explains the potential causes, warning signals and helpful resources.
Where to go and what to do if mental health is an issue.
Manish Sapra, MD, explains how faith-based leaders can bolster their communities' relationship with behavioral health.