SSRI’M OK
Join Dr. Bijan Zarrabi, a resident psychiatry doctor at Harvard Medical School, and Macey Isaacs, a stand-up comedian, as they conduct insightful interviews with experts in the field of psychiatry. With the help of comedians, they navigate discussions on topics such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more, aiming to debunk misinformation and demystify mental health. Their goal is to destigmatize these issues through a blend of expertise and humor, making listeners feel understood and supported. After listening, you’ll hopefully realize, “Wow, SSRI’m OK.”
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Episodes
2 days ago
2 days ago
In this episode of "SSRI’M OK," hosts Macey Isaacs, a stand-up comedian, and Dr. Bijan Zarrabi, a psychiatry resident doctor, are joined by Dr. Cynthia Peng. Dr. Peng, who treats patients with psychiatric conditions in the inpatient, consult, and outpatient settings, will discuss Major Depressive Disorder with a Seasonal Pattern, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. It’s getting warmer and MDD with a Seasonal Pattern is not limited to the winter! Do you have that summertime sadness? She will define the disorder, explain how it can be diagnosed, and delve into its history and possible causes. Tune in to learn tips on combating Seasonal Affective Disorder while enjoying some laughs along the way.
Resources Mentioned:
Macey’s Yacht Rock Playlist on Spotify
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Art by Zoe Zakson.
Music is “As I Figure” by Kevin MacLeod.
Check out our website: ssrimokpod.com
Follow us on IG or X @ssrimokpod
Contact us: ssrimokpod@gmail.com
Monday Jun 10, 2024
Monday Jun 10, 2024
In this episode of "SSRI’M OK," hosts Macey, a stand-up comedian, and Dr. Bijan Zarrabi, a psychiatry resident doctor, bring a unique blend of humor and mental health insights. They are joined by Dr. Deborah Park, a resident psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to explore the intersection of religion, psychiatry, and happiness. Later, they are joined by comedian Matt Durndak to present the side of a skeptic. The conversation touches on belief, unbelief, locus of control, and more.
Resources Mentioned:
“Build the Life You Want” by Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey
Maria Bamford is Down to Join Your Cult on NPR
“The Wounded Healer” by Henri J. Nouwen
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Art by Zoe Zakson.
Music is “As I Figure” by Kevin MacLeod.
Check out our website: ssrimokpod.com
Follow us on IG or X @ssrimokpod
Contact us: ssrimokpod@gmail.com
Tuesday May 28, 2024
Tuesday May 28, 2024
In this episode of "SSRI’M OK," hosts Macey, a stand-up comedian, and Dr. Bijan Zarrabi, a psychiatry resident doctor, bring a unique blend of humor and mental health insights. They are joined by Dr. Montie Meyer, staff psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to delve even deeper into the world of SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). The conversation touches on the science behind SSRIs, their effects, and common misconceptions, providing listeners with both educational content and lighthearted moments.
Resources Mentioned:
Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R. E., Stockmann, T., Amendola, S., Hengartner, M. P., & Horowitz, M. A. (2023). The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Molecular psychiatry, 28(8), 3243-3256.
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Art by Zoe Zakson.
Music is “As I Figure” by Kevin MacLeod.
Follow us on social media: @ssrimokpod
Contact us: ssrimokpod@gmail.com
Tuesday May 14, 2024
Tuesday May 14, 2024
In this episode, we briefly discuss what a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) is since the name of our podcast is “SSRI’M OK” and some people don’t understand the reference and that’s okay. That’s what we get for trying to be creative. We also briefly discuss the history of the discovery of some antidepressant medications like SSRIs and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs.)
Key Points:
Your brain is made of cells. The two main types of cells in the brain are neurons, and glial cells, also known as neuroglia.
Neurons communicate with each other using neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
The space between the neurons where neurotransmitters are released is called the synapse.
The neuron (let’s call it neuron A) that drops off neurotransmitters to another neuron (neuron B) has reuptake channels that take back the neurotransmitters that neuron A released. The reuptake channels are named after the specific neurotransmitter they reuptake (serotonin reuptake transporters reuptake serotonin, norepinephrine reuptake transporters reuptake norepinephrine, etc.)
SSRI are “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,” meaning they block the reuptake transporters for serotonin. This leaves more serotonin in the synapse which can lead to downstream changes that are theorized to help treat depression.
The discovery of antidepressant medications and the belief that “low serotonin leads to depression” was started when studying an anti-tuberculosis medication called “Isoniazid.”
While investigating different formulations of isoniazid, they developed a similar medication called Iproniazid which is slightly different to Isoniazid molecularly.
When they were giving Iproniazid to patients in their research trials, they found that anyone who got the drug, regardless of whether or not they had tuberculosis, had “mood elevating” effects. Patients showed improved sleep, sociability, and appetite. A psychiatrist, Max Lurie, coined the term “antidepressant” in reference to the mood effects that iproniazid had on people. [1]
It turned out that Iiproniazid stops the activity of an enzyme in our brains that breaks down specific neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The enzyme is called MAO, short for monoamine oxidase.
The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly began developing molecules that would selectively inhibit the reuptake of serotonin at serotonin transporters to increase serotonin in the synapse, which led to the first report on an SSRI called fluoxetine being published [2].
Fluoxetine was approved by the FDA in December of 1987 and was launched to the market in January 1988 under the trade name Prozac.
SSRI examples: Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Luvox (fluvoxamine), Paxil (paroxetine)Brand names capitalize, generic names are in parentheses. They are the same medications.
Some SSRIs don’t selectively bind to the serotonin reuptake transporter. For example, fluoxetine also binds to the norepinephrine reuptake transporter. It is sometimes referred to as an “activating” SSRI because norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter linked to alertness and arousal. However, the clinical relevance of this norepinephrine effect is not clear. Fluoxetine is an antagonist at 5HT2C receptors; this has been proposed as a potential mechanism for its activating properties. [3]
Resources Mentioned:
Van Der Walt, M., & Keddy, K. H. (2021). The Tuberculosis-Depression Syndemic and Evolution of Pharmaceutical Therapeutics: From Ancient Times to the Future. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, 617751. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.617751
Wong, D. T., Horng, J. S., Bymaster, F. P., Hauser, K. L., & Molloy, B. B. (1974). A selective inhibitor of serotonin uptake: Lilly 110140, 3-(p-trifluoromethylphenoxy)-N-methyl-3-phenylpropylamine. Life sciences, 15(3), 471–479. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(74)90345-2
Ni, Y. G., & Miledi, R. (1997). Blockage of 5HT2C serotonin receptors by fluoxetine (Prozac). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 94(5), 2036-2040.
Also mentioned in today’s episode is “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk.
Go to PureYogaTV.com to become a member today!
Art by Zoe Zakson.
Music is “As I Figure” by Kevin MacLeod.
Contact us: ssrimokpod@gmail.com
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