Multi-Host Podcast
Mitchell Kerner and I worked together to create an interesting and descriptive way to talk about anxiety and bring awareness to it. We wanted to focus on the college aspect of anxiety because the statistics show how much it's increasing in students over time. More than 25 percent of college students have been diagnosed with a mental health condition this year and because of this we wanted to enlighten people all over the country. We were able to get a student from Emory University to speak about her anxiety and how she's managed it overtime. We also were able to get more information from a Emory CAPS professional. His name is Romero Huffstead and he spoke to the issue in college students and the ways he goes about diagnosing and treating them at a university. Mitchell and I learned so much throughout the process, it was such an eyeopening conversation and we hope you enjoy and learn too! Below is the Soundcloud link to our podcast.
Areeta Shah & Mitch Kerner
4/16/17
A Dive into College Anxiety
Total Run Time: ~9:27
Multi Host Podcast SCRIPT:
Tape log of sound bites
Emily, Emory University Student
Dr. Romero Huffstead, CAPS Counselor at Emory University
Reporter Voice A: Areeta
Reporter Voice M: Mitch
Sound Bite: Intro music for Mental Management (0:06)
REPORTER VOICE A:
Hi! My name is Areeta Shah
REPORTER VOICE M:
And I am Mitch Kerner. And this is the MENTAL MANAGEMENT podcast—coming to you from Emory University.
REPORTER VOICE A:
So, we noticed that there was an increase of mental illness on college campuses
REPORTER VOICE M:
Especially anxiety with the amount of stress that these college students are under with all these exams and interviews
REPORTER VOICE A:
So, in this podcast we wanted to take a deeper dive into the what exactly anxiety is
REPORTER VOICE M:
We sat down with Dr. Huffstead, a Mental Health expert at Emory
REPORTER VOICE A:
Dr. Huffstead joined the Emory’s counseling center in the Fall of 2017
REPORTER VOICE M:
Emory Counseling and Psychological Services center is called CAPS. It is a free, confidential service that is available to all the students at Emory.
REPORTER VOICE M:
Areeta, can you guess what the most common mental disorder is on college campuses?
REPORTER VOICE A:
If I had to guess, I would say students struggle with eating disorders….?
REPORTER VOICE M:
Actually, its anxiety. Dr. Huffstead shared that most of his clients struggle with anxiety of some form. He gave us a shocking statistic on the prevalence of anxiety on college campuses.
SOUND BITE (:16)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
DR. HUFFSTEAD: Especially on a college campus, it’s probably one of the most common things we treat at counseling centers. In terms of the US in general, I think the statistic is over 40 million people struggle with anxiety in some form.
REPORTER VOICE M:
And we asked him what causes anxiety?
SOUND BITE (:26)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
For a lot of students are alone, on their own for the first time. This is their first time learning to be independent. Maybe in high school, they were one of the top students in their class. And coming to a university where they are surrounded by a lot of people that are very intelligent. It’s extremely difficult. You are dealing with imposter syndrome—not feeling good enough, not feeling smart enough.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Dr. Huffstead gave us a solid background about anxiety. And we spoke with one of the 40 million people that have been diagnosed with this mental illness. Her name is Emily and due to privacy protection, she didn’t want her last name included.
REPORTER VOICE M:
Emily is a third-year student at Emory University. She shared with us the premature signs of an anxiety disorder.
SOUND BITE (:07)
Emily
Emory University Student
My family saw signs really early on. Around the age of six.
REPORTER VOICE A:
What type of things did they notice?
SOUND BITE (:19)
Emily
Emory University Student
They noticed that I was very restless, always moving around. I was often preoccupied with a lot of worrying thoughts and couldn’t focus on school. I was just worried.
REPORTER VOICE A:
This confirmed what Dr. Huffstead told us about the age of onset.
SOUND BITE (:22)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
I think anxiety in a lot different ways can be seen in a lot different phases of life. There isn’t necessarily one specific onset [time]. You have kids that are kindergarten age that struggle with anxiety, to a certain extent. And then, you also have adults that could be well into their 50s or 60s. And so, it’s a wide variation.
REPORTER VOICE M:
After learning about the onset of this disorder, Dr. Huffstead talked about the triggers of anxiety
SOUND BITE (:21)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
The most common anxiety is public speaking.
Areeta: OK
Dr. Huffstead: Standing in front of a group of people, wondering how am I being perceived? Am I being judged? Am I not articulating myself properly? Am I knowledgeable about this particular topic? Are people are going to call me out. There are a number of different things that go through people's’ minds. So, you can deal with anxiety there.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Could it be social anxiety?
REPORTER VOICE M:
I’m not really sure. What even is social anxiety?
REPORTER VOICE A:
It’s basically the fear of being negatively judged by other people.
REPORTER VOICE M:
Oh, so that’s what Dr. Huffstead was talking about, the fear of other peoples’ perceptions.
SOUND BITE (:17)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
It could be social anxiety. It could be general anxiety. What is the future going to look like for me? Am I going to get this dream job that I’ve been thinking about for some time. Am I going to get into this career that I was hoping for since I was younger? It could be a lot of different things.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Emily then spoke specifically about what triggered her anxiety.
SOUND BITE (:06)
Emily
Emory University Student
I did a lot of cognitive behavioral therapy when I was younger. Where I was exposed to a lot of the situations.
REPORTER VOICE A:
I’ve only heard of regular therapy. What is cognitive behavioral therapy?
REPORTER VOICE M:
I found a study on this topic in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (or NCBI) database. This study defines it as “the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems and changing unhelpful patterns in cognition behaviors and emotional regulation.”
REPORTER VOICE A:
Emily described some of the steps in the cognitive behavioral therapy process.
SOUND BITE (:19)
Emily
Emory University Student
There were certain situations, like speaking up in class, that would make me extremely anxious. So, I would practice with my therapist what I would do in that situation. And then, try to implement that into my life, slowly expose myself to those things. And with time, it would get better.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Do you have another example?
SOUND BITE (:12)
Emily
Emory University Student
So, I also had a fear of ordering at restaurants, like I just get really nervous. So, when I was younger, my mom would take me out to eat and have me order.
REPORTER VOICE M:
The thing is though, anxiety is not abnormal. It is actually the human body’s biological response to stimuli. Dr. Huffstead provided a real-life example of this phenomenon.
SOUND BITE (:26)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
A lot of times I talk about the biological piece of anxiety. I’ll give the example. If a tiger came into my office, what do you think you guys would do?
MK & AS: we would be pretty anxious.
Dr. Huffstead:
What do you think you would do though? Would you confront that tiger or would you try to flee?
MK & AS: I think that’s the question of fight or flight. Either it kicks in and we fight the tiger, or we find a way to run away.
REPORTER VOICE M:
Dr. Huffstead emphasized that anxiety is actually a normal human reaction. He described some of the physical manifestations of anxiety.
REPORTER VOICE A
He listed some of the physiological responses to anxiety. They are: heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and sweaty hands.
So, we looked into what actually causes these physical responses in the brain. We found another study on the topic, again in the NCBI.
REPORTER VOICE M:
The study was called, “the role of the amygdala (uh-mig-duh-luh) in the pathophysiology of panic disorders.” I didn’t know what the amygdala (uh-mig-duh-luh) was at first. So, for those of you, like me, who may not know, it is part of the brain. One of the amygdala’s (uh-mig-duh-luh’s) primary roles is processing emotional responses.
REPORTER VOICE A:
I definitely did not know that either, thanks for explaining.
According to the study, anxiety occurs because the brain is processing fear. The brain’s natural response is the fight-or-flight response, which Dr. Huffstead mentioned.
SOUND BITE (:10)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
That’s why a lot of times, clients feel they have heart palpitations or trouble breathing or their hands are sweaty. The thing we try to help clients with in session is be able to determine that there is no danger present.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Everybody experiences anxiety. It’s important to learn what works for you.
SOUND BITE (:14)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
When you have those skills of deep breathing or bringing the body back to a stable place, or when you have different healthy coping strategies, that’s what helps you be better able to manage.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Emily echoed the fact that there is no magical cure to end anxiety and it all about the management of the disorder.
SOUND BITE (:11)
Emily
Emory University Student
There is no cure. You can never get rid of anxiety, but there are ways to manage it and learn techniques so it doesn’t impact your life as much.
REPORTER VOICE M:
In addition to these anxiety management techniques, there is the option of seeking professional help.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Emily said that she preferred speaking with a psychologist from home. She feels a strong connection with her and has maintained a healthy relationship over time.
REPORTER VOICE M:
How often do you talk to that person from home?
SOUND BITE (:13)
Emily
Emory University Student
Well it’s gotten to the point when I only have to talk to her periodically. As opposed to, when I was in high school, I would go on a weekly basis.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Based on the interviews that we did, it seems like anxiety is a very individualistic based issue. It can be dealt with in a few different ways.
REPORTER VOICE M:
The recurring themes from these interviews were the importance of personal relationships. These relationships are made with professionals, in order to form a management plan. Just like we saw with Emily and how she felt the most comfortable with her psychologist from home.
REPORTER VOICE A:
We now have a better understanding of the onset, management practices and potential treatments for anxiety.
REPORTER VOICE M:
We hope that this podcast shed some light on this issue. Anxiety quietly affects a huge portion of the population, especially at universities.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Thanks so much for tuning in!
Sound Bite: Outro music (0:04)
4/16/17
A Dive into College Anxiety
Total Run Time: ~9:27
Multi Host Podcast SCRIPT:
Tape log of sound bites
Emily, Emory University Student
Dr. Romero Huffstead, CAPS Counselor at Emory University
Reporter Voice A: Areeta
Reporter Voice M: Mitch
Sound Bite: Intro music for Mental Management (0:06)
REPORTER VOICE A:
Hi! My name is Areeta Shah
REPORTER VOICE M:
And I am Mitch Kerner. And this is the MENTAL MANAGEMENT podcast—coming to you from Emory University.
REPORTER VOICE A:
So, we noticed that there was an increase of mental illness on college campuses
REPORTER VOICE M:
Especially anxiety with the amount of stress that these college students are under with all these exams and interviews
REPORTER VOICE A:
So, in this podcast we wanted to take a deeper dive into the what exactly anxiety is
REPORTER VOICE M:
We sat down with Dr. Huffstead, a Mental Health expert at Emory
REPORTER VOICE A:
Dr. Huffstead joined the Emory’s counseling center in the Fall of 2017
REPORTER VOICE M:
Emory Counseling and Psychological Services center is called CAPS. It is a free, confidential service that is available to all the students at Emory.
REPORTER VOICE M:
Areeta, can you guess what the most common mental disorder is on college campuses?
REPORTER VOICE A:
If I had to guess, I would say students struggle with eating disorders….?
REPORTER VOICE M:
Actually, its anxiety. Dr. Huffstead shared that most of his clients struggle with anxiety of some form. He gave us a shocking statistic on the prevalence of anxiety on college campuses.
SOUND BITE (:16)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
DR. HUFFSTEAD: Especially on a college campus, it’s probably one of the most common things we treat at counseling centers. In terms of the US in general, I think the statistic is over 40 million people struggle with anxiety in some form.
REPORTER VOICE M:
And we asked him what causes anxiety?
SOUND BITE (:26)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
For a lot of students are alone, on their own for the first time. This is their first time learning to be independent. Maybe in high school, they were one of the top students in their class. And coming to a university where they are surrounded by a lot of people that are very intelligent. It’s extremely difficult. You are dealing with imposter syndrome—not feeling good enough, not feeling smart enough.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Dr. Huffstead gave us a solid background about anxiety. And we spoke with one of the 40 million people that have been diagnosed with this mental illness. Her name is Emily and due to privacy protection, she didn’t want her last name included.
REPORTER VOICE M:
Emily is a third-year student at Emory University. She shared with us the premature signs of an anxiety disorder.
SOUND BITE (:07)
Emily
Emory University Student
My family saw signs really early on. Around the age of six.
REPORTER VOICE A:
What type of things did they notice?
SOUND BITE (:19)
Emily
Emory University Student
They noticed that I was very restless, always moving around. I was often preoccupied with a lot of worrying thoughts and couldn’t focus on school. I was just worried.
REPORTER VOICE A:
This confirmed what Dr. Huffstead told us about the age of onset.
SOUND BITE (:22)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
I think anxiety in a lot different ways can be seen in a lot different phases of life. There isn’t necessarily one specific onset [time]. You have kids that are kindergarten age that struggle with anxiety, to a certain extent. And then, you also have adults that could be well into their 50s or 60s. And so, it’s a wide variation.
REPORTER VOICE M:
After learning about the onset of this disorder, Dr. Huffstead talked about the triggers of anxiety
SOUND BITE (:21)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
The most common anxiety is public speaking.
Areeta: OK
Dr. Huffstead: Standing in front of a group of people, wondering how am I being perceived? Am I being judged? Am I not articulating myself properly? Am I knowledgeable about this particular topic? Are people are going to call me out. There are a number of different things that go through people's’ minds. So, you can deal with anxiety there.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Could it be social anxiety?
REPORTER VOICE M:
I’m not really sure. What even is social anxiety?
REPORTER VOICE A:
It’s basically the fear of being negatively judged by other people.
REPORTER VOICE M:
Oh, so that’s what Dr. Huffstead was talking about, the fear of other peoples’ perceptions.
SOUND BITE (:17)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
It could be social anxiety. It could be general anxiety. What is the future going to look like for me? Am I going to get this dream job that I’ve been thinking about for some time. Am I going to get into this career that I was hoping for since I was younger? It could be a lot of different things.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Emily then spoke specifically about what triggered her anxiety.
SOUND BITE (:06)
Emily
Emory University Student
I did a lot of cognitive behavioral therapy when I was younger. Where I was exposed to a lot of the situations.
REPORTER VOICE A:
I’ve only heard of regular therapy. What is cognitive behavioral therapy?
REPORTER VOICE M:
I found a study on this topic in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (or NCBI) database. This study defines it as “the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems and changing unhelpful patterns in cognition behaviors and emotional regulation.”
REPORTER VOICE A:
Emily described some of the steps in the cognitive behavioral therapy process.
SOUND BITE (:19)
Emily
Emory University Student
There were certain situations, like speaking up in class, that would make me extremely anxious. So, I would practice with my therapist what I would do in that situation. And then, try to implement that into my life, slowly expose myself to those things. And with time, it would get better.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Do you have another example?
SOUND BITE (:12)
Emily
Emory University Student
So, I also had a fear of ordering at restaurants, like I just get really nervous. So, when I was younger, my mom would take me out to eat and have me order.
REPORTER VOICE M:
The thing is though, anxiety is not abnormal. It is actually the human body’s biological response to stimuli. Dr. Huffstead provided a real-life example of this phenomenon.
SOUND BITE (:26)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
A lot of times I talk about the biological piece of anxiety. I’ll give the example. If a tiger came into my office, what do you think you guys would do?
MK & AS: we would be pretty anxious.
Dr. Huffstead:
What do you think you would do though? Would you confront that tiger or would you try to flee?
MK & AS: I think that’s the question of fight or flight. Either it kicks in and we fight the tiger, or we find a way to run away.
REPORTER VOICE M:
Dr. Huffstead emphasized that anxiety is actually a normal human reaction. He described some of the physical manifestations of anxiety.
REPORTER VOICE A
He listed some of the physiological responses to anxiety. They are: heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and sweaty hands.
So, we looked into what actually causes these physical responses in the brain. We found another study on the topic, again in the NCBI.
REPORTER VOICE M:
The study was called, “the role of the amygdala (uh-mig-duh-luh) in the pathophysiology of panic disorders.” I didn’t know what the amygdala (uh-mig-duh-luh) was at first. So, for those of you, like me, who may not know, it is part of the brain. One of the amygdala’s (uh-mig-duh-luh’s) primary roles is processing emotional responses.
REPORTER VOICE A:
I definitely did not know that either, thanks for explaining.
According to the study, anxiety occurs because the brain is processing fear. The brain’s natural response is the fight-or-flight response, which Dr. Huffstead mentioned.
SOUND BITE (:10)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
That’s why a lot of times, clients feel they have heart palpitations or trouble breathing or their hands are sweaty. The thing we try to help clients with in session is be able to determine that there is no danger present.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Everybody experiences anxiety. It’s important to learn what works for you.
SOUND BITE (:14)
Dr. Romero Huffstead
Emory CAPS
When you have those skills of deep breathing or bringing the body back to a stable place, or when you have different healthy coping strategies, that’s what helps you be better able to manage.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Emily echoed the fact that there is no magical cure to end anxiety and it all about the management of the disorder.
SOUND BITE (:11)
Emily
Emory University Student
There is no cure. You can never get rid of anxiety, but there are ways to manage it and learn techniques so it doesn’t impact your life as much.
REPORTER VOICE M:
In addition to these anxiety management techniques, there is the option of seeking professional help.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Emily said that she preferred speaking with a psychologist from home. She feels a strong connection with her and has maintained a healthy relationship over time.
REPORTER VOICE M:
How often do you talk to that person from home?
SOUND BITE (:13)
Emily
Emory University Student
Well it’s gotten to the point when I only have to talk to her periodically. As opposed to, when I was in high school, I would go on a weekly basis.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Based on the interviews that we did, it seems like anxiety is a very individualistic based issue. It can be dealt with in a few different ways.
REPORTER VOICE M:
The recurring themes from these interviews were the importance of personal relationships. These relationships are made with professionals, in order to form a management plan. Just like we saw with Emily and how she felt the most comfortable with her psychologist from home.
REPORTER VOICE A:
We now have a better understanding of the onset, management practices and potential treatments for anxiety.
REPORTER VOICE M:
We hope that this podcast shed some light on this issue. Anxiety quietly affects a huge portion of the population, especially at universities.
REPORTER VOICE A:
Thanks so much for tuning in!
Sound Bite: Outro music (0:04)