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Bella: I'll just ask the first question then... What do you think the role of psychological health is in maintaining physical health? Do you want me to repeat it?

 

Beth: I can't think of an answer to that... what do I think?... say that again.

 

Bella: Yeah so what do you think the role of psychological health is in maintaining physical health? Do you think they're connected?

 

Beth: Yeah, you have to not eat sugar and stuff like that so that you can keep your marbles!

 

Bella: Agreed

 

Bella: Alright, and do you think there's anything you need to do for your psychological health to maintain your physical health? So kind of the other way around

 

Beth: Oh I think that you should do crossword puzzles and um … there's a lot of people here that are losing it.

 

Bella: So it's important to keep yourself engaged?

 

Beth: Yeah, and I have you know I record my story for the radio and um and seeing and talking to people... I'm a pretty sort of social person so I have a lot of friends. I like having young friends [Bella laughs] because... I do.

 

Bella: Gotta keep yourself busy! 

 

Beth: I do. I mean somebody here said to me 'What do you do between lunch and dinner?' and I-i my jaw dropped [Bella laughs] because it never occurred to me that lunch and dinner were entertainment things.. especially here... I hate the food! [Bella laughs] and I-i-i think it's... I don't know that there's anything you can actually do. One of the things that was so sad about my friend with ALS, she lost everything except her marbles.

 

Bella: Yeah, that is hard, to kind of have that switched because you're really aware of everything that's happening 

 

Beth: She was totally with it as far as her mind was concerned but nothing else.

 

Bella: That's very hard. Yeah. Alright... so next question...do you know what mental health is? and kind of what is mental health to you?

 

Beth: Well I have a lot of Alzheimers in my family and really it worries me but it's one of the things I'd like to avoid for my children's sake because I saw how very hard it was for my aunt and my cousin... that was very hard on their loved ones you know? [Bella affirms]

I don't think Alzheimers is so hard for the person who has it I think it's really hard for the people that love them

 

Bella: Yeah, I think that's the case for a lot of mental health issues as well so people who have Schizophrenia or things like that maybe it's not even as difficult for themselves to cope with but for others it may be very difficult.

 

Beth: and I just.. In fact, Clifford just said to me 'You've been worrying about Alzheimer's for 30 years mom, and I haven't seen any sign of it yet' and I said well good because I couldn't bare it for Steven and Clifford, nevermind Emilio and Nicco who would live with it. But you know my sons would have a really hard time.

 

Bella: Yeah, totally. Well, I think it's good you're doing so well so far and like and keeping yourself engaged because it seems like actually you have a very good memory.

 

Beth: I-i do actually. I mean, names, escape me but I think I do remember stories people tell me and I remind them of whatever

 

Bella: Yeah? [laughs] I'm like that too. Alright... so how important do you think having access to mental health care is? 

 

Beth: How does one answer how important something is? I mean...

 

Bella: So kind of like do you think that you would have- you would- in your personal opinion do you think it's really important to have access to mental health care? Someone who could... like a mental health professional like a therapist or a psychologist?

 

Beth: Well... I do. I have a friend here who is very depressed and erm I told you about my student who is a psychiatrist for 12 years in Santa Cruz and I sent my friend to her and I was so thrilled because she came out and said... I mean... I took her there... I drove her, I was still driving [laughs] I drove her there and I picked her up a couple of hours later and she said 'I feel like a whole load has been lifted off my shoulders' and I was so proud of my student that... well she wasn't my student... [Bella laughs] but I just was so impressed that

 

Bella: It was effective for them?

 

Beth: Yes. I don't think that's always the case but it was so, she did something wonderful for my friend and it was great. I was very impressed that she could do that for her.

 

Bella: Do you think that you personally have adequate access to mental health care? 

 

Beth: Well... I haven't actually... Yes I would think

 

Bella: You think so?

 

Beth: Probably 

 

Bella: [laughs] Okay. Um what conditions or situations do you think mental health care is necessary for? 

 

Beth: Well pretty much anything that bothers you, you know, depression or when you're really losing it, and I don't know that there's much you can do about that when somebody is really doesn't 

 

Bella: You'd be surprised! [laughs]

 

Beth: I don't know... I don't know.

 

Bella: Yeah, so there's a few follow-up questions with some scenarios and this one says, would you recommend seeking care if you or someone else you knew was experiencing stress or a change in lifestyle?

 

Beth: I think strokes... uh have an effect on your brain too. 

 

Bella: Yeah, I think that's true! But let's just say that - do you think it would be necessary to seek mental health care if you were just kinda stressed or had a change in your lifestyle?

 

Beth: Yeah, I would

 

Bella: You think it would be beneficial?

 

Beth: Yes

 

Bella: Okay, would you recommend seeking care if you or someone you knew was experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or experiencing visual hallucinations or hearing voices that weren't there?

 

Beth: Definitely!

 

Bella: Yeah [laughs] that ones a little more extreme but you'd hope that you'd be uh willing to kind of seek help with that. And do you think that you'd be able to recognize a mental health or emotional problem in a friend or relative?

 

Beth: Well, yes, but I don't think one can always do something about it if it's a friend or relative, you know

 

Bella: That's true.

 

Beth: It was good that my friend that I could say you should see this wonderful woman who is a student who I think is very good, only because I loved [students name], not because I had experienced anything but- my friend went to see her and it was great so I am inclined to encourage people. And I think if I get depressed myself I think it, i'm trying to...

 

Bella: That kind of leads into the next question if you have ever seen a mental health professional, why or why not? and then there's another one under that's very similar that says would you ever consider seeing a mental health professional, why or why not? 

 

Beth: Yes... yes. I would definitely consider it.

 

Bella: But you haven't before?

 

Beth: Oh... well... when I was getting divorced we saw a psychiatrist, my husband and I, and erm this psychiatrist said to me 'So why did you marry Aubrey?' and I said 'oh because he was so brilliant and I-he knew so much about music and he told me all this stuff and he always knew everything and I thought he was sweet' and [the therapist said] 'Aubrey why did you fall in love with- why did you marry Beth?' and he said 'I dunno'.

 

Bella: Awe that's a lame response 

 

Beth: It was. I thought, this is so weird. 

 

Bella: Yeah I know that can be weird, having a couples therapy, which is very common especially in [divorces]. When I was young my parents got separated and I had to see a therapist as a child... and yeah I understand It can be kind of awkward. 

 

Beth: Well because... Steven and Clifford

 

Bella: Oh, as well they had to go?

 

Beth: Oh I had to take Clifford, god, now that you're asking me. He, Aubrey, went away to Isreal for a year, and it was sort of just me and the boys. He was little, he was like 6, and he thought people were trying to kill him or poison his food or something.

 

Bella: Oh jeez

 

Beth: And I guess you could sort of see the psychological thing about it I guess he was always pretty attached to me... and I guess his dad... so you know the whole Oedipus thing, only if daddy would go away so I would have mommy all to myself. And then he goes away... I mean this was my personal, interpretation, he was 6 he wasn't thinking like that. But he thought people were trying to… 

 

Bella: You'd be surprised things can manifest in ways that wouldn't really expect.

 

Beth: Yeah

 

Bella: It's interesting that's- I'm in a Medical Anthropology class and that's kind of what we talk about a lot about how there are medical phenomenon that are caused by things that are not necessarily biological, so like cultural things and like um people who were oppressed by the government would have um medical symptoms like arise from that that weren't caused by tissue being damaged but the psychological stress of having that occur, so yeah you would really be surprised how things can manifest themselves and that's why a lot of people when they get stressed get like stomach aches and things like that.

 

Beth: Well it's interesting, when I was a teenager I weighed 200 pounds.

 

Bella: Wow

 

Beth: And I never felt full. I never could eat enough. I could sit there and eat 5 apples in a row.

 

Bella: I've heard of some people who have, there's- yeah, certain health things that can cause that to happen

 

Beth: Well I think it was that what I was hungry for wasn't food really. You know I wanted love and support, which I didn't really get. And it was interesting that that that I can remember [I'd eat a] big steak dinner and I'm in the [unintelligible] getting bread and butter

 

Bella: So you could kind of see that as the role of psychological health in physical health in that you felt maybe you weren't getting what you wanted?

 

Beth: I wasn't getting something I wanted and I thought it was food and it wasn't, you know

 

Bella: That's really interesting

 

Beth: Yeah, it was interesting and I thought you know I don't have anything to say about mental health... OH yes I do [laughs]

 

Bella: Yeah! You'd be surprised everyone is impacted by it and that's why I was kind of interested in how age could be a factor because I know that there's the the the thought that maybe people who are older don't understand mental health as well but I don't know if that's necessarily the case and I think

 

Beth: Some people

 

Bella: Some people, but I think in Santa Cruz especially that um people a lot of people are really aware.

 

Beth: Of course I didn't grow up in Santa Cruz I grew up in London!

 

Bella: I guess that's true! [laughs]

 

Beth: But when Steven was born I remember I read child psychology for years I mean I was zoomed into Gizelle and Spock in one hand and Steven in the other hand I was very very keen on looking at the psychological aspects of it

 

Bella: But never of the of uh older people?

 

Beth: Well, no mostly I was concerned about my boys

 

Bella: [laughs] Understandable. So... next question who do you think needs mental health care? and do you think that some people need it more than others?

 

Beth: Well, sure. I think of course some people need it more than others [Bella laughs]

 

Bella: Well, maybe, what kind of people do you think would need mental health care more than others, like specifically? So I guess that kind of goes along with the conditions you think seeking mental health care are necessary for so maybe you touched on that with people who maybe are feeling depressed or like you were saying, like losing their marbles or not being all there. So those are the kind of people you think would benefit from seeking mental health care?

 

Beth: Well, actually I think, people in the old age homes there's this woman who just moved here and she said she hates it here, which I don't blame her. She asked me what I do between lunch and dinner and I sort of jaw dropped. [Bella laughs] I-i-i couldn't think what to say to her. You know there's books and there's people to talk to, and the computer and email [laughs]

 

Bella: Yeah [laughs] there's lots of stuff you can keep yourself busy with but I know that's a hard thing to adapt for some people and mental health care can be really helpful for like adapting to new situations.

 

Beth: I think mental health advice can be very useful and and just reading about it you know can be really helpful.

 

Bella: Yeah, totally! I definitely agree. Like reading all the, I think having anxiety myself like reading stuff about anxiety and understanding why it happens has like made it like a lot easier because you can actually kind of get to addressing root causes of problems when you understand them better.

 

Beth: Right!

 

Bella: Yeah I think that's something that's really interesting and so that kind of goes into the next thing why do you think that mental illness or issues with mental health occur? So, for instance, a chemical imbalance in the brain, perspectives on life, experiences with others, etc. 

 

Beth: Well of course if it's a um a medical blood imbalance or whatever something going on in your head then that can then there's not much reading you could do about that other than going and getting fixed if it's fixable 

 

Bella: Yeah, but maybe do you think a chemical imbalance would be the cause of most mental illnesses? Or what do you think generally mental illness is caused by?

 

Beth: I don't think there's one cause.

 

Bella: It's complicated huh?

 

Beth: I think so, I mean really different like somebody having a stroke. Somebody I know here had a stroke and he really doesn't know, doesn't remember anything. I said don't call my landline because I don't always look at that phone it'd be much better to call me on my cell phone [Bella laughs] and he's still leaving messages on my phone. And I mean that's not a real mental illness, just irritating to me. 

 

Bella: [laughs] could be a symptom of something larger but yeah I can understand that would be annoying [laughs] yeah its definitely complicated I know that can be a hard question because a lot of people, especially those who don't always understand mental health or mental illness, will kind of just be like 'it's just your choice' like how you choose to feel, choose to be happy or choose to be sad

 

Beth: Oh, bullshit!

 

Bella: And that's kind of why, yeah I know, a lot of peoples parents feel that way and they'll people will tell their parents I know people who have told their parents that they've struggled with depression or things like that and have been told you know

 

Beth: Snap out of it

 

Bella: Just don't be, yeah snap out of it, just don't be sad, you have so much to be happy for but that isn't always how simple it is it's a lot of things that kind of culminate into... okay one more question I can ask that and then I'll stop recording

 

Beth: Alright

 

Bella: Do you think that age and mental health care are related in any way? Has your attitude about mental health care changed with age? or mental health in general?

 

Beth: No

 

Bella: You don't think there's any, for you at least?

 

Beth: I have always been interested in mental health so I just it hasn't changed I'm still interested.

 

Bella: Well that's good you know, it's an important thing.

 

Beth: I think when I had children, I mean when my children were little and I could do something about it, erm I was very concerned with doing the right things and like Steven was kind of shy and I remember being with him at the theater and he's hiding behind me and someone said 'oh, is he shy?' and I said 'no! he just doesn't always like talking to people'

 

Bella: Don't label him! [laughs]

 

Beth: Don't label my child! Exactly

 

Bella: He should label himself

 

Beth: Exactly

 

Bella: Well that's really good that you were aware because I’m sure that really helped your kids development

 

Beth: I just think that loving them a lot is the best thing you can do

 

Bella: Agreed 

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