“Freud was wrong. Penis envy is not the cause of anybody’s problem. It’s the brain. The thing you really want bigger, better, healthier, is your brain.” -Dr. Daniel Amen

Fast food, caffeine, alcohol, the news–these modern health disasters leave a physical imprint on our brains, that you can actually SEE on a brain scan.

Today’s guest, Dr. Daniel Amen, says mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and ADD are actually brain health issues, and knowing this makes them easier to treat, especially in our kids. For example, he gives these startling statistics:

54% of teenage girls report being persistently sad.
34% have thought of suicide.
24% have planned to kill themselves and 13% have tried.

“This is unlike anything we have experienced in my lifetime, maybe ever,” he says. “It’s a shit show. And nobody’s talking about the actual physical health of their brain.”

Dr. Amen is a physician, and adult and child psychiatrist. He’s a 12-time New York Times bestselling author of numerous books, including Change Your Brain, Change Your Life; The End of Mental Illness; and Healing ADD.

He co-authored his newest title, Raising Mentally Strong Kids, with renowned child psychologist Charles Fay, Ph.D., president of the Love and Logic Institute, Inc.

Dr. Amen turned to psychiatry for help after his wife tried ending her life. He fell in love with the profession. But he realised it was the only medical speciality that doesn’t treat the organ itself. He set out on a mission to change that.

Since founding Amen Clinics, he’s scanned over 250,000 brains and created the world’s largest database of brain scans for psychiatry.

In this episode, Dr. Amen explains how the modern world is damaging the very structure of our brains, and reveals how we can start properly caring for this hidden organ. He explores the cognitive decline caused by fast food, alcohol, coffee, and obesity. And he shares the shocking truth of child mental illness, while teaching us all how to raise and parent mentally resilient kids.

Highlights

(3:23) What brought Dr Amen to the field

(6:58) Lessons from 250,000 brain scans

(11:51) Understanding the organ itself

(15:26) How alcohol impacts the brain

(19:21) Top things harming our brains

(22:39) New study on ultra-processed food

(26:41) Tips on being mentally strong

(33:04) Raising Mentally Strong Kids

(39:18) Truth about kids’ mental health

(42:22) Secret to successful parenting

(44:00) The penguin story

(51:55) Is your parenting style breeding strength or weakness?

(59:03) #1 thing for brain health

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