Dr. Ezra Smith studies concussions and the “common cold” of mental illness depression at Colombia University’s Psychophysiology Laboratory led by Dr. Jürgen Kayser. In this episode, we talk about what led Dr. Smith into academia and researching concussions and the normalcy for humans to deal with mental health issues.

• 6% of the population at any given time suffers from depression
• 15% of the population has a chance of dealing with major depression the course of their lifetimes
• 50% of the population has a chance of having a psychological disorder over the course of their lifetime (anxiety disorders, drug abuse, depression, psychosis, cognitive disorders, developmental disorders, personality disorders)

Ezra’s specialty is the practice and science of clinical neuropsychology: he works one-on-one with patients living with depression, anxiety, psychosis, and neurodegenerative disorders, and he also studies the pathophysiology of these disorders with an eye towards identifying preclinical biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. About Dr. Z