Appearances
Books
Other Publications
Press
Bios
Youth Depression and Bipolar Disorder:
The Ethics of Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing
Vanderbilt University Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society
In 2019, The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma had been much in the news for spawning the opioid epidemic through their “false advertising” of the safety and low addiction potential of Oxycontin. Is it possible that pharmaceutical companies were likewise contributing to the epidemic of youth depression and suicide by falsely advertising antidepressants and other medications as “magic bullets” that treat Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder? Is it possible that after several cycles of medication trials under the narrow genes-and-medications model drug companies financially sponsor––an excellent research tool but a woefully incomplete model for clinical treatment––that hopelessness can set in for the teen or young adult, contributing to suicide risk and suicide?
Dr. Merritt’s faculty research seminar at the Vanderbilt Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society explored these questions and themes about drug companies and models of illness and treatment in psychiatry, inviting discussion and vigorous feedback from those in attendance.
Finding Pathways to Mental Health Support in the Bay Area
KCBS Radio 106.9 FM
Just ahead of National Suicide Prevention Week, Dr. Merritt appeared as a co-host with KCBS radio reporter and producer Keith Menconi in an effort to to raise awareness about mental health stigma and the hope of recovery from mental illness. He discussed his book Suicide Risk in the Bay Area: A Guide for Families, Physicians, Therapists & Other Professionals against the backdrop of five Bay Area stories of neighbors helping neighbors to overcome mental health challenges.
In the one-hour program listeners heard from Peninsula teenagers taking on tragedy in their own communities; enterprising therapists bringing mental health care to the homeless; and a beauty queen who won her crown on a platform of mental health awareness. Along the way Dr. Merritt provided practical advice for how to start difficult conversations about mental illness and how to navigate the Bay Area’s fragmented mental health care system.
Click the button below to listen to the full show on omny.fm.
Healing Through Understanding: A Unified Theory of Depression
The Ranch Treatment Center
In this roundtable discussion Dr. Merritt presented his “Unified Theory of Depression” (Depression = Grief + Interference) and its relationship to suicide risk and addiction with forty clinicians and staff members at the Recovery Ranch outside Nashville, Tennessee. The central message and impact of the talk was best described the next day in an email to him from Bethany Roden, LMSW, therapist at the Ranch.
“I think your theory on depression is excellent and makes sense,” Bethany wrote. “We are all grieving something and the interference comes from the things blocking the grieving process, if I understood your theory correctly.”
“I did a group with the women’s Eating Disorder House after your talk. I spoke to the women about your theory of depression and they were able to identify their interference which was holding them back from moving forward in the grieving process for their lost childhood. For one, it was the fear that she would never stop crying so she deflects it with humor. For the other, it was the fear of the shame from her parents if they knew about her sexual abuse. Thank you again so much!”
The Complexities of Suicide Risk
About Health, KPFA 94.1 FM
Dr. Merritt appeared on About Health, a radio show from KPFA 94.1 FM in Berkeley, CA, with Dr. Esme Shaller and host Rona Renner, RN. The topic of conversation was the “Complexities of Suicide Risk.” Dr. Merritt discussed his mother’s suicide when he was six years old, together with the impact her death had on his personal life and professional life. Further, he explained how healthy grief proceeds therapeutically to become free of trauma and shame to restore health.
Dr. Merritt’s overall message was one of extraordinary hope: Depression is a treatable illness. A person with depression is not at fault for his or her illness–not at all. He or she has no reason to feel shame. With persistence and the right care, no matter the degree of biological underpinnings, depression can be transformed into healthy grief free of trauma, shame, guilt, and fear in all cases.
Click the button below to listen to the full show on KPFA.org.
Keynote Address ”College Depression: Finding Hope, Health, and Happiness”
University of California, Berkeley
In April 2018 Dr. Merritt gave the keynote address at the UC Berkeley Mental Health Conference. In the talk, entitled “College Depression: Finding Hope, Health, and Happiness,” he presented the most accurate model available in research science for understanding clinical depression: the three-dimensional bio-psycho-social model. He advocated for comprehensive treatment, emphasizing the importance of supplementing medications with psychotherapy provided by an experienced therapist with expertise in depression. He differentiated loss/sadness/grief from depression and highlighted the destructive role of the “Inner Critic” in repressing normal sadness and grief and in damaging self-worth. He argued that one pathway to freedom from depression is first to gain freedom from the Inner Critic. He shared his own personal story of college depression as well as the steps he took to find hope, health, and happiness. Learn more about the UC Berkeley Mental Health Conference here.
Telemedicine and Ethics: How to Help Technology be Good
In April 2018, while a visiting scholar at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Merritt participated in a Grand Rounds panel entitled “Telemedicine and Ethics: How to Help Technology Be Good.” Based on his own professional journey in the study and provision of telemedicine, he presented on three keys to effective telemedicine: 1) decision-making centered on the ethical principle of “Patient Best Interest” 2) informed consent and 3) preparedness, most notably in mental health care suicide risk preparedness. He ended with the wisdom of technologist Alexander Graham Bell, who once said, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” Learn more on Vanderbilt’s website here.
Visiting Scholar at Vanderbilt University
In January 2018, Dr. Merritt began a Visiting Scholar position at Vanderbilt University with a primary focus on telemedicine and “The Future of Mental Health Care.” Dr. Merritt’s professional objective is to join like-minded others in a strenuous effort to shape the technological future of mental health care towards effective, compassionate, ethical care for all. Connect with him on LinkedIn in order to read more and join the conversation.
In a New York Times Letter, Dr. Merritt Highlights Care Navigation as Core Solution to the Opioid Crisis
The New York Times recently published a full-page editorial entitled, “America’s 8-Step Program for Opioid Addiction.” Dr. Merritt responded. The Sunday Times released his letter one week later:
Eight critical steps were outlined, but the most vital step of all was hardly mentioned: access, care education and care coordination.
What patients and family members need most is ready access to a caring, knowledgeable human being, rather than the internet, for assistance in understanding and navigating the confusing maze of treatment options and exclusions.
As a doctor whose care navigator regularly helps patients with opioid addiction to get connected to the best care possible, I can say without reservation that the single most urgent step we must take to stem this crisis is to provide vigorous, dedicated care navigators and care coordinators to every suffering patient and family member lost in the maze.
Not Alone Film Premiere & Community Discussion
Saturday, October 14, 2017 11am
Mill Valley Film Festival, Mill Valley, CA
Dr. Merritt will take part in a panel and community discussion following the premiere of Not Alone, a film film that sheds light on and offers solutions to the epidemic of teen suicide. Following the screening, Dr. Merritt will join a panel of representatives from the Mill Valley Wellness Center, the Suicide Prevention Project Marin, and the Greenlight Clinic, a free mental health clinic for teens. The panel will field questions from the audience while sharing information on suicide prevention resources available to teens.
To ensure that resources are readily available, Dr. Merritt will offer complimentary copies of his book Suicide Risk in the Bay Area: A Guide for Families, Physicians, Therapists, and Other Professionals to all in attendance. Those who cannot attend the screening can download a free PDF of the book on merrittmentalhealth.com in the coming weeks.
Addiction Care Navigation in the Bay Area:
A Guide to Programs and Professionals
Dr. Merritt has released a resource guide that collects over 50 programs and health professionals who specialize in addiction treatment. This book continues Dr. Merritt’s work in helping readers to navigate the fragmented mental health system, pulling together wisdom and references generated during Merritt Mental Health’s March workshop, Addiction Care Navigation in the Bay Area: A Workshop for Health Professionals. Dr. Merritt would like to thank the panelists of the workshop for their wisdom and generosity: Howard Kornfeld, M.D., Rosemary O’Connor, C.P.C., David E. Smith, M.D., and Kristina Wandzilak, C.A.S.
Click below to download the free PDF guide or purchase a paperback on Amazon
Addiction Care Navigation in the Bay Area:
A Workshop for Health Professionals
Merritt Mental Health was proud to host a comprehensive care navigation workshop, the first of its kind, to answer vital questions about addiction treatment in the Bay Area. On the beautiful grounds of Green Gulch Zen Farm, Dr. Eli Merritt and other experts in addiction treatment and care navigation shared strategies for navigating our fragmented healthcare system. The workshop was followed by lunch, good company, and networking round robin to strengthen our collaborations. Experts taking part in the workshop included Howard Kornfeld, M.D., Rosemary O’Connor, C.P.C., David E. Smith, M.D., and Kristina Wandzilak, C.A.S.
Learn more about this workshop on our events page as well as the workshop registration page.
Dr. Merritt Appearance on Michael Krasny’s Forum
KQED/National Public Radio
Michael Krasny’s Forum hosted Dr. Merritt as part of a group discussion on suicide, suicide risk, and coping with grief. Along with Dr. Merritt, Krasny interviewed John Brooks, author of “The Girl Behind the Door: A Father’s Quest to Understand His Daughter’s Suicide,” and Joyce Brady, a mother who lost her 52 year-old son to suicide. Each guest discussed their own experience with the loss of a loved one to suicide. Dr. Merritt went further to discuss suicide prevention and ways that talking about it and examining one’s stigmas toward suicide can help family members begin to help their loved ones. You can listen to the program online here.
“Psychotherapy and Suicide Risk: Understanding the Suicide Complex”
San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group
San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group hosted Dr. Merritt for a lecture. Drawing from his many previous lectures, Dr. Merritt stressed the importance of “Talk About It,” his central message with regards to therapists and family assisting those at risk of suicide. He walked the audience through a number of case studies and approaches to communication and offered these results as core benefits from “The Wisdom of Talking”: Disentanglement of emotions; diminishment of shame; diminishment of fear; outside perspectives; catharsis; acceptance; and human connection.
“Youth Depression & Suicide Risk: Talk About It”
Fusion Academy
Fusion Academy, a private school in San Francisco, hosted Dr. Merritt for a lecture that addresses youth depression, suicide risk, and communication. In his lecture, Dr. Merritt quotes Brady Reedy: “I realized that my job was not to make people happy but to help people feel sad.” This idea is present throughout Dr. Merritt’s presentation, as he explores a number of issues that get in the way of an adolescent’s path to wellness, whether it be pill culture or societal pressures to succeed. As with his many lectures, Dr. Merritt reminded the audience that health is the highest form of success.
“School Counseling and Suicide Risk:
Understanding the Suicide Complex”
RAMS Wellness Center
Richmond Area Multi-Services (RAMS) Wellness Center hosted Dr. Merritt for a presentation and group discussion. Acknowledging a number of difficulties faced by RAMS’ and the San Francisco Unified School District’s Wellness Centers, Dr. Merritt developed a presentation that offers approaches to talking with students and family members as well approaches to interfacing and communicating with hospitals, crisis stabilization units and other resources in San Francisco. Dr. Merritt and the group walked through a case study of a 16-year-old male, exploring assessment, management, treatment, and ongoing assessment. Toward the end of the presentation, Dr. Merritt offered many resources and collaboration opportunities.
“Talk About It: How Heartfelt Communication About Anxiety & Depression Heals”
Children’s Health Council
Children’s Health Council of Palo Alto hosted Dr. Merritt for a lecture and Q&A, gathering an audience of 100 parents to listen and talk about communication’s ability to heal. In his talk, Dr. Merritt walked the audience through basic steps to healing—as well as our societal roadblocks. He discussed the combination of nature and nurture that affects our children in their development as well as the intersections of pill culture and a proposal to expand society’s ideas of “success.” Dr. Merritt offers a solution—Talk About It—elaborating, “Listening [to a child] diminishes shame, guilt, fear. Listening leads to catharsis, connection.”
Dr. Merritt at (Dis)ability Awareness Week
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley’s Mental Health Coalition hosted Dr. Merritt for the second time this school year. This time Dr. Merritt presented on a panel for (Dis)ability Awareness Week. Dr. Merritt spoke to the college students about mental health, stress, achievement, and models of the mind. He presented on various definitions of “success.” One which causes stress and unhappiness is “Success = Achievement.” The correct formula is “Success = Health.” In opening he remarks, he read a passage from Victor Frankl’s well-regarded treatise “Man’s Search for Meaning”: “Don’t aim at success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater than oneself.”
Suicide Risk Assessment & Management
North Bay Recovery Center
North Bay Recovery Center hosted Dr. Merritt for a Skype training. Beginning with a case study from his psychiatric practice, the event moves from the goals of initial encounters with a patient to methods of talking about suicide risk with at-risk patients to methods of understanding one’s own suicide complex as a clinician. Dr. Merritt reminded attendees of a moment from Les Miserables: “Gillenormand’s unhappiness was rendered more acute by the fact that he contained it wholly within himself, never allowing it any outward expression.” Dr. Merritt closed his talk with a number of approaches to assess, manage, and treat at-risk patients.
Pieces of Peace with Author Dr. Eli Merritt
West Marin Community Radio
Susan Santiago’s Pieces of Peace featured an hour-long interview with Dr. Merritt. Over the course of the interview, Dr. Merritt discusses the motivations behind Suicide Risk in the Bay Area: A Guide for Families, Physicians, Therapists, and Other Professionals as well as a number of topics related to suicide prevention, suicide stigma, today’s mental health landscape, and approaches to talking about it.
After the interview Ms. Santiago wrote to Dr. Merritt: “It was an honor to have you on my program. You were an excellent interviewee. Your sincerity, intelligence and, most important, your heart came through quite clearly. My favorite, and I believe most effective, interviews are with individuals, such as yourself, who have a genuine and deep passion for what they are doing in order to make a difference in this world. This, Dr. Merritt, is as good as it gets. Thank you.” Listen to the interview below:
“Youth Suicide Risk: Let’s Talk About It”
San Francisco Medicine: A Journal of the San Francisco Medical Society
San Francisco Medical Society published a new article by Dr. Merritt on the issue of youth suicide risk and what parents can do to help their children. In the article, Dr. Merritt recounts the story of a father calling for help with his daughter who was at risk of suicide. Dr. Merritt offers the father a simple, step-by-step mindfulness activity that results in the the act of both parents talking about suicide risk with the daughter. After talking with his daughter, the father describes a powerful, healing moment for the family, adding, “It was wonderful for all of us.” You can read the full article here.
The Suicide Complex: Impact on Clinical Care
UCSF Case Conference
The UCSF Case Conference hosted Dr. Merritt for a presentation entitled “The Suicide Complex: Impact on Clinical Care.” In the presentation, Dr. Merritt discussed how age-old stigmas surrounding suicide can affect clinicians and their work. Exploring a number of case studies, he walked the audience through a number of offers approaches to talking about suicide risk with patients and their family members. Imagining alternatives to contemporary approaches to suicide risk, Dr. Merritt offers a quote from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, “It is ideas, not locomotives, that move the world.”
Book Donation to Bay Area Public Libraries
Dr. Merritt has donated his book Suicide Risk in the Bay Area: A Guide for Families, Physicians, Therapists, and Other Professionals to all Bay Area public libraries. He focused primarily on public libraries with the intention of offering more accessibility to the book. On top of the donated copy sent by Dr. Merritt, San Francisco Public Library has acquired seven copies of the book for different branches around the city. Check with your nearest library for availability.
Three Keys to Success in College: Health, Health, Health
UC Berkeley Open Forum Public Lecture
UC Berkeley hosted Dr. Merritt for an end-of-the-semester talk on healthy studying and healthy living. Dr. Merritt’s talk was part of a week-long conference on student health and stress-management. In his talk, Dr. Merritt debunks society’s definitions of success, encouraging a shift in the hearts and minds of students from “achievement” as success to “health” as success. He highlights what health means and the steps to take to achieve and maintain it. You can hear more about the conference here on The Daily Californian. .
Suicide Risk in the Bay Area: A Guide for Families, Physicians, Therapists, and Other Professionals
Public Lecture & Reading
Before an audience of over 80 colleagues, family, and friends, Dr. Merritt launched his new book Suicide Risk in the Bay Area: A Guide for Families, Physicians, Therapists, and Other Professionals at The Mechanics Institute Library. Dr. Merritt’s talk wove together historical treads of suicide stigma, which date back as far as Dante’s Divine Comedy and even earlier, and connects them with the concerns of today’s mental health landscape. As with this book, the main message of the event was: Talk About It. Talk about suicide risk with family members, patients, and colleagues. Dr. Merritt’s book can be found on Amazon, where you can “Look Inside,” and can be purchased directly from Merritt Mental Health here.
”Bay Area Psychiatrist Pens Comprehensive Guide to Suicide Risk. New Book Comes With A Call to Action: ‘Talk About It’”
Palo Alto Weekly Book Review
Elena Kadvany wrote a comprehensive article on Dr. Merritt’s new book, Suicide Risk in the Bay Area: A Guide for Physicians, Families, Therapists, and Other Professionals, which you can read here in the Palo Alto Weekly. An long-time writer of articles concerning the suicide surges in the Palo Alto community, Kadvany writes, “The book offers at least a beginning road map for others to navigate [the mental health] system” as well as “a call to action” for parents and therapists to talk openly about suicide risk with their loved ones and patients. Suicide Risk in the Bay Area can be found on Amazon, where you can “Look Inside,” and can be purchased directly from Merritt Mental Health here.
Dr. Eli Merritt Releases a New Book,
Suicide Risk in the Bay Area: A Guide for Families, Physicians, Therapists, and Other Professionals
Dr. Merritt has just released a book entitled Suicide Risk in the Bay Area: A Guide for Families, Physicians, Therapists, and Other Professionals. Two books in one, Suicide Risk in the Bay Area combines a suicide prevention resource directory, containing over 300 local resources, with a step-by-step guide on how to assess, manage, and talk about suicide risk. The book can be found on Amazon, where you can “Look Inside,” and can be purchased directly from Merritt Mental Health here.See below for praise from leaders in the field:
“This book deserves to be on the desks of every mental health professional who lives and works in the Bay Area.” —Renée Binder, M.D., President, American Psychiatric Association
“A valuable and innovative tool for doctors, therapists, and parents, Suicide Risk in the Bay Area deserves to be recognized and replicated nationwide.” —Alan F. Schatzberg, M.D., Stanford, Past President, American Psychiatric Association
“Two books in one, Suicide Risk is an excellent primer on suicide risk assessment and management and a wealth of resources at your fingertips to readily guide you.” —Eve R. Meyer, Executive Director, San Francisco Suicide Prevention
“Suicide Risk in the Bay Area is critical reading for professionals, teachers, and parents. It’s possible to prevent suicide, and this book is an invaluable guide.” —David Sheff, author of Beautiful Boy and Clean
Suicide Risk in San Francisco: Assessment, Management, & Resources
New Perspectives Center for Counseling
New Perspectives Center for Counseling hosted Dr. Merritt for a lecture and round table discussion. Drawing together a number of case studies from his psychiatric practice, Dr. Merritt walked the group through a number of scenarios concerning suicide risk. Counselors-in-training shared their experiences and brainstormed best approaches to treating patients with suicide risk. Additionally, Dr. Merritt offered a number of resources that counselors can access to assist at-risk patients.
Eli Merritt, MD: SFMS September 2015
Member of the Month
San Francisco Medical Society
The San Francisco Medical Society featured Dr. Merritt in September of 2015 as Member of the Month. The society accentuated his commitment to “care & relationship” as the twin foundation stones of medicine and psychiatry. The society asked him what special talents he has, to which Dr. Merritt replied, “I would say that there are two talents I am always striving to develop and improve: 1) being a good father and 2) expanding my capacity for empathy, compassionate listening, and remaining calm when the storm strikes.” You can read the full interview here.
Suicide Risk in San Francisco:
Assessment, Management, & Resources
Northern California Psychiatric Society
Northern California Psychiatric Society hosted Dr. Merritt for a lecture, which kicks off the public component his Suicide Risk Project. After much research, clinical practice, and conversation with leaders in the field, Dr. Merritt has identified two factors that keep many of us from addressing suicide risk: suicide stigma and fear of communication. In this lecture, he presents the message that will become the focus of his forthcoming book on suicide prevention, Talk About It, and offers anecdotes and suggestions for physicians, therapists, and families to talk about suicide with those in need. By talking about it, suicide is removed from the shadows and, like any other illness, may be treated.
Eli Merritt, M.D.
Eli Merritt, M.D. completed undergraduate studies in American History at Yale, graduate studies in Ethics at Yale, a medical degree at Case Western Reserve, an internship in internal medicine at the Lahey Clinic, and psychiatric residency at Stanford. Upon graduation from Stanford, he opened private practices in San Francisco and Palo Alto, California, and received appointment to the Clinical Faculty at Stanford, where he taught resident doctors the twin disciplines of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology for five years. Following this position, he served for eight years as the president of the San Francisco Psychiatric Society before founding Merritt Mental Health.