In Conversation With Devangana Mishra

1. Tell us a little about yourself. What inspired you to start BrainBristle, and how is the company working to improve mental health?

Ever since I was very little, I was given the freedom to do anything, be anywhere, befriend anyone I wished to. That inspired a spark of learning in me, I wanted to learn everything I could, but then what does one do with all this learning, so I began to teach kids my mother helped with homework, once she was done teaching them. I learned from them and taught them, I lived my best life growing up because of the friends I made, I didn't know who was who, who was neurodiverse, who was different, it all felt the same- asymmetrically alive and complete, just as is. That's it, just this belief, that BrainBristle, would teach kids on the spectrum, everything I learn and am still to learn, to give them a thousand shots at life, or maybe more. Mental health fits into this quotient because a rigorous education and temperance builds mental health- that's my hope with BrainBristle's work in the realm of mental health. 

2. Why is autism still a subject we don’t fully understand? At what point do we give up on intervention for those on the spectrum of autism?

Autism is a neuro-development disorder. According to DSM 5, it's an impairment in social communication and social interactions, repetition or restrictive behaviours, severity of symptoms may increase/ decrease with societal demands and environmental expectations. 

I believe excellent intervention until age 18 is necessary- after that, enough trust and a solid support system for the child to find his/ her way with the ammo he/she has collected is what and how intervention can work. 

3. Mental health and autism and how tangled they are.

They are extremely tangled, and not much spoken of. Just how politics and mental health and their deep rooted enmeshment is little spoken of. To raise a child on the spectrum of autism means dealing with constant bouts of terrible/ unpredictable mental health, but to move past it with education, surety and solid ground is the only way forward. 

4. How can technology be used to improve mental health treatment and support?

I believe, in the realm of mental health, technology's role is to inject a dose of endorphins, or information, or energy into our system- I almost see it as a reward to the body after a rigorous workout- to be used with care, and cautious consumption- not too little that one craves it all the time, but not too much, for it to send our nervous systems in a tizzy. Just the right amount of feel good endorphins that technology can provide - is what keeps it doing its job. 

5. Workplace stress is a significant contributor to poor mental health. What can employers do to promote mental wellness in the workplace?

I honestly feel one should hire people for the job, and then treat them as responsible adults, asking for what they need in the workplace, to be at their optimal best. Some perks from time to time are ways to show appreciation, but employee mental health is a strong balance of the right employees and employer ethics. 

6. What are some common misconceptions about mental health, and how can we work to break the stigma around it?

Normalizing is necessary. Normalizing anxiety, normalizing silence, normalizing distrust, normalizing depression, normalizing differences, normalizing vulnerability, normalizing nuances someone may notice that others may not - normalizing brings calm to this hyper space of mental health. The more we normalize the more we can engage in conversations- there is no shortcut to that. 

7. With the rise of social media, what impact do you think it has on mental health, and what can people do to mitigate the negative effects?

I don't think there's any way to mitigate the negative effects, technology is inhuman/ it's a machine- it's the job of humans to do the work that needs doing.  Anyone who actively uses social media knows how easy it is to get trapped in a constant 'me' cycle- to emerge from that can be very difficult or addictive enough to not get out or even a thought of why should I get out of it if it's not harming me or anyone else. 

8. What advice do you have for individuals who may be struggling with their mental health but are hesitant to seek help?

If that individual is over the age of 18, I always lean on trust- trusting the individual constantly and enough to figure their way through it, it could be therapy, it could be love it could be a pet, it could be isolation, it could be charity, it could be a makeover- whatever it means for them to feel better is the way- trusting them, and letting them know they're trusted to figure their way through because they're so loved is important I think. Humans need humans- humans need humans- humans need humans- that's the bottom line, technology can just an addition to that bond and friendship.