每日口說挑戰你是否變得越來越憂鬱？ 不要害怕尋求幫助！(Are You Getting More Depressed?)

[Transcript]

Intro：

Hi guys, and thanks for joining me. Today’s Pronunciation Challenge sentence comes from a video which talks about some difficult topics, including depression and suicide. If those topics upset you, it’s okay to skip today’s episode. However, I’d just like to mention quickly that according to the WHO (World Health Organization); cancer, depression and AIDS are the top three healththreatening diseases in the world. Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare says that approximately more than 2,000,000 people have depression in Taiwan. This number is pretty high but sadly many people are not getting any treatment. Perhaps they don’t want to admit it or talk about it with anyone. There’s also probably not enough education done on this topic for people to realize that it is okay to seek help.

There’s a book called “The Problem of Pain” by a renowned author named C.S. Lewis. In it, he said “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say, 'My tooth is aching' than to say, 'My heart is broken.'”

Let’s talk about ways to prevent depression after we go over our pronunciation challenge and vocabulary words. OK, so here’s our sentence.

Sentence：

And countries that invest in mental health care, like improving access to treatment, have seen a reduction in suicide rates.
而那些投資於心理健康保健的國家，例如改善獲得治療的機會，他們國內的自殺率有所下降

Pronunciation Tips:
Our sentence has three sections, the middle section is an example of what’s being said in the first section, therefore try and end with rising tones for the first two sections then the tone can fall down at the end of the third section. Like this: health care (rising tone), treatment (rising tone), suicide rates (falling intonation).

Also, practice the pronunciation of these words before you challenge the whole sentence:
invest
mental
access
reduction
suicide

I’ll read the whole sentence one more time and listen for the intonation tips I’ve just mentioned.

Now, moving on to our three vocabulary words.

Vocabulary：

• invest (v.) 投（資）；投入
KK[ɪnˋvɛst] IPA /ɪnˈvest/
to put money, effort, time, etc. into something to make a profit or get an advantage

Example:
The startup company is looking for people to invest in their software.
新創公司正在尋求能夠投資他們軟體的人。

• access (n.) 通道；途徑；（接近某地或某人的）機會（或方法）；（使用某物的）權利
KK[ˋæksɛs] IPA /ˈæk.ses/
the method or possibility of getting near to a place or person

Example:
We need keycards to access the elevators in our apartment building.
我們的大樓需要用門卡才能使用電梯。

• reduction (n.) 減少；削減
KK[rɪˋdʌkʃən] IPA /rɪˈdʌk.ʃən/
the act of making something, or of something becoming, smaller in size, amount, degree, importance, etc.

Example:
After the hotel changed management, there’s a noticeable reduction in staff and it’s affecting their service.
飯店換經營者之後，員工人數明顯減少，這影響了他們的服務。


Outro：

Apart from academic subjects, I hope schools can educate our kids from a young age on the importance of mental health. Teachers should teach about how to deal with negative emotions. When you start to feel stressed from your studies or work, take a short break to relax. Exercise has been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal and can improve mental health by reducing anxiety and negative mood.

You should also maintain an adequate intake of vitamins B12 and D. A lot of us don’t get enough sun exposure because we’re always working indoors, in this case, you can orally consume vitamin D tablets. Good sources of vitamin B12 can be found in the consumption of meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, etc. Getting enough of these two vitamins will have a positive impact on your moods.

Another tip is to get enough quality sleep! While you sleep, your body releases growth hormone, which helps your body to grow and repair itself. Your sympathetic nervous system (交感神經) also gets a chance to relax. Your immune system will also release inflammation-fighting cytokines. (Cytokine is a type of protein that is made by certain immune and non-immune cells and has an effect on the immune system). So good sleep can help lower your risk for serious health problems. It also helps brain function and keeps your emotions in check.

I’m going to end with something Billie Eilish (an American singer-songwriter) said - “I go through a lot of depression, and I know other people do, too, but I have an outlet that so many people don’t. If you have that inside of you and can’t get it out, what do you do?”

I hope you can find a good way to combat depression if you ever find yourself in this situation. Don’t be afraid to seek help. Speak to someone you trust. Talk to a psychologist who is a trained doctor that knows how to assess, diagnose, and treat mental health disorders like depression.

Alright and that’s all I have time for today. Stay healthy, okay? I’ll see you again next week!

And countries that invest in mental health care, like improving access to treatment, have seen a reduction in suicide rates.
而那些投資於心理健康保健的國家，例如改善獲得治療的機會，他們國內的自殺率有所下降。

And countries that invest in mental health care, like improving access to treatment, have seen a reduction in suicide rates.

And countries that invest in mental health care, like improving access to treatment, have seen a reduction in suicide rates.
而那些投資於心理健康保健的國家，例如改善獲得治療的機會，他們國內的自殺率有所下降。

And countries that invest in mental health care, like improving access to treatment, have seen a reduction in suicide rates.