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Sanjay Gupta MD

Aid Delivery Turns Into Frantic Rescue; Remembering Robin Williams

Aired August 17, 2014 - 07:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN HOST: More than 11 years after the United States first invaded Iraq, all eyes still on the region as ISIS fighters continue their assault on religious and ethnic minorities in that country.

You know, in my 13 years at CNN, I'm hard pressed to remember a time when the newsroom fell as silent when the footage I'm about to share with you showed up in our air.

Senior international correspondent Ivan Watson was part of an aid drop to assist the Yazidis when that mission suddenly turned into a frantic rescue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Machine gunners unleashed bursts of hot metal.

This is the crew aboard an Iraqi air force helicopter. They burned through cartridges and belts of ammunition while rushing an aircraft full of food, diapers, water and baby's milk over ISIS frontlines for civilians trapped on Sinjar Mountain.

(on camera): The gunners, they're opening fire at targets down below. They say they are taking fire (INAUDIBLE) and they're clearly trying to defend the aircraft.

You can see the people below trapped on Sinjar Mountain. They're clustered, they're clustered under olive trees right now waving to us. They seem to have gathered in these shelters down here. A lot of women and children waving.

(voice-over): The crew hurls packages out the door. People swarm the chopper.

(on camera): This has been one chaotic aid distribution. I mean, I really hope we didn't hurt anybody with the bottles of water we were throwing down from the height of 20, 30 feet. It's chaotic. But people were waving. They were giving thumbs up.

And there are a couple -- there were a couple of people very relieved to be off the mountain and clearly very, very frightened.

(voice-over): Then the helicopter lands one last time to pick up more passengers.

(on camera): Here they come.

(voice-over): More desperate people throw themselves at the aircraft, heaving their children on board. It's first come, first serve.

There were some who couldn't make it.

Aboard the aircraft, shock. Exhaustion. Fear that eventually gives way to relief.

(on camera): I can't describe to you how relieved people are right now. The -- just shock and the chaos of that moment. But we've got little Aziza here, she's not happy. Because she says her father got left behind.

The gunners are opening fire on targets below. They're protecting the helicopter. But it's terrifying these little kids who are traumatized after their week trapped on that mountain.

The problem is we're flying over ISIS front lines. This is the only protection we have right now to protect the aircraft and its precious cargo.

(voice-over): Tensions ease when we cross into Kurdish controlled territory. And for a moment, there are even smiles as these children realize their ordeal on the mountain is finally over.

(on camera): Sanjay, the sad reality is for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who successfully escaped is militants who fled their homes and then survived, the terrible ordeal of traveling to safety, this is what waits for them. Sprawling refugee camps built in a matter of days under an agonizing August sun in the Middle East. In the case of the Hamid family and 15-year-old Aziza, they had spent nights now living in a derelict building here in Iraqi Kurdistan. There are tough conditions, I've got to say.

If there is a bright spot there, it's that their missing father who was separated from them in their panicked headlong flight away from the militant defensive, he did make contact with the family a couple days ago and now they say they are dreaming of being reunited with their missing father -- Sanjay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: You know, those refugees were stuck on the mountain in many cases with no water, no food, nothing really at all. Then, in the end, the Iraqi Army and the U.S. military dropped well over 35,000 gallons of water and 100,000 meals. That food incidentally comes packaged like regular MERs, meals ready to eat. There's a variety, everything from beef stew to pasta, lamb and lentils. Each meal contains about 1,200 calories, in case you're curious. And it's a mix of protein, fat and carbs. They are designed specifically in that case for people with high energy needs. And remember, these refugees, they were on the run, they were sleeping out in the open. There is no doubt really I think that the air drop saved lives.

Now, up next, our spotlight is on mental health, following the untimely death of Robin Williams, who was truly one in a million.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're still that guy, Dad.

ROBIN WILLIAMS, ACTOR: Just to let you know, I'm changing it from Roberts and Roberts, to Roberts and Roberts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you now?

WILLIAMS: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUPTA: We lost a legend this week when Robin Williams took his own life on Monday. He was suffering from severe depression. And his wife later revealed he was also in the early stage of Parkinson's disease, which in some cases can even worse than depression.

None of that is going to make us fully understand why this happened, but, you know, it's clear there are a lot of people who may be in a similar situation. They are just out there suffering, even now.

In just a moment, I'm going to tell you about a brand new way of treating depression. But, first, here's CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAMS: Greetings, Fonzi.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From his first moments in the '70s hit "Happy Days" as an alien visiting the 1950s, Robin William was a time traveler.

WILLIAMS: I couldn't help it. You understand? I honestly regret it.

FOREMAN: And once he found the spotlight for almost 40 years, he never left it.

WILLIAMS: Iran, Iraq, stalagmite, stalactite, thanks.

FOREMAN: Whether mocking a president for the college crowd on "Saturday Night Live" or leaping into a film for all ages like "Jumanji," Williams engaged each new comedic generation with such energy -- it always seemed as if he'd come specifically for them.

WILLIAMS: What year is it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was brand new. WILLIAMS: No, what year is it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 1995. Remember?

FOREMAN: Undeniably, his range made it possible. In films like "Mrs. Doubtfire", he let loose with broad physical comedy.

WILLIAMS: Oh, sir, I saw some angry member of the kitchen staff. Did you not tell him there was a run by --

FOREMAN: In "Aladdin", his extraordinary ability to conjure dozens of voices made the genie in the lamp brilliant.

WILLIAMS: Mr. Anlanza. While we your pleasure be. Let me take your other jacket down. You ain't never had a friend like me.

FOREMAN: And yet, he could just as convincingly play it straight in movies like "Dead Poets' Society".

WILLIAMS: Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. A Latin term for that sentiment is carpe diem. Who knows what that means?

FOREMAN: Who knew? He did. Because Williams seized each day, each moment as if it were his last, whether entertaining troops, raising money for charity or teaching kids on "Sesame Street".

WILLIAMS: When I breathe you can hear the air go in and out. Sometimes you can even see it. Like this. Happy New Year!

FOREMAN: Perhaps one reason so many people loved Williams so much was that age and worry and time itself seemed to pass him by. Like his character in "Hook," he was the boy who never grew old and in doing so, the man who kept us all a little younger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Depression can be so isolating obviously but it's important to remember you're not alone. In fact, one in 10 American adults report be depressed.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a network of 163 crisis centers that are always staffed to answer calls. One of the people who takes those calls is crisis counselor Gloria Jetter. She joins me now.

Thanks for being on the program.

GLORIA JETTER, CLINICAL SUPERVISOR, MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF NYC: Hi. It's a pleasure to be here.

GUPTA: You know, this hits everybody so hard, obviously this news about Robin Williams. And I'm curious, you take these calls when something like this happens, does it change the number or type of calls that you receive?

JETTER: It does. We have seen a significant increase in calls in the past two days. I think people are really strongly affected by this loss. And it can stir up a lot for people.

GUPTA: You know, there's a lot of media attention on it. Overall sometimes there is a lot of education that takes place around depression when this happens. Is it overall do you think that attention, that media attention is good? Does it help educate people more?

JETTER: You know, I think it can bring awareness around depression and you know, to around people who are vulnerable to suicide. You know, we've received a lot of calls where people are concerned about someone that they know is suffering from depression and they want to know what can they do to help? So, we've spent a lot of time educating people on resources and kind of coaching people on how to talk to friends and family members that they are worried about.

GUPTA: When you pick up that call, I mean, how do you -- what do you say, how do you start the conversation and make a connection with the person on the other end of the line?

JETTER: Well, we usually begin by greeting them, and you know, thanking them for calling. I usually tell someone what my name is. But then it's a matter of exploring what led them to call and exploring what's going on for them, and assessing kind of their situation, their needs. And then you know, giving them support depending on their unique situation.

GUPTA: We're going to put up some of the signs of depression for our viewers to look at as well. They are talking about wanting to die or kill themselves, talking about feelings of hopelessness, increased alcohol or drug use, significant changes in habits like sleeping or -- how do you assess those.

Do you ask those questions specifically or is there something that is an absolute red flag for you?

JETTER: Sure. Yes, we do explore if there's been significant behavioral changes or they are noticing that someone isn't sleeping at night or just appearance-wise seems different, or they're making statements that sound very, you know, disturbing and we always fully explore, you know, if someone has said they want to commit suicide, if they stated a plan of how they would do it, you know, so that we can get a full picture how at risk someone might be or what exact type of treatment or support would be appropriate for them.

GUPTA: Thank you so much. I wanted to do this segment and your voice is the voice that a lot of people hear and you helped so many I'm sure. Appreciate you being on the program, Gloria.

JETTER: Sure. My pleasure. Thank you.

GUPTA: And the point is we want to remind you, you know, help is available. We put together this comprehensive list of resources. They are at CNN.com/impact. So, find them there.

Also, up next, a potential cure for the most severe cases of depression. In essence, it's a battery-powered brain. It's really something you got to see to believe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUPTA: The publicist for Robin Williams said the actor had been treated for severe depression.

While we don't know all the details -- we do know this, he's not alone. For many people medication or cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective treatments, but for a sizeable group there is nothing that seems to work. It's exciting to learn about a potentially new approach.

I'm going to show you what I'm talking about, it's a device like this implanted like a pacemaker just underneath your collarbone and the wires are inserted directly into the brain.

And on the outside the doctor can flip a switch turning it on. It's pretty radical stuff but in some cases the results can be astonishing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): For as long as Edi Guyton can remember, she could not get the sad thoughts out of her head.

EDI GUYTON, DIAGNOSED WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION: My mother used to say to me, "Smile, Edi, why don't you smile?" And I would give a something like that, maybe, or just think, what's there to smile about?

GUPTA: At 19, the first of three suicide attempts.

GUYTON: For reasons that are inexplicable to me even now, got up and started playing with a razor, and --

GUPTA (on camera): You cut your wrists. You cut both your wrists?

GUYTON: Yes.

GUPTA (voice-over): Over the next 40 years, she tried counseling, psychiatric drugs, and electroconvulsive shock therapy, but nothing worked.

GUYTON: The despair I think is what is the most powerful push towards suicide, because there feels like there is no hope.

GUPTA: But if could you look inside Edi Guyton's head today, this is what you'd see -- two electrodes, the thickness of angel hair pasta, powered by a battery pack under her collarbone.

GUYTON: I don't think about it, but I've l have electrodes in my brain.

GUPTA: It's an experimental use of deep brain stimulation --

(on camera): Sort of what we're looking at here.

GUPTA (voice-over): -- pioneered by neurologist Dr. Helen Mayberg.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The X is where we're stimulating.

GUPTA: The target is called Area 25, a junction box for the brain circuits that control our moods.

(on camera): Here at Emory where I'm on staff, my colleagues have been using deep brain stimulation for more than 15 years to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. In that case, they are targeting the brain's motor system.

But Dr. Mayberg wanted to use DBS to target Area 25 for patients with severe depression.

(voice-over): It was a procedure just like this done on Edi Guyton. In surgery, patients are lightly sedated as a neurosurgeon drills two holes. With an instrument to guide him, he then inserts the electrodes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is the contact on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Contacts on.

GUPTA: As a benchmark, the doctors asked Edi to rate her feelings on a scale of one to 10, starting with dread.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

GUYTON: My sense of dread is getting worse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your sense of dread is getting worse. Rate it.

GUYTON: Eight.

GUPTA: Two minutes later, they turned on one of the four contacts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does it feel right now? Is it still high?

GUYTON: No, it's much less.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the dread right now?

GUYTON: Three.

GUPTA: A drop from eight to three. But doctors would soon get an even better result.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to make some changes.

GUPTA: Up until this time, Edi could not connect emotionally, not even with her baby grandniece, Susan.

GUYTON: And somebody handed her to me, and I held her, but I was going through the motions and I felt really nothing.

GUPTA (on camera): Nothing?

GUYTON: Nothing. Nothing.

GUPTA (voice-over): That changed in the operating room --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stim on.

GUPTA: -- when they tried contact number two.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me know if anything changes, just give a shout.

GUYTON: OK. Smiling. I just almost smiled.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just almost smiled?

GUYTON: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Describe that for us, would you please?

GUYTON: I didn't smile. I haven't smiled before, like, in a long time. Or laughed.

Right there in the middle of brain surgery, I felt feelings that I thought were gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you say you almost smiled, did something strike you as funny or is it just sort of spontaneous?

GUYTON: It was -- well, I, it, actually, I was thinking of playing with Susan.

I started thinking about Susan, little Susan. And I thought I was holding her with her face to me.

GUPTA (on camera): What that is like to think a machine and electricity could transform your emotions like that?

GUYTON: It felt fantastic. I didn't care what was doing it. It just felt great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Now, Edi's transformation as you saw there is pretty dramatic and she is still doing well, six years now after having put that device in. More than two dozen patients have also been treated at Emory, that happens to be the hospital where I work as well, and most of them are at least somewhat better. That's according to Dr. Mayberg.

There was a larger multicenter trial that a lot of people are watching to see if this would show the same success but that trial was stopped early in January and no results yet have been made public.

This sort of treatment is pretty fascinating and it's enticing. But keep in mind, we still don't know which patients are going to be the most likely to benefit.

But, you know, there is something you can do today to make everyone around you feel a little bit better, just say hello. It's that simple. I'm going to explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUPTA: Before we go, I want you to do one thing for me. I want to you reach out to someone today. Maybe it's someone you've neglected. Maybe it's someone who is going through a tough time. Maybe it's someone who could just use a lift, call them, e-mail them, whatever, but do it for no other reason than to just say hello.

We don't do enough of that in our busy lives and I think it's time for that to change. I've written a lot about loneliness and I'm amazed just how lonely we are as a nation, even if we think we're more connected than ever.

One in five people suffer from loneliness. That's 60 million people. Imagine that, there are would it to many people out there who don't have a single person they can call, a single person to reach out to a single person to just say hello.

We can never know what was really happening in the mind of Robin Williams, but after the death of someone like him, we tend to feel fragile, even vulnerable, as a society. We want to feel close, we want to reach out, and today I want to you embrace that feeling, hold it close and not let it go.

Just say hello to a long lost friend, or to a brand new stranger. You'll make an enormous difference in that person's life and I promise you, you'll feel good about it as well. Nanu nanu.