THEY REPORT TO WORK ARE
EXPERIENCING INCREASED STRUGGLES
WITH MENTAL HEALTH BECAUSE MAYBE
THEY'RE OUT OF WORK OR THE FEAR
OF A PRESSING PANDEMIC AND ITS
ISOLATION CLOSES IN.
WE CHECK IN ON MENTAL HEALTH
CONCERNS DURING THE PANDEMIC NOW
WITH DR. NED KALIN, CHAIR OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AT THE
UW SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME,
FREDERICA.
>> SO THERE ARE MYRIAD REPORTS
ABOUT THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF
THE PANDEMIC ON MENTAL HEALTH,
INCLUDING NUMBERS THAT SOMETHING
LIKE 40% OF AMERICANS ARE
STRUGGLING WITH IT OR DRUG ABUSE
AND 75% OF YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ALSO
STRUGGLING.
WHAT ARE YOU SEEING?
>> SO WE'RE SEEING THE SAME
THING HERE IN MADISON, IN
WISCONSIN, AND IN OUR COMMUNITY,
AN INCREASED NEED FOR MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES, A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT OF STRESS IN THE
COMMUNITY AND ALL OF THE THINGS
YOU'VE ENUMERATED ARE CRITICAL
WHEN THINKING ABOUT THE CHRONIC
AND SEVERE STRESS PEOPLE ARE
FACING.
SO IT'S AN ONGOING STRESSORS.
IT'S COMING IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
THERE'S SO MUCH UNCERTAINTY AND
LOSS AND WORRY THAT IS SORT OF
EXPECTED THAT YOU WOULD BE
SEEING IT.
WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS AS THE
NEXT EPIDEMIC FROM THE COVID
AFTERMATH.
>> IF THERE IS SO MUCH DEMAND,
WHAT IS THAT LIKE FOR FRONTLINE
WORKERS DOING THE WORK OF
TREATING COVID PATIENTS?
>> SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO
KEEP IN MIND THAT THE FRONTLINE
WORKERS ARE ESPECIALLY STRESSED
AND OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE VERY
CRITICAL FOR ALL OF US FROM THE
STANDPOINT OF OUR MAKING IT
THROUGH THIS IN AS HEALTHY A WAY
AS POSSIBLE.
AT THE UNIVERSITY WE'RE WORKING
HARD TO SUPPORT OUR COLLEAGUES
ON THE FRONT LINES AND ARE
ACTUALLY OFFERING SUPPORT GROUPS
AND HELPING THEM BUILD
RESILIENCE AND A VARIETY OF
OTHER MEASURES THAT WE CAN DO TO
HELP SUPPORT AND HELP PEOPLE
WORKING AND FEELING OKAY.
>> SO ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ARE
OUT OF THE CONTROL OF
INDIVIDUALS AND LOSS OF JOBS,
NOT HAVING ENOUGH MONEY FOR
BASIC NEEDS OBVIOUSLY WOULD
BRING ON ANXIETY.
HOW DOES THAT DOVETAIL WITH THE
FEAR OF THIS LURKING CORONAVIRUS
OR WORSE THE LOSS OF LOVED ONES?
IT'S JUST UNRELENTING IT WOULD
SEEM.
>> YOU'VE GOT IT EXACTLY RIGHT.
IT'S UNRELENTING AND MULTIPLE
STRESSORS ARE COMING TOGETHER,
ANY ONE OF WHICH WOULD BE A HUGE
STRESSOR.
THE IDEA THAT ALL THESE ARE
OCCURRING AT THE SAME TIME, THAT
THEY'RE GG, THAT ONGOING AND WE DON'T
KNOW WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO STOP
IS OVERWHELMING.
AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM FROM THE
STANDPOINT OF THE INCREASED
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AND
SUBSTANCE USE THAT WE'RE SEEING.
>> HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THIS?
>> NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS
AND IT'S REMARKABLE.
THE OTHER SIDE OF IT IS THAT
MANY PEOPLE ARE VERY RESILIENT
AS WELL AND FIGURED OUT WAYS TO
ADAPT.
WE WANT TO HELP PEOPLE DRAW ON
THEIR OWN STRENGTHS IN A WAY
THAT CAN MAKE THEM AS RESILIENT
AS POSSIBLE DURING THIS REALLY
DIFFICULT TIME.
>> WHY IS IT PARTICULARLY HARD
AT LEAST ACCORDING TO THE
NUMBERS I'VE LOOKED AT FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE, EVEN CHILDREN?
>> SO EVERYBODY'S AFFECTED, BUT
YOUNG PEOPLE I THINK HAVE LESS
OF A PERSPECTIVE AND LESS OF AN
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S
HAPPENING AT TIMES.
THEY REALLY REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT
STRUCTURE.
NOT BEING IN SCHOOL OR NOT BEING
IN SCHOOL THE SAME WAY, NOT
HAVING THE SAME PLAYMATES,
HAVING TO WEAR A MASKS, ALL OF A
SUDDEN BEING IN A WORLD WHERE
YOU'VE GOT TO BE SCARED OF
CATCHING SOMETHING THAT YOU
CAN'T EVEN SEE AND DYING FROM
THAT, IT'S EXTREMELY HEAVY-DUTY
AND I THINK THE YOUNGER A PERSON
IS, THE HARDER IT IS TO
COMPREHEND THAT.
CHILDREN NEED SUPPORT.
IT'S JUST REALLY, REALLY
DIFFICULT.
>> WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT,
DOCTOR, HOW CAN WE ALL HELP?
>> SO I THINK THE FIRST THING IS
TO BE OPEN TO THE IDEA THAT THIS
IS A REALLY TOUGH TIME AND IT'S
OKAY TO STRUGGLE AND IT'S OKAY
TO HAVE SOME AIRCHG ANXIETY AND A
LITTLE DEPRESSION.
THE SECOND THING IS TO GO OUT OF
OUR WAY TO REACH OUT AND SUPPORT
EACH OTHER.
EVEN THOUGH WE'RE PHYSICALLY
DISTANCING DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T
MAKE THAT EXTRA PHONE CALL THAT
YOU THINK YOU WANT TO DO BUT YOU
DECIDED YESTERDAY YOU WEREN'T
GOING TO DO.
AND REALLY THINKING ABOUT
ACTIVITIES THAT CAN BE HELPFUL
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THINGS
LIKE EXERCISE, WALKING,
DISTRACTING YOURSELF FROM THE
NEWS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
THEY'RE BASIC THINGS, BUT IF YOU
DO THEM EVERY DAY THEY CAN ADD
UP AND HELP BUILD YOUR
RESILIENCE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR