According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll published in April, nearly half (45%) of adults in the United States report that their levels of worry and stress have increased significantly in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In April of this year, about 20,000 people contacted the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Helpline for support, a substantial increase compared to 1790 contacts received in April of 2019.
It is increasingly clear that the pandemic will be with us for one time, and mental health experts are concerned about the long term impact of the pandemic on our mental health and well-being. In a recent interview with Boston.com, Dr. Daphne Holt, the director of the Resilience and Prevention Program at MGH, provides tips for maintaining your mental well-being during the COVID-19 crisis.
Dr. Holt points out that one must acknowledge that during these uncertain times, being stressed, anxious, or sad is absolutely normal and that one does not have to fix or eliminate those feelings. In fact, one can build resilience by “just experiencing your feelings without trying to get rid of them.”
Dr. Holt’s research has focused on developing programs which teach adolescents and young adults specific skills to build resilience. In the setting of the COVID-19 crisis, Dr. Holt and her group have also developed a resilience-building program for frontline healthcare providers caring for patients infected with COVID-19.
Read More:
How to maintain your mental well-being during the COVID-19 crisis (Boston.com)
Resilience and Prevention Program at MGH
Dr. Daphne Holt Faculty Profile (Harvard Catalyst)
Daphne Holt, MD, PhD is the Co-Director of the MGH Psychosis Clinical and Research Program, Director of the MGH Resilience and Prevention Program, and an Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Using functional neuroimaging in combination with physiology, behavioral tasks and clinical assessments, she has investigated the neurocognitive basis of the core symptoms of psychotic illness, including delusions, negative affect and social impairment. Her research has also focused on identifying changes in brain function and behavior linked with risk for serious mental illness and has been developing novel interventions to increase resilience and potentially prevent serious mental illnesses in at-risk youth.
