(Clockwise from top left) Laurie Gordon, Dr. Megan Ichinose, Dr. Keerthan Somanath, Dr. Glenna Smith and Dr. Cassidy Zanko.
The social isolation brought on by COVID-19 has created a surge in mental health challenges. To address these concerns, the sixth annual Max Gray Fellows in Mood Disorders Salon, held via webinar on March 10, 2021, focused on mental health during the pandemic. The 2020-21 Max Gray Fellows working in the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA discussed the shifts in family dynamics due to virtual learning and working from home, self-care and the impact of social distancing.
Moderated by Laurie Gordon, founder of the Max Gray Fund for Treatment of Mood Disorders, the webinar featured Drs. Megan C. Ichinose and Glenna C. Smith (FEL ’20), first-year Max Gray Fellows in the Child and Adolescent Mood Disorders Clinic; Dr. Cassidy Zanko (FEL ’18), third-year Max Gray Fellow in the Child and Adolescent Mood Disorders Clinic; and Dr. Keerthan Somanath (RES ’20, FEL ’21), of the Mood Disorders Clinic in the Division of Adult Psychiatry.
The panelists advised attendees to be realistic and relax expectations for themselves and one other and to be kind and empathetic as family members take on more roles with new demands that cause elevated stress. Self-care tips included finding calming words to repeat, increasing daily movement with walking or stretching and scheduling time with family to talk about and better understand feelings and issues that need to be addressed. Finally, people should give themselves some grace and take things one day at a time.
For more information, contact Dorin Esfahani at: 310-267-1838
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