Publications - Stress
Teen brains aged faster than normal from pandemic stress, study says, by Katherine Lewis Reynolds, The Washington Post, Dec 1 2022.
“The stress of pandemic lockdowns prematurely aged the brains of teenagers by at least three years and in ways similar to changes observed in children who have faced chronic stress and adversity, a study has found. The study, published Thursday in Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science, was the first to compare scans of the physical structures of teenagers’ brains from before and after the pandemic started, and to document significant differences, said Ian Gotlib, lead author on the paper and a psychology professor at Stanford University. Researchers knew teens had higher “levels of depression, anxiety and fearfulness” than “before the pandemic. But we knew nothing about the effects on their brains,” said Gotlib, who is director of the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology Laboratory. “We thought there might be effects similar to what you would find with early adversity; we just didn’t realize how strong they’d be.” Premature aging of children’s brains isn’t a positive development. Before the pandemic, it was observed in cases of chronic childhood stress, trauma, abuse and neglect. These adverse childhood experiences not only make people more vulnerable to depression, anxiety, addiction and other mental illnesses, they can raise the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other long-term negative outcomes. ”
Here’s How to Cry the Right Way to Relieve Stress and Anxiety, by Elizabeth Bernstein, The Wall Street Journal, Jun 28 2022.
“Stressed out? Sleep deprived? Sad? You may need a good cry. Crying is an important coping mechanism, psychologists say. It allows us to express difficult emotions. It may help reduce stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s ability to relax. And, perhaps most important, it allows us to solicit emotional support and bond. “Suppression of painful emotions inhibits your ability to feel all emotions,” says Natalie Dattilo, a clinical psychologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “One of the best ways to feel better, and get better at feeling, is to cry.” ”
Hugs help women face stress, study says. Men, you are out of luck, by Madeline Holcombe, CNN, May 23 2022.
“You have a big test, a difficult conversation or a stressful day ahead -- how much of a difference could a hug from your partner make on your state of mind? A hug can make a big difference for women, according to a new study. Unfortunately, the effect is not as powerful when it comes to men. Researchers analyzed how 76 people responded to stress after a hug from a romantic partner in a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One. Women who got to hug their significant other showed a decrease in the production of cortisol -- a stress hormone -- compared with those who did not. Cortisol can have an impact on memory recall, which could make the stressful task ahead even more difficult, said senior study author Julian Packheiser, a postdoctoral researcher with the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. ”
We Asked 1,320 Therapists What They’re Hearing From Patients, by Tara Parker-Pope, Christina Caron and Mónica Cordero Sancho, The New York Times, Dec 16 2021.
“As Americans head into a third year of pandemic living, therapists around the country are finding themselves on the front lines of a mental health crisis. Social workers, psychologists and counselors from every state say they can’t keep up with an unrelenting demand for their services, and many must turn away patients — including children — who are desperate for support. ”
Why people with mental illness are at higher risk of COVID, by RHITU CHATTERJEE , NPR, Nov 22 2021.
“Even before the federal government's recent decision last week to authorize COVID-19 boosters all adults, it had already recommended them in October for people with certain high-risk conditions. Along with with illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, that list included mental health conditions. ”
How to protect your mental health during the stressful holiday season, by Esmy Jimenez, Seattle Times, Nov 22 2021.
“Tis the season. Soon — or already in some cases — lights will go up, trees will be decorated (for those who celebrate), and families will come together to eat their Thanksgiving favorites. Many people are preparing to come together with loved ones for the holidays, after months of pandemic-forced distance. But with those holidays comes a slew of stress and complications: navigating complex family dynamics, intrusive questions from well-meaning aunties, and worries about money or how to make the most of the time away from work. ”
How the Closure of In-School Learning Damaged U.S. Children's Mental Health During the Pandemic, by JEFFREY KLUGER , TIME, Apr 29 2021.
“The work, led by psychologist Tali Raviv at Northwestern University, involved a survey of more than 32,000 caregivers looking after children from kindergarten to grade 12 in the Chicago public school system. The definition of “caregiver” was broad, including parents and grandparents as well as anyone 18 or older with principal responsibility of caring for children in a household. The sample group of the families was ethnically and racially diverse—39.3% white, 30.2% Latinx; 22.4% Black; and 8.1% mixed. ”
The U.S. Is Opening Up. For the Anxious, That Comes With a Cost., by Matt Richtel, New York Times, Mar 17 2021.
“A new survey from the American Psychological Association found that while 47 percent of people have seen their stress rise over the pandemic, about 43 percent saw no change in stress and 7 percent felt less stress. Mental health experts said this fraction of the population found the quarantine protective, a permission slip to glide into more predictable spaces, schedules, routines and relationships. And the experts warn that while quarantine has blessed the “avoidance” of social situations, the circumstances are poised to change. ”
Lawmakers push mental health days for kids amid pandemic, by Sopia Eppolitio, Associated Press, Jan 30 2021.
“State lawmakers are increasingly seeking more support for kids. This year, legislation proposed in Utah and Arizona would add mental or behavioral health to the list of reasons students can be absent from class, similar to staying out with a physical illness. Similar laws have passed in Oregon, Maine, Colorado and Virginia in the past two years. ”
Covid: The devastating toll of the pandemic on childre, by Nick Triggle, BBC, Jan 30 2021.
“They are not likely to get seriously ill with Covid and there have been very few deaths. But children are still the victims of the virus - and our response to it - in many other ways. From increasing rates of mental health problems to concerns about rising levels of abuse and neglect and the potential harm being done to the development of babies, the pandemic is threatening to have a devastating legacy on the nation's young. ”
Pandemic relief bill delivers $4.25 billion for mental health services, by William Wan, The Washington Post, Dec 21 2020.
“ The funding is the largest amount behavioral health groups have gotten in a spending bill. Advocates say more is needed to address historic levels of depression, substance abuse. For almost a year, mental health advocates have urged the U.S. government to address Americans’ historic levels of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts — all of which have worsened during the pandemic. ”
Pandemic demand for mental health care is overwhelming providers, by Jen Rose Smith , CNN , Dec 18 2020.
“ At a time when the ongoing pandemic is straining mental health, many people are going without care altogether. Experts say the pandemic is worsening a shortage of mental health care providers that far predates the current crisis. Even before the pandemic, one in five Americans had a diagnosable mental health condition, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. More than half received no treatment at all, found a report by the nonprofit Mental Health America. A lack of care compounds the consequences of mental illness. With nearly 41% of Americans struggling with mental health issues related to the pandemic, according to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, treatment is an increasingly scarce resource. ”
COVID-19 impacting mental health of medical professionals, by Jenni Goldstein, ABC News, Dec 12 2020.
“With the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths rising throughout much of the U.S., the mental health of medical professionals is being put to the test. Some health care workers told ABC News they are feeling hopeless amid the pandemic. ”
5 science-backed ways to stop Covid-19 pandemic stress right now, by Sandee LaMotte, CNN , Dec 11 2020.
“Pressure-cooked brains also don't work well, sending less blood flow to such frontal-lobe executive functions as creativity, compassion and emotional regulation. Those are the cognitive functions we need in order to manage uncertainty, take productive action and remain hopeful. But there are ways to short-circuit feelings of panic and helplessness, even in a pandemic. Here are five expert-vetted ways on how to put an end to stress and take back control. ”
ER visits, long waits climb for kids in mental health crisis, by Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press, Dec 5 2020.
“When children and teens are overwhelmed with anxiety, depression or thoughts of self-harm, they often wait days in emergency rooms because there aren’t enough psychiatric beds. The problem has only grown worse during the pandemic, reports from parents and professionals suggest. With schools closed, routines disrupted and parents anxious over lost income or uncertain futures, children are shouldering new burdens many are unequipped to bear. And with surging numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, bed space is even scarcer. By early fall, many Massachusetts ERs were seeing about four times more children and teens in psychiatric crisis weekly than usual, said Ralph Buonopane, a mental health program director at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston. ”
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