Mental Health and Psychiatry (Audio)

In this program, Yvette Flores, professor of psychology at UC Davis, discusses how to cope during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, especially social stress and the impact of it on disadvantaged and marginalized groups. Series: "Critically Human" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 37074]

Mindful self-compassion has been widely researched in recent years and found effective in a wide variety of mental health and wellbeing variables. Dr. Christiane Wolf with InsightLA offers a short 3-step self-compassion practice to help you recover more quickly from stress. Simply treat yourself the way you would treat a dear friend! Series: "Wellbeing " [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37748]

The COVID-19 pandemic has put all of us in crisis mode. So how can you manage feelings of anxiety and stress? Esme Shaller, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at UC San Francisco, teaches four simple crisis survival skills called TIPP: temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation. Series: "Wellbeing " [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37745]

It can be difficult to resist eating food when it is all around us. As the pandemic forced many people to work from home, having easy access to your kitchen can increase the temptation to eat more. Ashley Mason, Ph.D., UC San Francisco psychiatry professor who specializes in mindful eating, offers helpful tips on how to structure your environment to maximize positive choices and how to plan for temptations.

Series: "Resilience and Emotional Well-being" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37750]

Regular practice of mindfulness meditations has been widely researched and has been shown to reduce symptoms like anxiety, depression and stress and increase quality of life and overall well-being. Walk through a simple breathing exercise with Dr. Christiane Wolf, Mindfulness and Insight Meditation Teacher at InsightLA. Series: "Wellbeing " [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37746]

Breathing techniques can help us relax and reduce stress and anxiety. Simply slowing our breathing rate can reduce arousal in our autonomic nervous system. Elissa Epel, Ph.D., psychiatry professor at UC San Francisco, demonstrates a simple three-part breathing technique that can help with stress and sleep. Try this four times in a row each day. It can be done upon waking, during a break, or before bed (or during insomnia!).

Series: "Wellbeing " [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37747]

What options are there for people with treatment resistant depression? Zafiris "Jeff" Daskalakis, MD, PhD, explains magnetic seizure therapy (MST) including its cognitive outcomes and efficacy rates. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37608]

Most research studies don't consider how different races perceive the stressfulness of stress exposure. This has led to a paradox among mental and physical health outcomes that show whites report more instances of stress and depression, yet people of color have higher rates of stress-related illnesses such as hypertension. Indeed, racial/ethnic minorities have more disabilities, a greater number of chronic conditions, and age faster than other populations. Lauren Brown, PhD, discusses the unique stress experience of older black adults and explores how race-based discrimination, lower incomes, and poor education impact long term aging. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 37605]

John Torous, MD, MBI takes a deep dive into mental health apps and how to evaluate their effectiveness and utility. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37599]

13.1 million people in the US have a serious mental illness (SMI) such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Eric Granholm, PhD, explains potential technological interventions for SMI. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37607]