Can wisdom be a safeguard for physical and mental heath during difficult times? What kind of resilience has wisdom provided during the COVID-19 pandemic? Dilip V.Jeste, MD, a geriatric neuropsychiatrist who specializes in successful aging, explains the biological and cognitive roots of wisdom as well as how it can be enhanced and harnessed to combat the negative impacts loneliness. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37591]

Mental Health and Psychiatry (Audio)

Loneliness vs. Wisdom in the Era of Pandemics with Dilip V. Jeste

Joel Dimsdale discusses his latest book “Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media,” which traces the evolution of brainwashing from its beginnings in torture and religious conversion into the age of neuroscience and social media. Dimsdale is distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego. Series: "Writers" [Health and Medicine] [Humanities] [Show ID: 37324]

Dark Persuasion - The History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media with Joel Dimsdale

This session discusses how psychedelic-assisted therapy can relieve suffering in depression and PTSD based on new clinical trials, how they may work with insights from brain imaging studies, how they can be culturally adapted and help reduce racial trauma, and includes further exploration of psychedelics and mental health. Panlists: Robin Carhart Harris, PhD, Professor and researcher, UCSF and Imperial College London; Charles L. Raison, MD, Professor and the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sara Reed, MS, LMFT, CEO and founder, Mind's iHealth Solutions. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37480]

Psychedelics and Mental Health: The Science and the Practice

Parenting and educating young people as they transition back to in-person learning and jobs this year is both joyful and challenging. A panel of experts discusses approaches that parents, caregivers, and educators can take to support youth, including strategies to promote resilience, resourcefulness, and creating environments that facilitate a sense of belonging and agency—especially for youth of color. Panelists: Joyce Dorado, PhD, Health Sciences Clinical Professor, UCSF Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director, UCSF Health Environments and Response to Trauma in Schools (HEARTS); Julie Lythcott-Haims, JD, MFA, New York Times best-selling author; Suniya Luthar, PhD, Professor Emerita, Columbia University; co-founder, Authentic Connections. Moderator: Dan Siegel, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine; founder, Mindsight Institute. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37478]

Well-Being of Youth and Young Adults

The climate crisis is impacting health, and health care professionals have a pivotal role as advocates for change. The climate crisis must be mitigated by vast reductions in carbon use. Physicians share how they have promoted advocacy, as well as effective ways of messaging, and how leaders serve as trusted sources of information for policymakers and local institutions, and change agents. Panelists: Mark Coleman, MS, author and nature meditation teacher; host, Nature Summit; Robin Cooper, MD, Volunteer Associate Clinical Professor, UCSF Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; co-founder, Climate Psychiatry Alliance; Edward Maibach, PhD, Mason Distinguished University Professor, George Mason University; Ashley McClure, MD, co-founder, Climate Health Now; Kimberly Williams, PhD, PHR, Executive Director, The National Medical Association; Program Manager, Georgia Clinicians for Climate Action. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 37479]

From Climate Stress to Activation: The Critical Role of the Health Professional

Dr. Walter E. B. Sipe, UCSF Psychiatry and Pediatrics, discusses some common misunderstandings of mindfulness. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37504]

Mindfulness is Not About Bliss

A panel of leaders in mental health and science discuss combatting pandemic fatigue, share short meditations, and revisit their previous discussion on personal and communal lessons and hopes for rejuvenating our lives, science and healthcare, self-care, and our earth. Panelists: Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, Professor Emeritus, UCSF Dept. of Biochemistry and Biophysics; Eve Ekman, PhD, teaching faculty, UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine; Trudy Goodman, PhD, founder, InsightLA; Jack Kornfield, PhD, founder, Spirit Rock Meditation Center; Dan Siegel, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine; founder, Mindsight Institute. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37476]

Pandemic Burnout and Regeneration for Our New World: One Year Later

The race equity movement has left us with greater awareness of the urgent need for changes in the way we interact and run our businesses and institutions. This discussion features a frank discussion on what one psychiatry department has done to address interpersonal and systemic racism, as well as insight from an expert on a compassion-based approach for insightfully seeing and discussing race, and being actively antiracist. Panelists: Rhonda Magee, JD, Professor of Law, University of San Francisco; Michelle Porche, EdD, Associate Adjunct Professor, UCSF Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Matthew State, MD, PhD, Oberndorf Family Distinguished Professor and Chair, UCSF Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Public Affairs] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37477]

Anti-Racism and Building an Inclusive Culture

This discussion focuses on the mental health challenges and lessons learned at UCSF during the pandemic, with a focus on building institutional resources to prepare for future challenges. Panelists: Maga Jackson-Triche, MD, MSHS, Health Sciences Clinical Professor, UCSF Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Christine Mangurian, MD, MAS, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Vice Chair for Diversity and Health Equity, UCSF Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Robert Rodriguez, MD, Professor, UCSF Dept. of Emergency Medicine. Moderated by Elissa Epel, Ph.D., Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37474]

Building Stress Resilience to Withstand the Next Crisis

Dr. Walter E. B. Sipe, UCSF Psychiatry and Pediatrics, explores the dysfunctional ways in which people avoid pain. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37503]

Avoidance is a Trap

In the wake of the pandemic and systemic social injustice, we are facing vast collective grief. Renowned therapists Jack Saul and Esther Perel discuss ways to witness and move through grief using creative expression, toward experiencing fresh joy and purpose in our new world. Speakers: Esther Perel, MFT, family therapist and Jack Saul, PhD, trauma therapist and leader of communal resilience movements. Moderated by Elissa Epel, PhD, Vice Chair for Adult Psychology, UCSF. Series: "Emotional Well-Being in Times of Crisis" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37475]

Pandemic Transitions: From Collective Grief to Joy

Interventional psychiatry focuses on researching and repairing brain circuit dysfunction to bring relief to millions of people who have depression or other treatment-resistant mental illnesses. Listen is as experts in the field discuss how they are helping patients by using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), psychedelics, and more. [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 37288]

New Hope and New Treatments for Depression: TMS Ketamine and Psychedelics

Eve Ekman is a contemplative social scientist and teacher in the field of emotional awareness and burnout prevention. She discusses how to develop emotion awareness and enact compassion. She also addresses the issue of burnout and things to do to manage emotions and their power. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 36875]

Cultivating Emotion Awareness and Fierce Compassion

Dr. Walter E. B. Sipe, UCSF Psychiatry and Pediatrics, explores acceptance and commitment therapy that allows for creating a rich, full, and meaningful life while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 36872]

Bringing Willingness and Values to Challenging Times

Guest speakers, researchers and University of California faculty explore mental illness and mental health.