COVID Depression: Effect on Mental Health

In this series, Jessi Gold, MD explains the unprecedented challenges COVID has created for each and every one of us.

College Series

COVID Effect on College Student Mental Health, Episode 1
COVID Mental Health Pros and Cons for College Students, Episode 2
Mental Health Burden Shared by College Faculty and Students, Episode 3

Healthcare Series

Talk About It: Healthcare Worker Anxiety, Depression, and Loneliness, Episode 1
Talk About It: The Healthcare Hero Moniker Makes HCWs Uncomfortable, Episode 2
Talk About It: Healthcare Workers are Dying By High Rates of Suicide, Episode 3
Talk About It: Reducing the Burden on Healthcare Workers, Episode 4

General Series

The COVID Effect on Mental Health, Episode 1
COVID Grief: Why It Matters, Episode 2
How to Cope During and After COVID, Episode 3
End the Stigma: COVID and the Mental Health Crisis, Episode 4
COVID Trauma: The Lasting Mental Health Effects of the Pandemic, Episode 5
How Mental Health Professionals Can Manage Their Own Mental Health, Episode 6

Since the COVID pandemic began in 2020, we’ve seen an increased level of stress and anxiety throughout the world. May fear catching the virus and what that means for their short- and long-term health. Beyond that worry, the virus has created a lot of personal, financial and societal upheaval in people’s lives. 

In this series, Jessi Gold, MD explains the unprecedented challenges COVID has created for each and every one of us. She offers insights into how the loneliness and unpredictability it creates can lead to a lasting depression and offers strategies to help improve health, quality of life, and wellbeing.

Gold is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In this series of videos she shares an evidenced-based, scientific approach to mental health during COVID.

College can be a period of uncertainty and transition that creates mental health challenges for some students and the stress of a global pandemic can magnify these feelings. In this episode on COVID depression, Jessi Gold, MD,   an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, discusses the unique set of psychological pressures placed on college students as a result of COVID. According to Gold, unpredictability, isolation and worry over societal changes weigh heavy on the minds of today’s youth. Psychiatrists who work with this population should keep these factors in mind. 

You can find more information on this topic at psychiatrist.com. #psychiatrist #psychiatry #depression

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

The pandemic has taken a toll on mental health and people are doing the best they can under difficult circumstances, says Jessi Gold, MD, an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In this video, Gold reviews the highs and lows for college students living through COVID. For example, on the one hand they are isolated and don’t have the benefit of social interaction. But on the other hand, learning has become more flexible and self-paced than it has been in the past. Watch to learn Gold’s

recommendations for psychiatrists who work with college students. 

Additional information on this topic can be found at psychiatrist.com. #psychiatrist #psychiatry #depression

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

In this episode, Jessi Gold, MD, assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, explains the mental health issues facing college faculty during the pandemic. Many of their problems are parallel to the struggles students are facing – online classes, unpredictability and lack of structure, all of which can bring on feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety. Gold explains the importance of keeping the lines of communications open between students and faculty so they can support each other through these unprecedented times. 

Learn more about how you can help your college affiliated patients, whether they are a student, teacher or faculty member.  #psychiatry #psychiatrist #depression

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

The first step towards improving mental health is acknowledging difficult feelings. So says Jessi Gold, MD, the assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in this engaging video on managing COVID depression in college students. Gold outlines successful coping strategies students can employ to help keep depression and anxiety under control.

This is the fourth video in our Coping with COVID Depression series.  Look for additional content in this playlist and on psychiatrist.com. #psychiatrist #psychiatry #depression

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

Many healthcare workers didn’t start with the best baseline for mental health before the pandemic and their situation has only gotten more stressful over time. It’s more important than ever to dedicate time and resources to fixing the epidemic of anxiety, depression and loneliness among those in the medical field.  Jessi Gold, MD, an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis explains why we must go beyond wellness lectures and pizza parties to fix the underlying  factors that put doctors, nurses and other medical professionals under such extreme pressure. 

Join Gold for this important conversation on addressing burnout in healthcare. Go to psychiatrist.com to see related content. #psychiatrist #psychiatry #depression #anxiety #burnout

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

Being called a hero stirs up mixed emotions for many healthcare workers. It’s meant as a compliment of course, but who feels like a hero when they’re stressed, struggling and burned out? The moniker also seems to imply that they should carry on dealing with pandemic conditions without any psychological repercussions.

Placing such a heavy burden on healthcare workers isn’t fair, notes Jessi Gold, MD, an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She says it’s time to step back and examine what people in medicine are really going through and how we can best help them survive the pandemic without completely burning out.

Watch this video to understand how healthcare workers are holding up through COVID and what you can do to help. Find additional information about COVID depression on psychiatrist.com. #psychiatrist #psychiatry #depression

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

We’ve long known that healthcare workers die of suicide at higher rates than the general population. This crisis requires urgent attention from mental health professionals. Jessi Gold, MD, an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, reviews the stats on suicide in the medical industry and offers suggestions on how we can help healthcare workers survive and thrive through the COVID pandemic.

Find more information about this important topic on psychiatrist.com. #psychiatrist #psychiatry #suicide #depression

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

In this episode of COVID Depression, Jessi Gold, MD discusses the psychological burden the pandemic has placed on healthcare workers and how we as mental health professionals can help reduce it. Here. Gold reviews the keys to staying psychologically healthy including getting vaccinated, frequent mental health check ins and understanding the intense feelings brought on by overwork and burnout.

Gold is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Watch the rest of this playlist for more of her thoughts on COVID depression in healthcare and visit psychiatrist.com for additional content. #psychiatry #psychiatrist #depression.

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

Jessi Gold, MD explains why anxiety and depression go hand in hand with COVID. For some, the pressure of living through the pandemic has crossed the line into mental illness.

Gold, who is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, urges mental health professionals to look beyond the official diagnostic criteria to better understand the emotions many people are living with which, while not meeting the standards of a disorder, make it harder to deal with the isolation and uncertainty in a COVID world.

Watch the rest of the episodes on this playlist and find additional related content on psychiatrist.com. #anxiety #depression #psychiatrist #psychiatry

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

There is no right timeline for grief. The way someone reacts to a loss is uniquely personal. It’s essential for mental health professionals to understand the spectrum of reactions to grief and tailor their approach to therapy accordingly.

In this episode, Jessi Gold, MD, an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, discusses managing grief in the time of COVID. Watch and then head to psychiatry.com for related content. #psychiatry #grief #psychiatrist

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

For those who thrive on personal interaction COVID quarantine has been especially tough. Jessi Gold, MD offers some advice for coping strategies to help people feel connected despite social distancing. People with disorders like depression, anxiety and long haul COVID, she says, may need guidance on how to live happier, less stressful lives.

Gold, who is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, explains various ways to help people cope with the loneliness and isolation of pandemic life.

Watch this and the rest of the playlist to learn more about the ways COVID has impacted mental health and what mental health professionals can do to help. Find additional information on psychiatrist.com. #psychiatrist #psychiatry #depression

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

Healthcare workers benefit from being open and honest about their mental health but they often view admitting to their problems as a weakness. They fear the stigma towards mental health struggles will derail them professionally.

In this video, Jessi Gold, MD, an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, highlights why it’s so important as a frontline worker, to put yourself first. Without selfcare and the right support, it’s almost impossible to successfully help others. Join her for this important conversation and then go to psychiatrist.com for additional resources. #psychiatry #psychiatrist #depression

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

Living through COVID has been extremely stressful for many of us, and as Jessi Gold, MD points out, some of us may not feel better when the pandemic is over. The psychological weight can have a long tail with effects lasting days, weeks, months – even years. 

 

Join Gold, an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis for a much needed discussion about the long term psychological  impact of COVID and what mental health approaches will be needed in the future.

FInd additional related content on psychiatrist.com. #psychiatrist #psychiatry #Depression #burnout

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

Healthcare workers spend a lot of time helping other people through COVID. But “who will help the helpers?” Asks Jessi Gold, MD, an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. 

Gold outlines strategies that can help manage emotions including journaling, therapy and setting boundaries. Watch the rest of this playlist for more coping pandemic mental health coping strategies. Find additional resources on psychiatrist.com. #psychiatrist #psychiatry #depression

Presented by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Dramatic Health.

Jessi Gold, MD is an assistant professor and director of wellness, engagement, and outreach for the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Access clinical resources and learn more at COVID Depression.

ABOUT JESSI GOLD, MD

Jessie Gold, MD, MS

Jessica (“Jessi”) Gold, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, specializing in college mental health, medical education, and physician wellness. She writes regularly for the popular press about mental health, stigma, and medical training.