Mental Health and COVID-19: What is the Way Forward?

On May 13 2020, António Guterres Security General of the United Nations, declared that governments, civil society, health authorities “...urgently address the mental health dimension of this pandemic.” Since the beginning of the pandemic, societies across the globe have seen a decline in mental health levels and major disruptions to critical mental health services. In today’s episode, we discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues, what can be learned from this, and ways forward for mental health and wellbeing policy post-COVID-19 Canada.

Dr. Gratzer is a Toronto-based award-winning psychiatrist, physician, educator and writer. He currently works at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, where he is an attending psychiatrist.

Dr. Restoule is from Dokis First Nation and is the Chief Executive Officer of the First Peoples Wellness Circle. Dr. Restoule is a trained clinical psychologist in Ontario who provides capacity building and consultation services to the First Nation mental wellness workforce, and consults Government on the matter.

Prof. Julie McCarthy and Associate Prof. John Trougakos, from the Department of Management at U of T Scarborough and the Rotman School of Management, and Nitya Chawla, Assistant Professor in the Department of Management at Texas A&M’s Mays Business School recently released a study entitled “Working in a Pandemic: Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 Health Anxiety on work, family and health outcomes”- which has now been published in the Journal of applied Psychology.

Production:

Chayce Perkins - Junior Producer

Elliott Simpson - Junior Producer

Brody Longmuir - Senior Producer

Thea Koper - Executive Producer

Music:

Twist - Dizzy

It’s a Good Life if You Don’t Weaken - The Tragically Hip