Guests

• Erica Schneider, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care and Operations, Soin Medical Center and Kettering Health Greene Memorial
• Ken Goodman, LCSW and Board Member, Anxiety and Depression Association of America

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that 20.6% of US adults experienced mental illness in 2019. In August 2020 – so about 5 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of individuals reporting symptoms associated with anxiety or depression was 36.4% and in February 2021, it had climbed to 41.5%.

This episode of Beyond the Standard looks at the emotional toll of COVID-19 on healthcare workers at two hospitals and shares the perspective of a licensed clinical social worker specializing in anxiety and depression.

Key topics

• Awaiting COVID (2:50)
• Surge impact on nurses (4:30)
• “I’ll accept this calling.” (5:30)
• Self-care vs. family care (7:00)
• The double squeeze: short-staffing meets time off to be whole. (9:20)
• “I came to work to do my best.” (11:40)
• Time needed to heal (13:58)
• What makes anxiety or depression a clinical concern? (19:00)
• Anxiety and uncertainty (21:09)
• “Opportunity to engage with dark and scary thoughts” (23:00)
• Expectations for therapy (23:54)
• “We’re all in this together.” (26:16)

Referenced in the podcast

Massachusetts General Hospital: Guide to Mental Health Resources for COVID-19 

Anxiety & Depression Association of America: COVID-19 Anxiety Resources Quiet Mind Solutions

Learn more at achc.org.