VOICE CALL. EDIE: THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN VERY HARD MENTALLY ON SO MANY WOMEN. WE’VE HEARD FROM MOTHERS WHO FELT OVEHERWED. AND WE’VE SEEN EVIDENCE OF HOW THE JOB MARKET AND CHILDCARE HAVE BEEN IMPACT.ED JOINING US NOW IS DOCTOR ANGELA DRAKE. SHE’S A PSYCHIATRIST WITH U.C. DAVIS HEAL.TH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AND TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND IN TERMS OF ETH IMPACT OF THIS LAST YEAR ON PEOPLE’S MENTAL HEALTH? >> I THINK YOU SEE A LOT OF CHANGES IN PEOPLE. PEOPLE WHO INITIALLY WERE RESILIENT AND REAYLL RALLIED TO GET THROUGH THE STRESS, AS IT CO NTINUED ON FOR MONTHS AND INTO TWO YEARS, PEOPLE HAVE HIT A WALL. THEY ARE SUFFERING MORE AND WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOKGIN FOR TREATMENT. EDIE: AS YOU POINTUT,HE T, THE IMPACT WAS DIFFERENT? WHAT ADVICE? >> THE PANDEMIC HAS MADE A PERFECT STORM. IT IS NOT THAT WERE A UNDER LONG-TERM STRESS IT IS WE ARE DISCONNECTED ANDSO ITED FROM OUR SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS. ONE OF THE THINGS I EMPHASIZE WITH FOLKS IS TO SELF MONITOR. BECAUSE YOU MAY NOT BE SEEING FRIENDS AS OFTEN OR FAMILY, IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE IN TOUCH WITH YOURWN O EMOTIONS. HOW YOU ARE DOING, ARE YOU NOTICING PROBLEMS WITH YOUR INABILITY? YOU ARE NOT SLEEPING AS WELL? YOU ARE LOSING YOUR TEMPER? AGAIN, THE BEST THING THAT I REALLY RECOMMEND FOR PEOPLE IS TO REACH OUT AND GET CONNECTED WITH SOMEONE IF THEY ARE NOTICING CHANGES. EDIE: LET US TALK ABOUT THERE BE. — THERAPY. WOMEN ARE LAST IN LINE FOR SELF-CARE AND FINDING THE TIME TO DRIVE TO AN APPOINTMENT AND WEIGH IN, IT CAN BE A BARRIER. YOU ARE NOW DOING MORE OF THESE APPOINTMENTS ORVE ZOOM AND TELEHEALTH. HOW’S THAT WORKING? >> WE REALLY RAPIDLY WENT TO TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENTS AT UC DAVIS, AS SOON AS WE CLOSED FOR THE PANDEMIC. WE HAVE HAD A CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE WITH IT NOW, ALMOST TWO YEARS, I HAVE TO SAY IT HAS WORKED WELL. IT HAS WORKED WELL FOR OUR CLIENTS. BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PARK. THEY DO NOT HAVE TO DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY OR DO THE THINGS WE OFTEN HAVE TO DO TO GET TO AN APPOINTMENT. THEY CAN SET UP THEIR COMPUTER IN THEIR LIVING ROOM AND I HAVE HAD PATIENTS WHO HAVE DONE SESSIONS FROM THEIR PHONE IN THEIR CAR. TH LVEEAEY WORK AND GO OUT TO THE CAR AND GO FOR HALF AN HOUR OR 45 MINUTES SO THEY CAN WORK IT INTO THEIR DAYN I A SEAMLESS WAY. IN SOME WAYS IT IS VERY COMFTIORNG BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT THE PERSON IS THERE BUT THEY ARE NOT RIGHT THERE. IT GIVES PEOPLE DISTANCE. IT IS KIND OF SCARY TO GO INTO A THERAPIST OFFICE. EDIE: YOU HEAV THE FLEXIBILITY AND GET THE HELP THAT YOU NEE

‘People have actually hit a wall’: UC Davis Health psychiatrist shares ‘self-monitoring’ psychological health suggestions

Updated: 10:21 AM PDT Mar 29, 2022

UC Davis psychiatrist Dr. Angela Drake joined KCRA 3 as a part of the Project CommUNITY particular for Women’s History Month to speak concerning the pandemic impacts that ladies have confronted.Talk to us about what you have got seen firsthand when it comes to the influence of this final 12 months on individuals’s psychological health?Drake: “I believe you see a number of modifications in individuals. People who initially had been resilient and actually sort of rallied to get by means of the stress, because it continued on for months and into two years, individuals have actually hit a wall. They are struggling extra and we’re seeing lots of people on the lookout for remedy at this level.”As you level out the primary 12 months, it was like, ‘OK, we’re going to get by means of this.’ Into a second 12 months, the influence was completely different. What recommendation do you have got for individuals who have felt overwhelmed or remoted?Drake: “The pandemic has made an ideal storm. It’s not simply that we’re below appreciable long-term stress. It can be that we’re disconnected and remoted from our social help networks. One of the issues I actually emphasize with people is to self-monitor. Because you might not be seeing buddies as usually or household, it’s actually necessary to be in contact with your individual feelings. How you might be doing, are you noticing issues along with your irritability? You should not sleeping as nicely? You are dropping your mood? Again, the perfect factor that I actually advocate for individuals is to succeed in out and get linked with somebody if they’re noticing modifications.”Let’s discuss remedy. Women are final in line for self-care and discovering the time to drive to an appointment — it may be a barrier. You are actually doing extra of those appointments over Zoom and telehealth. How’s that working?Drake: “We actually quickly went to telehealth appointments at UC Davis, as quickly as we closed for the pandemic. We’ve had appreciable expertise with it now, nearly two years. I’ve to say it has labored rather well. It has labored nicely for our purchasers. Because they don’t have to park. They do not need to drive on the freeway or do the issues we frequently must do to get to an appointment. They can arrange their pc of their lounge and I’ve even had sufferers who’ve carried out periods from their telephones of their automobiles. They depart work and exit to the automotive and go for half an hour or 45 minutes to allow them to work it into their day in a very seamless approach. In some methods, it is vitally comforting as a result of you recognize that the individual is there however they don’t seem to be proper there. It provides individuals just a little distance. It is sort of scary to enter a therapist’s workplace.”

UC Davis psychiatrist Dr. Angela Drake joined KCRA 3 as a part of the Project CommUNITY particular for Women’s History Month to speak concerning the pandemic impacts that ladies have confronted.

Talk to us about what you have got seen firsthand when it comes to the influence of this final 12 months on individuals’s psychological health?

Drake: “I believe you see a number of modifications in individuals. People who initially had been resilient and actually sort of rallied to get by means of the stress, because it continued on for months and into two years, individuals have actually hit a wall. They are struggling extra and we’re seeing lots of people on the lookout for remedy at this level.”

As you level out the primary 12 months, it was like, ‘OK, we’re going to get by means of this.’ Into a second 12 months, the influence was completely different. What recommendation do you have got for individuals who have felt overwhelmed or remoted?

Drake: “The pandemic has made an ideal storm. It’s not simply that we’re below appreciable long-term stress. It can be that we’re disconnected and remoted from our social help networks. One of the issues I actually emphasize with people is to self-monitor. Because you might not be seeing buddies as usually or household, it’s actually necessary to be in contact with your individual feelings. How you might be doing, are you noticing issues along with your irritability? You should not sleeping as nicely? You are dropping your mood? Again, the perfect factor that I actually advocate for individuals is to succeed in out and get linked with somebody if they’re noticing modifications.”

Let’s discuss remedy. Women are final in line for self-care and discovering the time to drive to an appointment — it may be a barrier. You are actually doing extra of those appointments over Zoom and telehealth. How’s that working?

Drake: “We actually quickly went to telehealth appointments at UC Davis, as quickly as we closed for the pandemic. We’ve had appreciable expertise with it now, nearly two years. I’ve to say it has labored rather well. It has labored nicely for our purchasers. Because they don’t have to park. They do not need to drive on the freeway or do the issues we frequently must do to get to an appointment. They can arrange their pc of their lounge and I’ve even had sufferers who’ve carried out periods from their telephones of their automobiles. They depart work and exit to the automotive and go for half an hour or 45 minutes to allow them to work it into their day in a very seamless approach. In some methods, it is vitally comforting as a result of you recognize that the individual is there however they don’t seem to be proper there. It provides individuals just a little distance. It is sort of scary to enter a therapist’s workplace.”