Managing psychological distress in times of stress: the stress of COVID-19 and all that

1299th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW -- 1 December 2021
“Managing psychological distress in times of stress: the stress of COVID-19 and all that”
Professor Richard Bryant AC FASSA FAA FAHMS
Scientia Professor of of Psychology and Director, Traumatic Stress Clinic, UNSW (Sydney)

https://royalsoc.org.au/events-news/events-2021/1299th-ogm-and-open-lecture

Timing Marks
00:00:00 Introduction to the Speaker: Emeritus Professor Ian Sloan AO FRSN FAA, Immediate Past President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:15 Presentation: Scientia Professor Richard Bryant AC FASSA FAA FAHMS
00:52:51 Conversation and Q&A -- moderated by Professor Elizabeth Deane FRSN FRSN
01:12:48 Vote of Thanks and Meeting Close, Emeritus Professor Ian Sloan AO FRSN FAA

Summary:
Australia has a long tradition of dealing with environmental challenges, including seasonal impacts of bushfires, floods, drought, and severe storms. These events can result in marked deterioration in the mental health of Australians. This pattern has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen a significant increase in mental health problems across the nation. This has sparked calls both in Australia and globally for novel approaches to manage mental health problems in the wake of these mass events.

This review will describe a body of work that has mapped many of the key mechanisms that promote better mental health after adversity. It will also describe work that has harnessed this evidence to develop brief mental health programs that can be readily disseminated to people in times of need. Controlled trials will be reported that have evaluated the extent to which these programs can improve mental health, and how this approach points to a re-think of how mental health is managed by governments.