Demystifying Medicine: Suicide and Depression in Time of COVID-19

Demystifying Medicine Lecture Series The COVID-19 pandemic has brought profound stress into our lives — from social isolation and hectic work schedules, to grief over the loss of those who have died from COVID-19 and the inability to fully gather together to mourn them. Populations with underlying depression and addiction disorders are particularly vulnerable to self-harm during these trying times. While depression, suicide and COVID clearly are associated in terms of public health, are they also linked mechanistically, particularly in regard to neurobiology? Are there genetic factors or biomarkers for susceptibility? The April 13 presentations will address both public health and neurobiology aspects of this complex situation. Our first speaker, Dr. Volkow, is director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She is a leading authority on the disease of addiction. She and her colleagues have recorded significant increases in many kinds of drug use since in onset of the pandemic in March 2020. They have developed strategies to help curb such drug use as well as to help those already in recovery maintain their regimen. Our second speaker, Dr. Zarate, is chief of the Experimental Therapeutics& Pathophysiology Branch in the National Institute of Mental Health. He has pioneered the use of ketamine to treat depression and reduce suicidal impulses. His lab conducts proof-of-concept studies utilizing novel compounds and biomarkers with PET, fMRI, magnetoencephalography and polysomn...
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