Resilience

Published June 2020

The Psychiatric Services Editor’s Choice provides essential curated collections from recent issues of Psychiatric Services.  Each month, Editor Lisa Dixon and the Early Career Psychiatrist Advisory Committee offer a curated collection from the rich resource of articles published in the journal. Updates will focus on one area, summarizing for the researcher, clinician, and policy analyst the latest information and seminal research with links to specific content from Psychiatric Services.

Resilience is a dynamic process of positive adaptation in the face of adversity. When individuals face major stressors due to events such as natural disasters, trauma, public health crises, and now, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resilience is tested on an individual, organizational, and societal level. But resilience is not stagnant. Appropriate guidance, access to resources, and early intervention can strengthen resilience and lead to improved mental health outcomes. COVID-19 presents unique challenges in that social connectedness—a critical ingredient that bolsters resilience—may be difficult as people engage in physical distancing. As the global community establishes a “new normal,” the rich literature on resilience can guide providers and patients through this adjustment.

This Editor’s Choice collection highlights the importance of fostering resilience to prevent poor mental health outcomes that result from adverse responses to crisis as well as long-term stressors. The first set of articles describes the impacts of disasters, the utility of interventions such as short-term cognitive-behavioral therapy, the importance of engaging community stakeholders, and the use of a collaborative approach to manage the aftermath of trauma. The next section addresses the critical importance of fostering resilience in young people who face adverse childhood experiences or serious mental illness, as well as the need to engage policy makers on these issues. Finally, the collection examines how resilience relates to health care worker well-being and includes a historical perspective on the roots of the term resilience as it relates to burnout. Particularly salient to the current surge in telepsychiatry that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, one article describes the ability of telepsychiatry to improve psychiatrists’ well-being while running the risk of contributing to burnout through social and professional isolation. As we advance through the challenges presented by COVID-19, this collection highlights the collaborative approach needed to meet the mental health needs of our patients and our professional communities.

Please note that not all articles in this curated collection are available without a subscription. For access, learn about subscribing to Psychiatric Services.

Integrated Care: Meeting Mental Health Needs After the Gulf Oil Spill
Howard J. Osofsky, M.D., Ph.D, Joy D. Osofsky, Ph.D., John H. Wells, M.D., and Carl Weems, Ph.D.
2014, Volume 65, Issue 3, pp. 280–283

Effectiveness RCT of a CBT Intervention for Youths Who Lost Parents in the Sichuan, China, Earthquake
Ying Chen, M.D., Wen Wu Shen, M.S., Kamko Gao, M.A., Chow S. Lam, Ph.D., Weining C. Chang, Ph.D., and Hong Deng, M.D.
2014, Volume 65, Issue 2, pp. 259–262

Mental Health at the Table During Community Crises
Andrew McLean, M.D., M.P.H.
2019, Volume 70, Issue 3, pp. 166–167

Intervention and Resilience After Mass Trauma
Frederick J. Stoddard Jr., M.D.
2009, Volume 60, Issue 7, pp. 997–998

Significance of Self-Reported Drug or Alcohol Use Among Inner-City Teenagers
Rahsaan L. Lindsey, M.D., Mark D. Weist, Ph.D., Lavonia Smith-Lebeau, M.A., Leah Rosner, B.S., Lisa B. Dixon, M.D., M.P.H., and David D. Pruitt, M.D.
2004, Volume 55, Issue 7, pp. 824–826

Positive Changes Experienced After a First Episode of Psychosis: A Systematic Review
Gerald Jordan, M.A., Kathleen MacDonald, M.Sc., Megan A. Pope, M.Sc., Emily Schorr, M.Sc., Ashok K. Malla, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.P.C., Srividya N. Iyer, Ph.D.
2018, Volume 69, Issue 1, pp. 84–99

State Legislators’ Opinions About Adverse Childhood Experiences as Risk Factors for Adult Behavioral Health Conditions
Jonathan Purtle, Dr.P.H., M.Sc., Félice Lê-Scherban, Ph.D., M.P.H., Xi Wang, Ph.D., Emily Brown, M.S.W., Mariana Chilton, Ph.D., M.P.H.
2019, Volume 70, Issue 10, pp. 894–900

Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders Among Toronto Hospital Workers One to Two Years After the SARS Outbreak
William J. Lancee, Ph.D., Robert G. Maunder, M.D., David S. Goldbloom, M.D.
2008, Volume 59, Issue 1, pp. 91–95

Telepsychiatry: Implications for Psychiatrist Burnout and Well-Being
Emily L. Vogt, B.A., Hossam Mahmoud, M.D., M.P.H., Omar Elhaj, M.D.
2019, Volume 70, Issue 5, pp. 422–424

The Maryland Resilience Breakthrough Series Collaborative: A Quality Improvement Initiative for Children’s Mental Health Services Providers
Penina M. Backer, B.A., Laurel J. Kiser, Ph.D., M.B.A., Jane E. Gillham, Ph.D., Joan Smith, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
2015, Volume 66, Issue 8, pp. 778–780

Resilience, Resistance: A Commentary on the Historical Origins of Resilience and Wellness Initiatives
Helena Winston, M.D., M.Phil., and Bruce Fage, M.D.
2019, Volume 70, Issue 8, pp. 737–739

Resilience: Management for the Disease of Physician Burnout
Rashi Aggarwal, M.D., and Kristen Kim, M.D.
2019, Volume 70, Issue 12, p. 1181

Resilience: Management for the Disease of Physician Burnout: In Reply
Bruce Fage, M.D., and Helena Winston, M.D.
2019, Volume 70, Issue 12, pp. 1181–1182