Post Written by: Colette Tarallo
If you’re depressed or anxious during the seemingly endless days of the COVID crisis, you’re not alone. According to a poll done by the American Psychiatric Association, “more than one-third of Americans (36%) say coronavirus is having a serious impact on their mental health and most (59%) feel coronavirus is having a serious impact on their day-to-day lives.”* And that was in March!
As a service to the community, the Mount Olive Democrats hosted a Zoom presentation on Tuesday, August 25, featuring Kelly Canzone, licensed clinical social worker and CEO/Clinical Director of Tri-County Behavioral Care, based in Denville. Canzone addressed the very real mental health impacts of the past six months, specifically the anxiety and depression that many are experiencing as they deal with isolation, grief, fear, and the everyday worries that concern us all, but are compounded by COVID.
In a lively presentation Canzone described the effects of anxiety and depression on the brain. One of the most important takeaways was her “prescription” for dealing with the two. To reduce anxiety, Canzone said, one must take time out to breathe, if only for a minute or two. On the other hand, to chase depression, one must get up and move. Talk therapy is also highly useful in recognizing and short-circuiting unhelpful thought patterns and forming new, more constructive ones. A Q&A period followed the presentation.
Tri-County Behavioral Care can be reached at 973-691-3030.