Brenna Renn (Psychology) recently published two manuscripts related to mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, appearing in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
The first paper, entitled "Telemental Health After COVID-19: Understanding Effectiveness and Implementation Across Patient Populations While Building Provider Acceptance Are the Next Steps," details a national survey of mental health and primary care providers embedded in primary care clinics across the United States. Respondents rated which disorders they considered most and least appropriate for telemental health. Depressive and anxiety disorders were most frequently endorsed as the most acceptable, whereas psychotic disorders, followed by personality disorders, were rated as the least appropriate diagnoses to treat with telemental health. This work was co-authored with a doctoral student and a colleague from the University of Washington School of Nursing.
The second publication, "Understanding Psychological Distress and Protective Factors Amongst Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic," presents a national survey of older adults during the early period of COVID-19. We found that one quarter of older Americans endured psychological distress in the form of depression, general anxiety or health related anxiety. Those with poorer physical health and lower resiliency are at greatest risk for psychological distress. This work was co-authored by an undergraduate mentee, research assistants, and colleagues from the University of Washington department of psychiatry.
