>>> A NEW STUDY SILL SEPARATES
ANOTHER HEAVY TOLL OF THE
PANDEMIC.
NUMBERS FROM THE NATIONAL HEALTH
INTERVIEW SURVEY AND THE CDC
FOUND 40% OF AMERICANS REPORTED
SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY OR
DEPRESSION DURING THE PANDEMIC
COMPARED TO ONLY 11% BEFORE.
JOINING US NOW, PRACTICING
INTERNIST DR. LUCY McBRIDE.
THE DOCTOR HAS A NEW PIECE IN
THE ATLANTIC TITLED BY NOW,
BURNOUT IS A GIVE.
IT READS IN PART, SIMPLY BEING
HUMAN CARRIES OCCUPATIONAL RISK.
NOW IS THE TIME TO REDEFINE
BURNOUT AS THE MENTAL AND
PHYSICAL FALLOUT FROM
ACCUMULATING STRESS IN ANY
SPHERE OF LIFE, WORK, PARENTING
CARE GIVING OR MANAGING CHRONIC
ILLNESS.
TO MUSTER THE ENERGY FOR REENTRY
INTO NON-PANDEMIC LIFE PEOPLE
NEED MORE THAN A VACCINE AND A
VACATION.
PEOPLE NEED A ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF
THEIR LIFE, A WRECKONING WITH
HOW THEY LIVED LIFE BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC AND HOW TO RECOVER.
LET’S START WITH THE NUMBER,
MORE THAN 40% OF AMERICANS SAY
THEY EXPERIENCED DEPRESSION
RIGHT NOW DURING THIS PANDEMIC.
?
>> THAT MATCHES WHAT I AM SEEING
IN MY PRACTICE.
PEOPLE ARE WIRED AND TIRED.
THEY ARE EXHAUSTED FROM 16
MONTHS OF DISRUGS OF THEIR
LIVES, THE CONTOURS OF THEIR
EVERYDAY DISTANCE HAVE BEEN
COMPLETELY THROWN OUT THE
WINDOW.
KIDS HAVEN’T BEEN IN SCHOOL.
PARENTS HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING TO
MANAGE PARENTING, WORKING,
PARENTING, CARING FOR ELDERS.
AS OUR PREVIOUS GUEST ON YOUR
SHOW EXPLAINED WOMEN HAVE TAKEN
A UNIQUE TOLL DURING THE
PANDEMIC JUGGLING ALL OF THOSE
RESPONSIBILITY.
BURNOUT HAS BEEN DEFINED AS A
WORKPLACE PHENOMENON.
I BEG TO DIFFER.
BEING HUMAN CARRIES RISK,
PARTICULARLY IN A PANDEMIC WHEN
WE ARE LIVING THROUGH GLOBAL
TRAUMA.
>> IT IS PERSPECTIVE.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR
PEOPLE TO HEAR AND KNOW THAT
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU.
AS YOU TOLD ONE OF YOUR
PATIENTS, YOU ARE HUMAN, YOU ARE
HUMAN, YOU ARE COLLECTING ALL
THIS PERSONAL TRAUMA OVER THE
LAST YEAR AND A HALF OR SO.
THE FIRST STEP SEEMS TO ME TO BE
TO SAY, IT’S OKAY.
WE ALL HAVE SOME VERSION OF
THIS, WE ARE ALL FEELING WHAT
YOU ARE FEELING.
AND THE NEXT QUESTION IS WHAT TO
DO ABOUT IT.
>> RIGHT.
IT IS NORMAL TO EXPERIENCE SOME
LEVEL OF ANXIETY, FEAR OR
DISTRESS.
THAT’S PART OF THE HUMAN
CONDITION.
WE ARE LONG OVERDUE TO RECOGNIZE
THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE MORE THAN
JUST A SET OF BOXES TO CHECK.
MY JOB IS TO ASSESS PEOPLE’
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH IN
TANDEM.
ONE OF THE THINGS I AM TALKING
WITH PATIENTS ABOUT EVERY DAY IS
VALIDATING AND NORMALIZING THEIR
LIVED EXPERIENCE, REGARDLESS OF
WHAT IT IS.
BECAUSE WE ALL BRING, YOU KNOW,
OUR WHOLE SELVES -- WE SHOULD
BRING OUR WHOLE SELVES TO THE
DOCTOR.
ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE NEED TO
DEAL WITH THIS IS THE SOCIETY.
WE NEED TO LIVE WITH THE FACT
THAT WE CREATED THIS HOSTILE
CULTURE THAT EXISTED BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC AND THEN THE PANDEMIC
SORT OF THREW LIGHTER FLUID ON
THE GRILL OR ON THE FIRE OF
DESPAIR.
NOW WE ARE EXPECTED TO REBOUND
AND GO BACK TO OUR OLD LIVES
WITHOUT CONTEMPLATING FOR A
MINUTE ABOUT HOW TO GAIN AGENCY
IN YOUR OWN LIVES AND HOW TO
THINK ABOUT IF WE HAVE THAT
LUXURY TO CHANGE PARTS OF OUR
LIVES THAT WE HAVE CONTROL OVER.
>> YEAH.
I AM WONDERING ABOUT OUR YOUNG
PEOPLE, IN THEIR 20s AND EARLY
30s, DR. McBRIDE, WHO SEEM
HAVEN’T COME BACK TO WORK.
I TALKED TO CEOs ACROSS
DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES.
THEY ALL SEEM TO BE HAVING THE
PROBLEM WHERE IT IS SAFE TO COME
BACK, BUT IT IS ESPECIALLY THE
YOUNGER PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT
TO.
WHETHER IT HAS BEEN A YEAR IN
ISOLATION, WHETHER THEY ARE
AFRAID TO COME BACK -- OR IS IT
SOMETHING ELSE?
I MEAN, IS THIS BURNOUT?
OR IS THIS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL STRAIN?
AND IS THE ANSWER TO LET THEM
STAY HOME?
BECAUSE, OFTEN, IT’S PEOPLE,
WHEN PEOPLE ARE TOGETHER, NUMBER
ONE THAT’S HOW YOUNGER EMPLOYEES
GROW AND LEARN AND DEVELOP
THEMSELVES AND GET PROMOTIONS.
BUT ALSO, NUMBER TWO, I THINK
IT’S PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THE
PROBLEMS THEY ARE CONFRONTING,
BEING SO LONELY.
>> I THINK THAT’S RIGHT.
I THINK YUN PEOPLE SUFFERED A
UNIQUE TOLL IN THE PANDEMIC.
PARTICULARLY KIDS WHO ARE OUT OF
SCHOOL AND ROBBED OF THEIR
NORMAL EXISTENCE.
YEAH, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A
RECKONING SOCIETALLY, WE NEED TO
HAVE EMPLOYERS UNDERSTAND THAT
PEOPLE BRING THEIR WHOLE SELVES
TO THE WORKPLACE.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS NO ONE ONE
SIZE FITS ALL RECOMMENDATION FOR
EVERY INDIVIDUAL, WHICH IS WHY I
WILL HOPEFULLY ALWAYS HAVE A
JOB.
BUT SOME PEOPLE WILL BENEFIT
FROM FLEXIBILITY IN THEIR
WORKPLACE, AND FROM, YOU KNOW,
HAVING ABSCESS TO AFFORDABLE
CHILD CARE EVEN SUPPLIED BY THE
EMPLOYER.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU KNOW, WE
NEED TO THINK BROADLY AT THIS
WATERSHED MOMENT OF THE PANDEMIC
ON HOW TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS IN
SOCIETY AND HOW TO SUPPORT
OURSELVES AS WE MUSTER THE
ENERGY TO RE-ENTER LIFE WHEN
LIFE HAS TAKEN A HUGE, HUGE
CHANGE.
>> DR. McBRIDE, I’VE BEEN
OBSERVING THAT THERE ALMOST SEEM
TO BE TWO CAMPS OF PEOPLE IN HOW
WE APPROACH WHAT HAPPENED WITH
THE PANDEMIC.
THE CAMP THAT’S VERY HESITANT TO
RE-ENTER.
AND THEN THE CAMP THAT WANTS TO
JUST IGNORE THAT EVERYTHING OVER
THE PAST YEAR HAPPENED AND JUST
MOVE ON COMPLETELY WITHOUT
ADDRESSING IT.
HOW SCARRED DO YOU THINK, AND
HOW SEISMIC OF AN EXPERIENCE WAS
THIS LAST YEAR COMPARED TO, SAY,
WORLD WAR II AND THE AMERICAN
HOME FRONT EXPERIENCE?
I FEEL LIKE NOW NATIONALLY WE
ALL HAVE AN OBSESSION OVER
HOARDING TOILET PAPER, KIND OF
THE WAY OUR GRANDPARENTS THOUGHT
ABOUT SUGAR.
>> RIGHT.
I THINK IT WOULD BE ABNORMAL TO
NOT HAVE SOME SORT OF AN
EMOTIONAL REACTION TO THE
COLLECTIVE TRAUMA WE’VE BEEN
THROUGH.
WHAT I AM SEEING IN MY OFFICE IS
THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND, YOU
KNOW, WHOLE HEALTH FALLOUT FROM
BEING UNDER SIEGE, NO MATTER WHO
YOU ARE, WHAT CHANGES TO YOUR
LIFE HAPPENED DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
YOU HAVE NO DOUBT EXPERIENCED
SOME SORT OF TRUMA.
IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, AND THAT WE
BRING IT TO OUR OWN ATTENTION,
TO OUR DOCTOR’S ATTENTION.
I HOPE SOME DAY WE LIVE IN A
WORLD WHEREVER AMERICAN HAS
UNFETTERED ACCESS TO A PRIMARY
CARE DOCTOR, WHICH IS HUB FOR
PROBLEM SOLVING FOR MENTAL AND
PHYSICAL HEALTH NEEDS WHERE WE
CAN BE READILY SEEN AND HEARD
AND MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
ISSUES WHERE ADDRESSED IN
CONCERT BECAUSE AFTER ALL WE ARE