wellbeing – MGH Center of Excellence for Psychosocial and Systemic Research

Article: Understanding and Coping with Substance Use and Mental Health

Substance use problems, including alcohol and drug misuse, are much more common in people with mental health challenges than in the general population. For example, about 50% of people with serious mental health challenges experience problematic substance use at some point in their lives, compared to only about 15% of people without a mental health condition. Why are the rates of substance use problems so much higher in people with a mental health condition?…

Article: What is a Recovery Coach?

You’ve been hearing about them. You’ve seen them hanging out at the Recovery Center and your friend’s sister’s partner is one! That’s right! Recovery Coaches are more and more common. In Massachusetts, they are everywhere. It’s a beautiful thing! Yet, some amount of mystery remains…What is a Recovery Coach and what do they REALLY do?…

A Social, Activity, Nutritional, and Emotional (SANE) Approach to Coping with Alcohol and Mental Health Risks During COVID

Few things in life have effects that are as immediate, potent, and predictable as the effects from psychoactive drugs. Of all commonly used drugs, alcohol is the world’s favorite. This is because it is legal in most societies, socially accepted and less stigmatized than other drugs, and when the alcohol molecule reaches the human brain, it is generally perceived as good news. In addition to producing…

Research Review: Psychological Adjustment During COVID-19

As we surpass the 6-month mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, some people’s lives are affected to a small degree while others are facing serious social, emotional, and/or health challenges. For all of us, there is uncertainty with no clear “end date.” A key task during the pandemic has been, and will continue to be, minimizing distress and maximizing resilience. Resilience refers to the ability to mentally and emotionally cope with a crisis, such as COVID-19. With this in mind, people have started to ask: “What can we do to build and maintain resilience over the long-term?”…

The Wisdom of a Greek Slave and a Roman Emperor: Borrowing from Stoic Philosophy to Make it Through a Pandemic.

Living through a pandemic has forced me to take a new look at coping, particularly since my life has been spared many of the things fate can throw at you: wars, loss of a career, severe illness. I was not really prepared mentally for living through a pandemic, but I have always looked at philosophy to help me live better – by reading and extracting interesting ideas that I can try out. Let me introduce you to a few practical points that I gleaned from Stoicism as a way of coping with our current pandemic…

Research Review: Stress and Self-Care During COVID-19

When we perceive a threat to our wellbeing, our bodies activate the acute stress response, also known as the “fight or flight” response. This is designed to give us a burst of strength and energy, and impacts systems in our bodies. For example:

Our heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing increase, to deliver oxygenated blood to our muscles…

Personal Observations of the Impact of COVID on an Individual and Community Level

Q: What have been some of your personal challenges during COVID-19?

A: Not being able to see loved ones has been very difficult. I haven’t been able to see my daughters. One is in Canada, the other one is homeless and using. I can’t put myself and my family here at risk. We need to keep safe. And then having to deal personally with working outside of the home, as a front-line worker, and essential staff. Trying to do everything possible to keep myself healthy, to take proper precautions. Wearing the mask, sanitizing, washing my hands…