From left: Amy Ellis Nutt, Dr. Nelson Freimer, Shelli Avenevoli and Michelle Craske. (Photo: Jaclyn Nash)
UCLA and Zócalo Public Square hosted a panel titled, “Is Depression a 21st Century Epidemic” on Sept. 11, 2019 in Washington, D.C. The panel was moderated by Amy Ellis Nutt, former Washington Post science writer, and focused on how to approach diagnosing, preventing and treating depression in the modern age. Panelists included Shelli Avenevoli, deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health, and members of the UCLA Depression Grand Challenge Executive Committee members: Nelson Freimer, DGC director and psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences professor, and Michelle Craske, DGC co-director and professor of psychology and psychiatry.
Discussion topics included: what is depression, new approaches to treatment, telehealth, targeted therapies, UCLA’s STAND program, the outlook for depression, the need for more research on depression including underlying causes, and technology’s role as a causation and a solution.
Read a summary about the event at Zócalo Public Square.
Additional coverage:
While modern life may exacerbate depression, it may also give us the tools to treat it UCLA Newsroom, Sept. 16, 2019
