The Third Year Anniversary of Our Psychiatry & Society Weekly Videos

I am sure you can recall something from 3 years ago, given that we were just recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to be a long one. Really, although it is less common and less severe, many are still getting short-term and long COVID-19 infections.

The editors and I thought back then that the pandemic was going to escalate and add onto social psychiatric problems, including the upcoming 2020 election, so we thought we would give these weekly videos a try. The good news is that they still seem to be needed; the bad news is the same.

If you watch this video, you may be reminded of some of the social psychiatric problems of 3 years ago and compare them to today. Some seem worse and some seem better. For instance, worse seems to be our political divisiveness and anti-Semitism, while better seems to be some improved antiracism action and that the social determinants of mental health are now obvious, recognized, and being addressed. So we will continue for now.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry, and is now in retirement and refirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.