UCLA and Zocalo Public Square host panel discussion on depression in the 21st century

UCLA and Zócalo Public Square hosted a panel titled, “Is Depression a 21st-Century Epidemic”, on September 11, 2019 in Washington D.C. The panel was moderated by Amy Ellis Nutt (former science writer for The Washington Post) 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 UCLA Depression Grand Challenge (DGC) Executive Committee members Nelson Freimer (psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences professor and director of the DGC) and Michelle Craske (psychology and psychiatry professor and director of the Innovative Treatment Network within the DGC).

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 Zocalo Public Square.

Additional coverage:

While modern life may exacerbate depression, it may also give us the tools to treat it UCLA Newsroom, 16 September 2019