This webinar, hosted by SDSN and the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, explored the work of the Task Force on Mental Health and how policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (e.g. lockdowns) as well as news of illness and death affected mental health. For example, they analyzed how physical distancing and perceptions of the government's handling of the pandemic affected well-being. They found differences between countries pursuing an elimination strategy (i.e. eliminate community transmission) and those pursuing a mitigation strategy (i.e. control/slow transmission). Their findings have important lessons for responses to future crises, particularly pandemics. More information on their work is available at https://covid19commission.org/mental-health-wellbeing. 

Speakers: Ozge Karadag (MC), Columbia University
Lara Aknin (Task Force Chair), Simon Fraser University
Elkhonon Goldberg, New York University
Rafael Goldszmidt, Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration
John Helliwell, Vancouver School of Economics Shekhar Saxena (Moderator), Harvard University
Sarah Jones (Moderator), Imperial College London

Further Readings: 

1) Aknin, Lara B, et al. (2022). Policy stringency and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of data from 15 countries. The Lancet Public Health, Volume 7, Issue 5, e417 - e426

2) Aknin, L. B., De Neve, J.-E., Dunn, E. W., Fancourt, D. E., Goldberg, E., Helliwell, J. F., Jones, S. P., Karam, E., Layard, R., Lyubomirsky, S., Rzepa, A., Saxena, S., Thornton, E. M., VanderWeele, T. J., Whillans, A. V., Zaki, J., Karadag, O., & Ben Amor, Y. (2022). Mental Health During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review and Recommendations for Moving Forward. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(4), 915–936. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211029964

3) Aknin, Lara B, et al. (2021). The Neurological Consequences of Contracting COVID-19. Acta Neuropsychologica 2021; 19 (3): 301-305. DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0014.9953.