Connectedness: Our Connection to Self, Community, and the World at Large-View Presentation

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Video Summary

In this presentation, Gia Merlot discusses the significance of the last pillar of lifestyle psychiatry: connectedness. She emphasizes expanding the traditional concept of social connection to include six domains—happiness, purpose and meaning in life, empathy and compassion, social connection and community, nature, and spirituality and religion. Merlot shares scientific evidence supporting these domains while providing resources for further understanding. The presentation touches upon the role of altruistic behavior, happiness, and environmental factors, such as green exercise, in enhancing mental health. Merlot also differentiates empathy and compassion, highlighting their distinct neural correlates. Additionally, the presentation addresses social connection's influence on mental health, drawing attention to the rising loneliness epidemic as reported by the US Surgeon General. Overall, Merlot aims to equip psychiatrists with comprehensive knowledge and resources on connectedness to better support their practice and expand upon lifestyle medicine's framework. The session concludes with a Q&A segment, addressing related concerns and providing a practical approach to implementing lifestyle psychiatry into clinical practice. The event wraps up with an invitation to join the APA's lifestyle psychiatry caucus, promoting ongoing education and collaboration among mental health professionals.

Keywords

lifestyle psychiatry

connectedness

social connection

empathy

compassion

mental health

loneliness epidemic

happiness

spirituality

environmental factors

altruistic behavior