On May 22, 2020, Dr Joseph Maroon was the virtual guest of Dr Robert Friedlander, Chairman of the Dept of Neurosurgery at UPMC.  Dr Maroon is a neurosurgeon at UPMC who has also written, spoke and teaches on the topic of coping with stress and burnout.  His lecture is entitled, The Secret to Balance and Resilience in ANY Pandemic.  

Here is Dr Maroon’s Lecture below.

Abstract:

Overworked, overwhelmed, over committed, over anxious and over extended. More than half of all physicians report these symptoms of burnout. Additionally, it affects those in all professions. In surveys, up to 60% of lawyers report that they experience burnout and 1 out of 5 have issues with substance abuse. Caregivers and single mothers are similarly affected. In a recent Gallup Poll, 40% of American workers were so stressed they felt no borders between work and life outside of their job. Essentially, many of us live to work!

Career burnout is often associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep problems, substance abuse and even suicidal ideation. Long hours and heavy workloads lead to feeling initially overwhelmed, then apathetic, cynical and finally just plain numb. Whether one has work related or lifestyle related stress, or both, distress arises, in part, from a lack of work/life balance or homeostasis. The aim of this lecture is to provide the most efficient tools to recognize the mental and physical signs of stress and to provide proven methods to manage and to reduce it. A