In this episode, we discuss the cognitive and psychological effects of loneliness with Ellen Lee, MD. We cover definitions, epidemiology, various assessment methods (including digital technology), relationships with age, sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and culture, overall physical, cognitive, and mental health effects, and interventions to reduce loneliness.
A pdf of the transcript for this episode is available here.
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About Ellen
Ellen E. Lee, MD is Assistant Professor and Division Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego and Staff Psychiatrist at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. She is Board-certified in Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. She completed her medical degree at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, research fellowship at National Institutes of Health, residency in general psychiatry at University of Maryland / Sheppard Pratt Hospital, and clinical fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at UC San Diego. Dr. Lee’s research focuses on biological and psychosocial aging in persons with schizophrenia and healthy aging populations, examining relationships between aging, sleep disturbances, cognition, loneliness, and metabolic health. Her research is funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, American Psychiatric Association, Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute, and Desert-Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center.
References
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