Last week, our lab was well-represented at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) annual meeting. At first glance a conference about ‘Anxiety and Depression’ may sound . . . well, depressing! What the conference—and the organization—actually is, is a space to be champions for mental health, to celebrate our triumphs even in the face of extreme challenges, and to come together with our lived experiences and professional expertise to help improve the lives of the millions of people who experience clinically significant psychiatric symptoms. 

What we shared 

Dr. Ruvvy talked about: 

• How we can leverage our lived experience, research, or clinical work to become advocates in our community, at the state level, and even at the federal level. By incorporating advocacy into our day-to-day work, we can contribute to structural changes in our respective fields to make big impacts. 

• How what happens to use changes us, and that we have the power to be the positive change in the lives of the people around us. When we work together to build resilience, we can overcome even the most challenging of obstacles and reshape our nervous system in a positive way to support our mental health. 

• How we can improve clinical care through the use of wearable devices. That smartwatch on your wrist? It could help a clinician optimize their care and support your mental health journey!  

R² Lab Research Assistant Luis Garcia Lopez talked about: 

• The burden of anxiety in our U.S. population and how anxiety might change across the lifespan. 

• The benefits of problem-focused coping strategies to combat anxiety, and the potential downsides of emotion-focused and avoidant coping strategies—like using substance—that could make our anxiety even worse. 

• The importance of considering context in research. Luis echoed an important lesson from our Community Advisory Board, that the community around a person has a tremendous impact on their mental health and well-being. 

What we learned 

• Digital mental health tools are on the rise, but are sufficient guard rails in place? Proceed with caution. 

• Families share really special bonds—how a caregiver learns new information is typically how their children will also learn information! As caregivers, when we take time for ourselves and prioritize our well-being, it ultimately allows us to show up stronger and more resilient for the people we love. 

• Design matters! When engaging with youth in particular to share information surrounding mental health and even provide treatment, quality products that are eye-catching and meet the moment are needed to make an impression. We hope you find our lab’s content engaging, and we always welcome your feedback at [email protected] to help us improve 😊  

Moving forward 

We know the best research is that which is responsive to the needs of the communities we aim to serve. Help shape the future of research in Detroit by participating in our Detroit Health Survey! 

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