NJBIZ Conversations: Dr. Gary Small

The year-end holidays promise to be difficult for a wide swath of New Jersey residents. The festive season is often anything but for many people and the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the accompanying economic disruption, will draw many more souls into a vortex of tinsel-flecked bleakness. With that in mind, NJBIZ Editor Jeff Kanige spoke with Dr. Gary Small – a widely known psychiatrist who took over Nov. 1 as physician in chief for behavioral health at Hackensack Meridian Health – for the latest edition of NJBIZ Conversations. Small talked about the emotional toll of the virus, what employers can do to help their workers cope and how folks can avoid the worst psychic and physical damage. “The American Psychiatric Association did a new public opinion poll last month and they found that about two-thirds of Americans feel more anxious than they felt about a year ago. And at that time, only about a third of them build such anxiety,” he said. “So we’re seeing more arguments and discord with loved ones we’re seeing more alcohol consumption and people who are at the real risk right now and not just older adults but also young adults.” Watch the full interview here.