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Building Resilience in the New Year

Note from IMHR President

Andrew Skodol M.D.

Building Resilience in the New Year

Happy New Year! Along with the fulfillment of your new year's resolutions, I wish you a resilient year. Resilience-the ability to adapt to stress, to regain balance after an adverse event and possibly even to come out of adversity stronger than before-has much to do with our health and well-being in life. Two of the best ways to promote resilience in your life this year are:

1) Focus on the positive. If you appreciate the good things about yourself, others and your life, you will build resilience. Sometimes this takes practice, but the long-term results are worth it.

2) Nurture your friendships. Resilience grows through supportive and caring relationships. Because our lives are busy, it is often difficult to make our relationships a priority. Yet, strong friendships are not only rewarding, they are a key element to building resilience and health.

For a scientific discussion and review of Resilience, visit Resilience.

I wish you much health and well-being in the coming year!

Did You Know?

IMHR provides seed grants to Arizona scientists to fuel new scientific research in mental health and attract outside grant and commercial funding to Arizona.

A Five to One Return on Investment

Over the past three years, IMHR has invested $800,000 in 29 seed grants, which IMHR-funded scientists have leveraged into almost $4 million in additional outside funding. This is an impressive five to one return on the dollars invested by the Institute.

 Record Number of Seed Grant Applications Received

In 2006, IMHR received 13 grant applications. In 2007, IMHR received an unprecedented 29 seed grant applications. The Institute also saw a broader range of research topics as well as institutions requesting IMHR seed money. Beyond the Arizona State University and University of Arizona Psychology Departments, mental health research proposals were received from institutions like the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center and the UA College of Public Health. Awardees will be announced in the first quarter of 2008.

IMHR Accomplishments in 2007

Grants Funded

IMHR funded six seed grants in 2007, including cutting-edge research in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Alzheimer's Disorder. For a full list of grant recipients and their research topics Latest Research.

Teen Suicide Prevention Workshops

IMHR brought Dr. Madelyn Gould, the nation's foremost expert on teen suicide prevention, an advisor to the Surgeon General on the topic, to Arizona for free workshops with school counselors and administrators. The very latest research and strategies for teen suicide prevention were presented and discussed with professionals on the front-lines in our schools.

A critical review of ten years of research on youth suicide is available in Dr. Gould's article "Youth Suicide Risk and Preventive Interventions: A Review of the Past 10 years" in the April 2003 edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at http://www.jaacap.com/pt/re/jaacap/home.htm.

Personality Disorders Conference

IMHR hosted a well-received conference on Personality Disorders, including presentations by the nation's experts in this area. Personality Disorders are considered one of the most difficult of mental illnesses to diagnose and treat. The conference was attended by over 100 Arizona mental health professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors. For a full agenda, including speeches and topics, click here.

Donna Bender Ph.D. Recruited to Arizona

Dr. Donna Bender joined IMHR as Research Director in June 2007. She is also Research Associate Professor at University of Arizona, Department of Psychiatry and Co-Principal Investigator and Director of Training for the NIMH-funded Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study.  She is serving on the DSM-V Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group, and is on the faculty of the Arizona Center for Psychoanalytic Studies. Dr. Bender's work on personality disorders has been published in a number psychiatric and psychology journals and the American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Personality Disorders.

Dr. Bender received a doctorate in clinical psychology from Columbia University, and postdoctoral certification as a psychoanalyst from the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research.

In addition to her research on personality disorders and treatment, Dr. Bender has maintained a private practice for many years in adult psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.

Dr. Skodol Gives Keynote Speech at 2007 Health Care Heroes Awards Breakfast

Last fall, IMHR President Dr. Andrew Skodol was asked to give the keynote speech at the Business Journal's 2007 Healthcare Heroes Awards. Dr. Skodol highlighted that Arizona is the fastest growing state in the United States, and that Phoenix tops the nation in projected increase in the number of births from 2005-2010. As our hospitals and schools gear up for this boom, we must also address the mental illness and mental health issues that this increase in population will bring. Illnesses such as Autism, Alzheimer's Disease and Depression will most certainly increase along with our population.

Dr. Skodol stressed the importance of Arizona business, state government, academia and concerned community members coming together to work towards cures for mental illness, to promote better mental health and further build Arizona's healthcare and scientific future. He also highlighted cutting-edge mental health research happening across Arizona.

For a copy of Dr. Skodol's well-received speech click here.