State of Mind
UBCO psych prof latest Top 40 Under 40 nominee
Currently, Shelly Ben-David is doing more hiking and less karaoke. “When my husband and I were living in New York City there just wasn’t much hiking, so we’re happy to now be able to get out on Kelowna’s trails,” said Ben-David.
“I love yoga and exercise. And I love karaoke too. There are lots of great karaoke places in New York, but I haven’t found an outlet in Kelowna yet.”
Ben-David spent nine years in New York, earning her masters in social work at Columbia University and then her Ph.D. in the same field from New York University.
All the while, she also worked with youth with early-stage psychosis and secured a research grant from the New York Community Trust Fund.
Psychosis is a severe mental disorder where thoughts and emotions are so impaired the sufferer loses contact with reality.
The disorder can often include depression, anxiety, delusion, social withdrawal, self-neglect, substance abuse and suicidal tendencies.
If caught early when it develops in teens or young adults, psychosis can be treated with a combination of though-and-behaviour-shaping therapies and medication.
Ben-David’s work and published pieces while at Columbia and NYU caught the eye of UBC Okanagan director of social work, John Graham.
“He recruited me for the assistant professor job at UBC Okanagan and supervisor at the Interprofessional Clinic where we train social work students and help 40 youth with moderate to severe disorders,” said Ben-David.
Graham is also the one who nominated Ben-David for Kelowna Top Forty Under 40.
“I’m flattered he thinks so highly of me,” she said.
“And, I’m very new to the university and Kelowna because I arrived here in July.”
While the move from New York to Kelowna is a contrast, Ben-David knew about Canada and Kelowna.
After all, she’s Canadian and earned her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Toronto.
Ben-David’s work at the Interprofessional Clinic is all about catching psychosis in youth early and cooperating with the patient and their family for the best treatments and outcomes.
“There’s so much stigma attached to mental health that it’s difficult to get young people engaged with services and treatment,” she said.
“If we can get youth to care about their treatment and outcomes we can definitely reduce the severity of psychosis. If caught and treated early with a combination of therapy and medication then 20 to 40 per cent will develop a psychotic disorder, but the majority will have reduced severity.”
Treatment includes cognitive behaviour therapy where negative thoughts and behaviours are modified for the better.
For instance, if a youth feels they are useless or so despondent they can’t get out of bed, Ben-David suggests they remember a time when they felt good about himself or herself or when they hopped out of bed no problem.
By reinforcing those positive memories, reality is more likely to mirror them.
“Medication is usually part of the solution, but we try not to rely on anti-psychotics too much,” she said.
“Youth mental health is a huge topic right now. We can use the discussion to take the stigma out of it and help youth get the treatment they need.”