But You LOOK Healthy: Mental Health & CF
With Anna Georgiopoulos, MD
In this episode of It’s a Lung Story, we dive into the complex relationship between mental health and cystic fibrosis. Joined by Dr. Anna Georgiopoulos, a psychiatrist at Mass General Brigham and an expert in CF mental health, we explore how medical advancements have transformed physical health without always improving mental well-being, the emotional challenges of aging with CF, and the evolving dynamics of caregiver relationships.
Dr. Georgiopoulos shares insights from groundbreaking research, including the upcoming RETRIAL study, which examines how newer CF modulators affect mental health. We also discuss survivor’s guilt from an unexpected angle, and the reality that looking healthy doesn’t mean living without struggle.
We’ll also talk about cheating on mental health screenings, dancing with our dogs, and the evolution of swear words in Taylor Swift's discography. Mental health is serious—but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a bit of fun along the way.
Dr. Georgiopoulos has served as consulting child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at the Massachusetts General Hospital CF Center since 2005. She is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and leads clinical trials in CF mental health and palliative care. Dr. Georgiopoulos is chair of the CF Foundation Prioritizing Research in Mental Health (PRIME) working group, chair of education and training for the CF Foundation Mental Health Advisory Committee, and US liaison to the European CF Mental Health in the Era of CFTR Modulators Working Group.
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