The following are excerpts from the interview, slightly edited for content and clarity.
Q. What are you researching on and what do you think is the most important advice we should keep in mind?
Shear: When people die, they leave behind people who suffer enormously and who have a very high rate of mental disorders, particularly when the death occurs in the way that is does with the virus. So, that is my work centered on helping people who really can’t get past grief. That’s what I’ve done for many years and what I am doing now. And I think it is really important to add that to the list of things to be concerned about this virus.
Q: What do you think is the most important tool for the people that we know who are experiencing this difficulty at home or in the work place, What would be the best way to deal with it now?
Shear: In the beginning, when you lose someone close, essentially, it is like an earthquake that shake the very foundation of your being. And then we move through that by basically finding way to accept the reality that loss. Main thing is to understand this is all very natural and to allow yourself to grieve in a way that you need to.
Q: What do you think is the thing people could do in order to calm down and face the reality?
Shear: Be compassionate to ourselves in feeling this thing. And also to stay calm in the moment and not to overdo it, either, not to sort of catastrophize about all the things that could go wrong. Try to stay in the present and to remember that even though things are still not looking so good in New York, they are better than they were few weeks ago. And we need to support one another, reach out to other people to help them and to let them help us.
Q: How to go through difficult situation from research perspective?
Shear: We are talking about having to manage painful emotions. Name what you are feeling, and observe what you are feeling, from there you can do things like breathing exercises and physical exercises, that would help with acute anxiety.
