ABSTRACT
The Introduction describes the significance of the “screen,” both to Dr. Friedberg’s practice (since the onset of the pandemic) and to the book. In this sense, it establishes the paradox that the book explores, i.e. how a psychiatrist can engage a patient in intimate discussion even while neither party can share the intimacy of the same physical space. The Introduction also examines the types of stress (e.g. acute and chronic) that patients encounter over the course of the pandemic, and explains how each Part of the book will deal with stress at somewhat different points along the arc of the pandemic. In this regard, it examines uncertainty as a constant source of stress. Finally, it alerts readers to the major themes of the book: the need for and practical possibility of hope, and the ways that we can sustain resilience even in a radically changing environment.
