#COVID-19 effects on mental health

[livingwellnessblog]

Understanding OCD: Beyond Cleanliness and Perfection

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a complex mental health condition often oversimplified. Beyond the common themes like contamination or perfectionism, there exists a spectrum of obsessions and compulsions.

Understanding OCD: Beyond Cleanliness and Perfection Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that often gets reduced to stereotypes of excessive cleanliness and organization. While these aspects do represent a subtype of OCD, this disorder is far more complex, with a range of lesser-known themes that impact individuals profoundly. What is an OCD Theme? In essence, OCD…

[reasonsforhope]

"Millions of Australians just got official permission to ignore their bosses outside of working hours, thanks to a new law enshrining their "right to disconnect."

The law doesn't strictly prohibit employers from calling or messaging their workers after hours. But it does protect employees who "refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact or attempted contact outside their working hours, unless their refusal is unreasonable," according to the Fair Work Commission, Australia's workplace relations tribunal.

That includes outreach from their employer, as well as other people "if the contact or attempted contact is work-related."

The law, which passed in February, took effect on Monday [August 26, 2024] for most workers and will apply to small businesses of fewer than 15 people starting in August 2025. It adds Australia to a growing list of countries aiming to protect workers' free time.

"It's really about trying to bring back some work-life balance and make sure that people aren't racking up hours of unpaid overtime for checking emails and responding to things at a time when they're not being paid," said Sen. Murray Watt, Australia's minister for employment and workplace relations.

The law doesn't give employees a complete pass, however...

"If it was an emergency situation, of course people would expect an employee to respond to something like that," Watt said. "But if it's a run-of-the-mill thing … then they should wait till the next work day, so that people can actually enjoy their private lives, enjoy time with their family and their friends, play sport or whatever they want to do after hours, without feeling like they're chained to the desk at a time when they're not actually being paid, because that's just not fair."

Protections aim to address erosion of work-life balance

The law's supporters hope it will help solidify the boundary between the personal and the professional, which has become increasingly blurry with the rise of remote work since the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 2022 survey by the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute, a public policy think tank, found that seven out of 10 Australians performed work outside of scheduled working hours, with many reporting experiencing physical tiredness, stress and anxiety as a result.

The following year, the institute reported that Australians clocked an average of 281 hours of unpaid overtime in 2023. Valuing that labor at average wage rates, it estimated the average worker is losing the equivalent of nearly $7,500 U.S. dollars each year.

"This is particularly concerning when worker's share of national income remains at a historically low level, wage growth is not keeping up with inflation, and the cost of living is rising," it added.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions hailed the new law as a "cost-of-living win for working people," especially those in industries like teaching, community services and administrative work.

The right to disconnect, it said, will not only cut down on Australians' unpaid work hours but also address the "growing crisis of increasing mental health illness and injuries in modern workplaces."

"More money in your pocket, more time with your loved ones and more freedom to live your life — that's what the right to disconnect is all about," ACTU President Michele O’Neil said in a statement.

The 2022 Australia Institute survey... found broad support for a right to disconnect.

Only 9% of respondents said such a policy would not positively affect their lives. And the rest cited a slew of positive effects, from having more social and family time to improved mental health and job satisfaction. Thirty percent of respondents said it would enable them to be more productive during work hours.

Eurofound, the European Union agency for the improvement of living and working conditions, said in a 2023 study that workers at companies with a right to disconnect policy reported better work-life balance than those without — 92% versus 80%."

-via GoodGoodGood, August 26, 2024

[jannwrites]

Alternative readings for The Body Keeps the Score

hi, i'm a practicing mental health therapist and a writer here on tumblr dot com. the body keeps the score by dr. bessel van der kolk has a couple issues with it, primarily in the author's very much cishet male eurocentric approach to trauma and the graphic nature of the book. here's a list of some books about trauma that i've found preferable to the body keeps the score in addressing trauma and how the body holds onto trauma. i've included pdf links for ones i could find:

HEALING TRAUMA by peter a. levine. this one is a far less denser read than the body keeps the score while still providing solid education on trauma symptomatology. it even comes with mp3 access to exercises to address somatic symptoms.

MY GRANDMOTHER'S HANDS by resmaa menakem. this one discusses how racism in america is ingrained in our society and how intergenerational racial trauma is ingrained in our bodies.

INFLAMED by rupa marya & raj patel. this was written in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the structural injustices in medicine that caused so many racial disparities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how trauma caused by our political systems affect the different systems of the body.

THE POLITICS OF TRAUMA: SOMATICS, HEALING, & SOCIAL JUSTICE by staci haines. a great read on how trauma is not just an individual problem but a societal problem, and how to integrate trauma work into society at large.

TRAUMA & RECOVERY by judith l. herman. this is a classic in the therapy field and really set the tone for our modern approaches to trauma treatment. the pdf linked is the first edition of the book but it has since been updated as we learn more about complex trauma.

THE BODY NEVER LIES: THE LINGERING EFFECTS OF CRUEL PARENTING by alice miller. what it says on the tin: this book covers the effects of trauma inflicted by parents on the body and the brain.

cheers, and happy reading!

[halorvic]

The danger is clear and present: COVID isn’t merely a respiratory illness; it’s a multi-dimensional threat impacting brain function, attacking almost all of the body’s organs, producing elevated risks of all kinds, and weakening our ability to fight off other diseases. Reinfections are thought to produce cumulative risks, and Long COVID is on the rise. Unfortunately, Long COVID is now being considered a long-term chronic illness — something many people will never fully recover from. Dr. Phillip Alvelda, a former program manager in DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office that pioneered the synthetic biology industry and the development of mRNA vaccine technology, is the founder of Medio Labs, a COVID diagnostic testing company. He has stepped forward as a strong critic of government COVID management, accusing health agencies of inadequacy and even deception. Alvelda is pushing for accountability and immediate action to tackle Long COVID and fend off future pandemics with stronger public health strategies. Contrary to public belief, he warns, COVID is not like the flu. New variants evolve much faster, making annual shots inadequate. He believes that if things continue as they are, with new COVID variants emerging and reinfections happening rapidly, the majority of Americans may eventually grapple with some form of Long COVID. Let’s repeat that: At the current rate of infection, most Americans may get Long COVID.

[...]

LP: A recent JAMA study found that US adults with Long COVID are more prone to depression and anxiety – and they’re struggling to afford treatment. Given the virus’s impact on the brain, I guess the link to mental health issues isn’t surprising. PA: There are all kinds of weird things going on that could be related to COVID’s cognitive effects. I’ll give you an example. We’ve noticed since the start of the pandemic that accidents are increasing. A report published by TRIP, a transportation research nonprofit, found that traffic fatalities in California increased by 22% from 2019 to 2022. They also found the likelihood of being killed in a traffic crash increased by 28% over that period. Other data, like studies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, came to similar conclusions, reporting that traffic fatalities hit a 16-year high across the country in 2021. The TRIP report also looked at traffic fatalities on a national level and found that traffic fatalities increased by 19%. LP: What role might COVID play? PA: Research points to the various ways COVID attacks the brain. Some people who have been infected have suffered motor control damage, and that could be a factor in car crashes. News is beginning to emerge about other ways COVID impacts driving. For example, in Ireland, a driver’s COVID-related brain fog was linked to a crash that killed an elderly couple. Damage from COVID could be affecting people who are flying our planes, too. We’ve had pilots that had to quit because they couldn’t control the airplanes anymore. We know that medical events among U.S. military pilots were shown to have risen over 1,700% from 2019 to 2022, which the Pentagon attributes to the virus.

[...]

LP: You’ve criticized the track record of the CDC and the WHO – particularly their stubborn denial that COVID is airborne. PA: They knew the dangers of airborne transmission but refused to admit it for too long. They were warned repeatedly by scientists who studied aerosols. They instituted protections for themselves and for their kids against airborne transmission, but they didn’t tell the rest of us to do that.

[...]

LP: How would you grade Biden on how he’s handled the pandemic? PA: I’d give him an F. In some ways, he fails worse than Trump because more people have actually died from COVID on his watch than on Trump’s, though blame has to be shared with Republican governors and legislators who picked ideological fights opposing things like responsible masking, testing, vaccination, and ventilation improvements for partisan reasons. Biden’s administration has continued to promote the false idea that the vaccine is all that is needed, perpetuating the notion that the pandemic is over and you don’t need to do anything about it. Biden stopped the funding for surveillance and he stopped the funding for renewing vaccine advancement research. Trump allowed 400,000 people to die unnecessarily. The Biden administration policies have allowed more than 800,000 to 900,000 and counting.

[...]

LP: The situation with bird flu is certainly getting more concerning with the CDC confirming that a third person in the U.S. has tested positive after being exposed to infected cows. PA: Unfortunately, we’re repeating many of the same mistakes because we now know that the bird flu has made the jump to several species. The most important one now, of course, is the dairy cows. The dairy farmers have been refusing to let the government come in and inspect and test the cows. A team from Ohio State tested milk from a supermarket and found that 50% of the milk they tested was positive for bird flu viral particles.

[...]

PA: There’s a serious risk now in allowing the virus to freely evolve within the cow population. Each cow acts as a breeding ground for countless genetic mutations, potentially leading to strains capable of jumping to other species. If any of those countless genetic experiments within each cow prove successful in developing a strain transmissible to humans, we could face another pandemic – only this one could have a 58% death rate. Did you see the movie “Contagion?” It was remarkably accurate in its apocalyptic nature. And that virus only had a 20% death rate. If the bird flu makes the jump to human-to-human transition with even half of its current lethality, that would be disastrous.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Please follow the link to view the whole 24 minute segment. It's quite enlightening (whenever Issac Bogoch isn't yapping, that is.)

Reference archived on our website

It was more than four years ago when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic and the world shut down. Now, things have largely returned to the way they were, but the virus still remains. How dangerous is COVID-19 today? And have people forgotten that the disease poses health risks and some are still feeling the effects of poor mental health? For insight, The Agenda welcomes: Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist at the Toronto General Hospital; Dawn Bowdish, executive irector at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health and professor of medicine at McMaster University; and Kwame McKenzie CEO, Wellesley Institute and director of health equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

[cozybearz]

I’ve been wanting to make this post for a bit. My friends have been dealing with housing insecurity and difficulty covering living expenses for them and their two dogs for a few months now, they are both immunocompromised, at high risk for Covid, and under a lot of stress daily. If you can donate to them either directly and/or through their fundraiser, and also share this post, it would be so greatly appreciated

heres the fundraiser link, and direct donations are also super helpful and needed

Cashapp: $LelandChazen

Venmo: artbydykes

(description from their fundraiser page explaining their situation below)

“Hi everyone! I’m Leland. My wife’s name is Eve and we have two sweet dogs named Rickie and Ralphy. We live in a travel trailer near Astoria, Oregon.

Eve and I are both immunocompromised and high risk for contracting Covid-19. This would likely prove fatal for me and cause Eve to have long lasting health effects.

Unfortunately, I lost my job working for Trans Lifeline as a Crisis Hotline Operator in December 2023. It was a remote job that I loved very much. The organization furloughed and fired direct service workers rather than the folks that are making six figures (who have let the organization down greatly.)

Hotline Operators are peer support workers who take calls from Trans folks in crisis—some are suicidal or are in the act of committing suicide. It’s a very hard job. Unfortunately, we are the most underpaid staff within the organization. It is nearly impossible to have a savings account when you’re trying to make sure your bills are paid and you have food on the table.

By firing the most important, yet vulnerable staff, Trans Lifeline knew they were putting Trans employees in dire situations.

I have to work remotely to keep myself safe. Since I was fired in December, I have been applying to jobs daily. It is incredibly hard to find remote work.

Since losing my job, Eve and I lost our housing, forcing us to live in a travel trailer which has been a very difficult situation. We have had flooding leading us to be without running water and a working toilet. On top of that, the trailer was incredibly moldy, which was a blow to both of our immune systems.

We cannot afford basic necessities, our vital medical prescriptions, doctors appointments, dog food, gas and masks.

We are now two months behind on our car payment and a month behind on our trailer payment.

To make matters worse, a few days ago our tire flew off of our truck. Luckily, we were unharmed, but we are without a safe, working vehicle that we rely on, as we live in the woods. Nothing is within walking distance.

The stress this has caused is severe. It has exacerbated my chronic illness symptoms and my mental health is suffering.

We are at risk of having both our car and home repossessed.

I am still waiting on unemployment. However, $1000/month does not cover our expenses. It doesn’t come close.

Please help us stay afloat for the next few months, as I desperately try to find a new job.

❤️,

Leland and Eve”

[f1-birb]

ugh those "oscar" fans (in inverted commas bc as i said to you the other day i don't believe they're real oscar fans - easy to tell from the fact they invariably have certain other drivers' numbers in their bios that are "coincidetally" the fanbases who cannot leave lando alone).

they've even recently tried 'lando doesn't care about mental health, he never posts about it, x,y,z driver posts about it more'. no, he doesn't post shallow tweets occasionally paying lip service to it, nor does he do 'i went to discover what this mental health thing is all about' pr drivel like certain others do on the odd occasion they remember they claimed to care about it.

instead he has put his efforts into effecting real change where he can irl. he talks honestly and frankly about his own ongoing struggles on live tv and in interviews like the one he did with jon last year. it's well-known how much impact famous young men speaking openly about their struggles has on other young men who are struggling, a group who have such a high rate of mh issues and suicide. like your other anon said, by being open and honest he steered mclaren toward taking mh seriously starting when he was only 19 years old, is the reason they were the one team that got their team members proper mh support during covid, is the reason they have the partnership with mind, and his work bts has led to them now having a trackside psychologist for the team and having recently hired a second, have a proper mental wellbeing team at the mtc. he is one of only two drivers who spoke out in the media as far back as 2021 about the worry of the mh impact of the increased calendar on the trackside teams, zak has also said lando spoke to him about his concerns for the crew and that was one of the things that made him act accordingly - mclaren started rotating their trackside team as far back as early 2022, increasing that more through 2022 & 2023, since early last year have been running test sessions to train new engineers and mechanics so they can be added to the rotation and have recently completed another round of recruitment for working toward them having 3 people in every position that they can rotate across the year to give their staff a proper rest. a couple of people who work at mclaren have also said that lando took it on himself to talk with them and care about them when he heard on the grapevine they were struggling and i doubt they're the only ones he's done that with. he has used his position to push for change & lead by example in the place he is most able to, his own workplace, where it has had a real and meaningful impact on people's lives. and that has spread out across the paddock with other teams starting to follow mclaren's lead. (seb also had a similar impact on mh work within aston martin once he joined them in 2021) it is so much more than lip service or a bit of pr. effecting change is not about how much you post about something on social media.

a lot of people don't realise how much he's done within mclaren because he doesn't blow his own trumpet about it 24/7 but zak, andrea and other team members have let out bits here and there about how much he really cares. andrea has also spoken at length about how much lando did to help him keep the team's spirits up in 2023 when things were bad (and andreas seidl said the same of him in 2022). there is also someone who works at the mtc who posts in the mclaren sub on reddit occasionally who said early last year that whenever lando was at the mtc he took the time to go around every single department individually and talk to them and encourage them and thank them for all their efforts and assure them things would come good, and the mclaren guy said how much that meant to people who work there. (he posted in response to some fans saying lando must make mclaren workers feel like shit because he talks in interview about the car being bad)

also oscar going to the great barrier reef is fantastic. i'd imagine they reached out to him to help with awareness and he was very happy to do so while he was able to be in australia for a while. he and lily were in queensland over the break (he posted a pic of them in noosa) so maybe he got talking to people then that made him want to be involved. and honestly how dare those "fans" turn it into something to bash lando with instead of recognising the great initiative oscar himself has taken and the platform for awareness of the work being done there that it is.

sorry this is really long. these people make me go into rant mode every time.

anon I knew all of that and you still made my eyeballs very very wet 🥺

no notes, this is perfect

and what you said about Oscar echoes what I said before, using things to bring down Lando diminishes the praise for Oscar

like celebrate what Oscar is doing and has done, let him have that without having to bring up other people

[darkmaga-returns]

If it had not come from a government report I would have had difficulty believing this horrifying case history.

Aaron Kheriaty, MD

Nov 01, 2024

According to a recent report (see page 13) from the Chief Coroner’s office of Ontario, a patient with mental health conditions, including severe depression and PTSD, and a covid vaccine injury was euthanized in Canada, instead of receiving treatment for his physical and mental disorders. This case report shows how the Canadian healthcare system abandoned a suicidal patient in need of real medical and psychiatric care (in Canada, euthanasia is euphemistically termed Medical Assistance in Dying [MAiD]):

Mr. A was a male in his late 40s who experienced suffering and functional decline following three vaccinations for SARS-Cov-2. He received multiple expert consultations, with extensive clinical testing completed without determinate diagnostic results. Amongst his multiple specialists, no unifying diagnosis was confirmed. He had a significant mental health history, including depression and trauma experiences. While navigating his physical symptoms, Mr. A was admitted to hospital with intrusive thoughts of dying. Psychiatrists presented concerns of an adjustment disorder, depression with possible psychotic symptoms, and illness anxiety/somatic symptom disorder. During a second occurrence of suicidal ideation, Mr. A was involuntarily hospitalized. During this hospitalization, post-traumatic stress disorder was thought to be significantly contributing to his symptoms. He received inpatient psychiatric treatment and care through a specialist team. He was also diagnosed with cluster B and C personality traits. The MAiD assessors opined that the most reasonable diagnosis for Mr. A’s clinical presentation (severe functional decline) was a post-vaccine syndrome, in keeping with chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis. No pathological findings were found at the time of post-mortem examination. The cause of death following post-mortem examination was provided as post COVID-19 vaccination.

This case report was brought to my attention by my colleague Alexander Raikin at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, who is carefully documenting the concerning developments of the euthanasia regime in Canada. As he explains, “In just six years, the number of deaths from euthanasia or MAiD increased thirteenfold, from 1,018 deaths in 2016 to over 13,200 deaths in 2022. More Canadians die by euthanasia than from liver disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, or pneumonia. In fact, MAiD is now effectively tied as the fifth leading cause of death in the country.” Nearly one in twenty deaths in Canada is now by Euthanasia. If you are interested in more on this topic I recommend this recent interview and this article by Raikin (or this longer report for those who want a deeper dive).

[evidence-based-activism]

This has been on my mind a lot lately, but I couldn't find anything about this. I saw a data that says young people regardless of gender feel more lonely especially after covid. But articles everywhere describe the phenomenon as male loneliness epidemic. Is it true that loneliness affect men more than women?

Yes, I've noticed this as well! (It's definitely frustrating!)

In short, no, women and men experience similar amounts of loneliness. (Therefore, it should simply be a "loneliness epidemic" not a "male loneliness epidemic".)

First:

A pre-covid meta-analysis [1] concluded that "across the lifespan mean levels of loneliness are similar for males and females". This is a robust finding because a meta-analysis synthesizes the results from many different studies; this one covered 39 years, 45 countries, and a wide range of other demographic factors from a total of 575 reports (751 effect sizes).

An interesting longitudinal study [2] used both indirect and direct measures of loneliness and (essentially) found no significant effect of sex. (But there were some interesting interaction effects between sex and age or sex and loneliness measure, if you want to look at the study!)

This literature review [3] states that "sex differences in loneliness are dependent on what type of loneliness is measured and how" and it's possible sex only "correlates with other factors that then impact loneliness directly". The first quote here is referring to similar sex-age/sex-measurement interactions found in [2].

During/after the COVID-19 pandemic however:

The earlier review [3] stated that "most studies found that women were lonelier or experienced higher increases in loneliness than men with both direct and indirect measures", but this may be a result of participant selection bias during the pandemic.

That being said, both a rapid review [4] and a systematic review and meta-analysis [5] found that women were either more or equally likely to report loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, the Pew Research Center has collected some relevant data:

Prior to the pandemic, 10% of both men and women in the USA reported feeling lonely all or most of the time [6].

And while this doesn't measure loneliness directly, 48% of women and 32% of men in the USA reported high levels of psychological distress at least once during the pandemic [7].

References below the cut:

Maes, M., Qualter, P., Vanhalst, J., Van Den Noortgate, W., & Goossens, L. (2019). Gender differences in loneliness across the lifespan: A meta–analysis. European Journal of Personality, 33(6), 642–654. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2220

Von Soest, T., Luhmann, M., Hansen, T., & Gerstorf, D. (2020). Development of loneliness in midlife and old age: Its nature and correlates. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 118(2), 388–406. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000219

Barjaková, M., Garnero, A., & d’Hombres, B. (2023). Risk factors for loneliness: A literature review. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 334, 116163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116163

Pai, N., & Vella, S.-L. (2021). COVID-19 and loneliness: A rapid systematic review. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 55(12), 1144–1156. https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674211031489

Ernst, M., Niederer, D., Werner, A. M., Czaja, S. J., Mikton, C., Ong, A. D., Rosen, T., Brähler, E., & Beutel, M. E. (2022). Loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review with meta-analysis. American Psychologist, 77(5), 660–677. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001005

Bialik, K. (2018, December 3). Americans unhappy with family, social or financial life are more likely to say they feel lonely. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/12/03/americans-unhappy-with-family-social-or-financial-life-are-more-likely-to-say-they-feel-lonely/

Gramlich, J. (2023, March 2). Mental health and the pandemic: What U.S. surveys have found. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/03/02/mental-health-and-the-pandemic-what-u-s-surveys-have-found/

[lipstickmag]

Liam Payne, One Direction, and Fame

💋 Lipstick Magazine Issue 1 -- Oct 20, 2024 💋

⚠️ Reader discretion advised ⚠️

On October 16th, 2024 Liam Payne, former member of the famed boyband One Direction, died from a fall out of his hotel balcony in Argentina. Speculation and rumors have followed, but what does this loss and the events preceding tell us about the impact of fame on the mind?

One Direction

One Direction, or 1D, was formed in 2010 with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and of course, Liam Payne. Though the band was only complete in its members for five years, it quickly rose to popularity and became one of the biggest pop boybands in the world. In 2015, Zayn Malik departed, stating he wanted "to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight". In 2016, the group announced their indefinite hiatus.

Fame & Mental Health

In an interview with Men's Health Australia, Liam Payne said he began drinking to cope with fame. He went on to divulge his habit of getting drunk before going onstage, adding that he felt there was no other way to cope with it. His dependence on alcohol only worsened throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Payne also told Esquire Middle East that after One Direction's success, he developed severe social anxiety and almost never left his home.

The effect of fame on Payne's mental health was not exclusively benign. His ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, has consistently spoken up about the abuse and stalking she endured at his hand.

Death & Final Days

On October 2nd, Payne arrived in Argentina with his current girlfriend and his 6-year-old son, Bear. His girlfriend, Cassidy, left 12 days later while Payne stayed alone, telling social media that they were 'only supposed to be there for five days'. On October 16th, hotel staff made a call to authorities concerned by a guest confirmed to be Payne 'drunk with drugs and alcohol'. The caller described Payne trashing the hotel and destroying things. Pictures later released show the destroyed room and a significant amount of drugs littered about inside. He found dead an hour later, having fallen forty-five feet from his hotel balcony.

Final Thoughts

Many are lost on how to cope with and discuss these events, torn between the rightful acknowledgement of his conduct in life, and the sensitivity of the topic of alcoholism and potential suicide. The conclusion must be a healthy middle-- we can do both at once. In the meantime, it's important to discuss how this could have been prevented: would this never have happened if Liam Payne had never been a star in the first place? And what in 2000s-2010s Hollywood had such a dramatic effect on its stars?

If you liked this issue, please consider following for regular updates about all things pop culture. Reblogs, likes, and comments appreciated. 💋

[justinspoliticalcorner]

STEVE PEOPLES and LAURAN NEERGAARD at AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — If he wins next month’s election, Donald Trump would be the oldest person in U.S. history to be elected president. Yet the 78-year-old Republican nominee refuses to disclose new details about his physical or mental well-being, breaking decades of precedent. There have been limited snapshots of Trump’s health over the last year. After he survived an attempted assassination in July, Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, a staunch supporter who served as his White House physician, wrote a memo describing a gunshot wound to Trump’s right ear. And last November, Trump’s personal physician, Dr. Bruce Aronwald, wrote a letter describing him as being in “excellent” health with “exceptional” cognitive exams. He noted that “cardiovascular studies are all normal and cancer screening tests” were negative. Trump had also “reduced his weight.” But those communications didn’t address more fundamental questions about Trump’s health, including his blood pressure, exact weight or whether he has continued using previously prescribed medication for high cholesterol — or even what testing he underwent. His campaign has also not disclosed whether Trump has been diagnosed with any diseases or received any mental health care after the assassination attempt.

That’s giving his political adversaries, including Democratic rival Kamala Harris, an opportunity to raise questions about his age and ability to execute the duties of the presidency into his 80s. “It makes you wonder: Why does his staff want him to hide away?” Harris asked recently as she needled Trump for withholding medical records, opting against another debate and skipping an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes.” “One must question: Are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America? Is that what’s going on?” Trump’s doctors have long been opaque about his health, such as when his team at the White House initially downplayed the severity of his 2020 hospitalization for COVID-19.

[...]

Drawing a contrast with Trump

In an effort to draw a contrast with Trump, Harris released a letter from her doctor on Saturday that went into far more detail about her medical history, including a list of exams and the results. The letter said she has no heart, lung or neurological disorders, is at low risk for heart disease and up-to-date on cancer screenings. She takes medication for allergies and hives. She wears contact lenses, and her only surgery occurred at age 3, when her appendix was removed during an intestinal-related procedure. While the letter didn’t specify her weight, the 59-year-old vice president was declared to be in “excellent health” and to possess “the physical and mental resiliency” required to serve as president. Sensing an opportunity to put Trump on the defensive, the Harris campaign on Monday released a letter from more than 250 doctors and other medical professionals calling on Trump to release his medical records.

Still, it’s unclear that age will be a significant factor for voters. Polls found that voters were significantly less concerned about Trump’s mental capacity and physical health than they were about President Joe Biden’s when he was still in the race. Since Harris replaced Biden on the ticket, Trump’s advantage on the issue has diminished.

The AP bringing straight facts about Dementia Donald’s hiding of vital health details and how that would effect his 2nd term, which would effectively be a J.D. Vance Presidency.

A vote for Trump is essentially a vote to make Vance President, so vote Kamala Harris if you want a healthy leader in office.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Lucy Bannerman, James Beal, Eleanor Hayward

Published: Apr 10, 2024

The report should be the final nail in the coffin of Gids, the clinic that told thousands of children they were transgender

In 2009 the NHS’s gender identity ­development service (Gids) saw fewer than 50 children a year. Since then ­demand has increased a hundredfold, with more than 5,000 seeking help in 2021-22.

The sudden increase has gone hand in hand with the adoption of a model of “gender-affirming” care, which puts children on a life-altering path of hormone treatment. Services have been left overwhelmed, with vulnerable young people clamouring for medical interventions to help them change gender — despite a lack of evidence over the long-term effects.

It was against this backdrop that Dr Hilary Cass was commissioned in 2020 to examine the state of NHS services for children identifying as trans. Her final report, published on Wednesday, delivers a damning verdict on the medical path thousands of children have been sent down. It marks a turning point in years of bitter debate over how to help this distressed group of young people, confirming a shift towards a holistic model that takes into account the wider social and mental health problems driving the rise in demand.

Gen Z and online porn

The Cass report shines a light on the biggest unanswered question over transgender healthcare: why are so many Gen Z women suddenly wanting to change gender?

Cass paints an alarming picture of an anxious and distressed generation of digitally savvy young women and girls, who not only are more exposed to online pornography and the wider problems of the world than any previous generation but also consume more social media and have lower self-esteem and more body hang-ups than their male peers.

When Gids opened in 1989, it treated fewer than ten people each year, mostly males with a long history of gender ­distress. In 2009 it treated 15 adolescent girls. By 2016 that figure had shot up to 1,071.

Cass concludes that such a sudden rise in such a short time cannot be explained alone by greater acceptance of trans identities, which “does not adequately explain” the switch in patient profiles from predominantly male to female. She also says greater investigation of the “consumption of online pornography and gender dysphoria is needed”, pointing to youngsters’ increasingly early exposure to “frequently violent” online material that can have a harmful impact on their self- esteem and body image.

Gen Z is defined as those born between 1995 and 2009. Rather than focusing on the issue of gender in isolation, Cass looked at the context in which adolescents today, who have “grown up with unprecedented online access”, are experiencing such a disproportionate crisis over their gender.

“Generation Z is the generation in which the numbers seeking support from the NHS around their gender identity have increased, so it is important to have some understanding of their experiences and influences,” she writes. “In terms of broader context, Generation Z and Generation Alpha (those born since 2010) have grown up through a global recession, concerns about climate change and most recently the Covid-19 pandemic. Global connectivity has meant that as well as the advantages of international peer networks, they are much more exposed to worries about global threats.”

The report also focuses on 2014, when female referrals to Gids accelerated. Although this is not mentioned, 2014 was the year that CBBC, for example, broadcast I Am Leo, a video-diary-style documentary, to an audience of to 6 to 12-year-olds, showing the positive personal journey of a child who transitioned from female to male.

Throughout almost 400 pages, Cass argues that the gender-related issues of young patients should be treated in the same context as the wider mental health issues facing their entire generation. “The striking increase in young people presenting with gender incongruence/dysphoria needs to be considered within the context of poor mental health and emotional distress among the broader adolescent population, particularly given their high rates of co-existing mental health problems and neurodiversity.” Cass calls for more research into the “complex interplay” between these issues and a teenager’s sudden desire to change gender.

Lack of evidence for medical pathway

Rather than affirming children’s gender identity with medical treatment, the report calls for a holistic approach that examines the causes of their distress. It finds that, despite being incorporated into medical guidelines around the world, the use of “gender-affirming” medical treatment such as puberty blockers is based on “wholly inadequate” evidence. Doctors are cautious when adopting new treatments, but Cass says “quite the reverse happened in the field of gender care for children”, with thousands of children put on an unproven medical pathway.

Cass says gender care is “an area of remarkably weak evidence” and that results of studies “are exaggerated or misrepresented by people on all sides of the debate”. She adds: “The reality is that we have no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress.”

The report finds that treatment on the NHS since 2011 has largely been informed by two sets of international guidelines, drawn up by the Endocrine Society and the World Professional Association of Transgender Healthcare (WPATH), but that these lack scientific rigour. The WPATH has been “highly influential in directing international practice, although its guidelines were found by the University of York’s appraisal to lack developmental rigour and transparency”, Cass says.

The report says the NHS must work to improve the evidence base.

Mental health

Mental health issues could be presenting as gender-related distress. Children and young people referred to specialist gender services have higher rates of mental health difficulties than the general population. This includes rates of depression, anxiety and eating dis­orders. Some research studies have suggested transgender people are three to six times more likely to be autistic than the general population, with age and educational attainment taken into account.

Therefore, the report says that the striking increase in young people ­presenting with gender dysphoria needs to be considered within the context of rising levels of poor mental health.

The increase in gender clinic patients “has to some degree paralleled” the deterioration in child and adolescent mental health, it finds. Mental distress, the report says, can present through physical manifestations, such as eating disorders or body dysmorphic disorders. Clinicians were often reluctant to explore or address co-occurring mental health issues in those presenting with gender distress, the report finds. This was because gender dysphoria was not considered to be a mental health ­condition.

The report finds that, compared with the general population, young people referred to gender services had higher rates of neglect; physical, sexual or emotional abuse; parental mental illness or substance abuse; exposure to domestic violence; and loss of a parent through death or abandonment.

Puberty blockers

The report says there was “no evidence” puberty blockers allowed young people “time to think” by delaying the onset of puberty — which was the original rationale for their use. It finds the vast majority of those who start puberty suppression continued on to cross-sex hormones, particularly if they started earlier in puberty.

There was insufficient and inconsistent evidence about the effects of puberty suppression on psychological or psychosocial health, it says, and some young females had a worsening of problems like depression and anxiety.

Cass says there is “some concern” that puberty blockers may actually change “the trajectory of psychosexual and gender identity development”.

Her report warns that blocking the chronological age and sex hormones released during puberty “could have a range of unintended and as yet unidentified consequences”.

It describes adolescence as a time of “identity development, sexual development, sexual fluidity and experimentation”. The report says “blocking” this meant young people had to understand identity and sexuality based only on their discomfort about puberty and an early sense of their gender. Therefore, it adds, there is “no way of knowing” whether the normal trajectory of someone’s sexual and gender identity “may be permanently altered”.

Brain maturation may also be “temporarily or permanently disrupted” by the use of puberty blockers, it says. This could have a significant impact on a young person’s ability to make “complex risk-laden decisions”, as well as possible long-term neuropsychological consequences.

The report highlights the “concern” of young people remaining on puberty blockers into adulthood — sometimes into their mid-twenties. This is partly because some “wish to continue as non-binary” and partly because of ongoing gender indecision, the report says.

Cass adds: “Puberty suppression was never intended to continue for extended periods.”

The report finds young adults who had been discharged from Gids ­“remained on puberty blockers into their early to mid twenties”. A review of audit data suggested 177 patients were discharged while on puberty blockers.

Cass says the review “raised this with NHS England and Gids”, citing the unknown impact of use over an extended period. “The detrimental impact to bone density alone makes this concerning”, the report adds.

A Dutch study originally suggested that puberty blockers might improve psychological wellbeing for a narrow group of children with gender issues.

Following this, the practice “spread at pace to other countries” and in 2011 the UK trialled the use of puberty blockers in an early intervention study.

The results were not formally published until 2020, at which time it showed there was a lack of any positive measurable outcomes. It also found that 98 per cent of people had proceeded to take cross-sex hormones.

Despite this, from 2014 puberty blockers moved from a research-only protocol to being available in routine clinical practice. “The rationale for this is unclear,” the report says.

Puberty blockers were then given to a wider range of adolescents, it says, including patients with no history of gender issues before puberty and those with neurodiversity and complex mental health issues. Clinical practice, Cass found, appeared to have “deviated” from the parameters originally set.

Overall, the report concludes there was a “very narrow ­indication” for the use of puberty blockers in males to stop irreversible ­pubertal changes, while other benefits remained unproven.

It says there were “clearly lessons to be learnt by everyone”.

Social transition

The report concludes it was “possible” that social transition, including the changing of a child’s name and pronouns, may change the trajectory of their gender development. It finds “no clear evidence” social transitioning in childhood has any positive or negative mental health effects, but that children who socially transitioned at an earlier age were more likely to proceed to medical treatment. A more cautious approach to social transition needs to be taken for children than for adolescents, it concludes.

The review also heard concerns from “many parents” about their child being socially transitioned and affirmed in their expressed gender without their involvement. Draft government guidance, published in ­December, stated that schools should not accept all requests for social transition and should involve parents in any decision that is made.

Despite this, there has been evidence of schools ignoring ministers and ­allowing children to change gender ­behind their parents’ backs.

The report makes clear that “parents should be actively involved in decision making” unless there are strong grounds to believe that it may put the child at risk.

It also finds that social debates on trans issues led to fear among doctors and parents, with some concerned about being accused of transphobia.

The interim report, from 2022, had classed social transition as “not a neutral act”. The full report explains that it is an “active intervention”, because it may have significant effects on a young person’s psychological functioning and longer-term outcomes.

In a strong warning to schools, the report describes the need for “clinical involvement” in the decision-making process on social transitioning. It adds: “This is not a role that can be taken by staff without appropriate clinical ­training.”

The report concludes that maintaining flexibility is key among those going down a social transition route and says a “partial transition”, rather than a full one, could help.

In decisions about whether to transition prepubescent children, families should be seen “as early as possible by a clinical professional”.

Rogue private clinics

Long waiting lists for NHS care mean distressed children are turning to private clinics or resorting to “obtaining unregulated and potentially dangerous hormone supplies over the internet”, the report says.

Some NHS GPs have then felt “pressurised to prescribe hormones after these have been initiated by private providers”, and Cass says this should not happen.

The report also urges the Department of Health to consider new legislation to “prevent inappropriate overseas prescribing”. This is intended to tackle a loophole which means that, ­despite the NHS banning the use of ­puberty blockers last month, children can still access them from online clinics such as GenderGP, which is registered in Singapore.

Detransitioning

Cass says some of those who have been through medical transitions “deeply ­regret their earlier decisions”. Her report says the NHS should consider a new specialist service for people who wish to “detransition” and come off hormone treatments. She says people who are detransitioning may be reluctant to return to the service they had previously used.

NHS numbers

The report recommends that the NHS and Department of Health review current practice of issuing new NHS numbers to people who change gender.

Cass suggests that handing out new NHS numbers to trans people means they risk getting lost in the system — making it harder to track their health histories and long-term outcomes.

The review says that this has had “implications for safeguarding and clinical management of these children”, — for example, the type of screening that they are offered.

Toxic debate

Cass has called for an end to the “exceptionally toxic” debates over transgender healthcare after she was vilified online while compiling her review. In a foreword to her 388-page report, the paediatrician said that navigating a culture war over trans rights has made her task over the past four years significantly harder.

She warned that the “stormy social discourse” does little to help young people, who are being let down by a lack of research and evidence. Cass added: “There are few other areas of healthcare where professionals are so afraid to openly discuss their views, where people are vilified on social media, and where name-calling echoes the worst bullying behaviour. This must stop.

“Polarisation and stifling of debate do nothing to help the young people caught in the middle of a stormy social discourse, and in the long run will also hamper the research that is essential to finding the best way of supporting them to thrive.”

Cass said: “Finally, I am aware that this report will generate much discussion and that strongly held views will be expressed. While open and constructive debate is needed, I would urge everybody to remember the children and young people trying to live their lives and the families/ carers and clinicians doing their best to support them. All should be treated with compassion and respect.”

The recommendations

Data collection

Gender identity clinics should offer their data to NHS England for review, and more research should be conducted on the impact of psychosocial intervention — such as therapy — and the use of masculinising and feminising hormones, such as testosterone and oestrogen. Cass recommended that the NHS should also consider data from private clinics.

Puberty blockers and hormone treatment

Cass recommended research to establish the long-term impact of puberty blockers, which is expected to start by December.

Assessment of other conditions

Cass said that children arriving at gender identity services should be screened for conditions such as autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Criteria for medical treatment

When treating children with gender dysphoria, only those who have experienced “longstanding gender incongruence” will be able to get medical treatment. Even then, this will only be available — with “extreme caution” — for over 16s.

A holistic approach

Before any medical intervention, Cass recommends that children should be offered fertility counselling and “preservation” by specialist services. This formed part of a more “holistic” approach to gender identity services. Cass suggested the creation and implementation of a national framework and infrastructure for gender-related care.

Growing into adulthood

The review advised that follow-through services for 17 to 25-year-olds should be established to ensure a continuity of care and support when children grow into adulthood.

Detransitioners

The report proposed that NHS England should “ensure there is provision for people considering detransition”, while recognising that they may not wish to attend services that assisted in their initial gender transition.

[ Via: https://archive.today/7GxDe ]

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

Dr Aspa Paltoglou hears from physician Dr David Joffe about what’s needed from our discipline; from Janina Bradshaw about what Psychotherapists can do; and from occupational therapist Kirsty Stanley.

Iam a psychologist – a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University – and I have felt a bit useless in the last five years. From where I stand, I can see overwhelming evidence that Covid-19 has terrible and long-term consequences for people's health, and I have questioned whether Psychology is the specialism holding the key to dealing with Covid-19.

Many times I have wished I was a virologist, or an engineer that could help clean indoor air, or somebody that could develop vaccines against Covid-19, so that I could contribute to the eradication of Covid-19 and successful interventions for Long Covid. Or maybe a politician, so that I can pass laws for issues such as universal masking in healthcare and other public settings, clean indoor air in all public spaces, more research grants on Covid-19 vaccines and for Long Covid interventions.

I have written for The Psychologist about my personal approach to continuing pandemic precautions, and the support I have received in this. But there's another side to that – the Covid misinformation and minimisation I have seen. The idea that Covid poses no greater risk to the large majority of the population than the flu, which is simply not true. The overemphasis on the negative impacts of lockdowns, over the fact that there were 'no good options' at the time and without such measures many more would have died. Sometimes there is no mention of the possibility that Covid-19 infections could be responsible for cognitive deficits and decline in the population. Some people continue to suggest that Long Covid is primarily a psychological disease. The notion that ME (which has considerable overlap with Long Covid) can be treated by graded exercise and CBT has contributed to deterioration and death of patients – have we learned nothing?

And here's the thing: from what I have seen, Psychologists themselves have not been immune to this minimising of Covid, or the sharing of misinformation. With that in mind, I was keen to seek out broader conversations around the edges of our discipline, to ask other professionals how Psychology can support themto deliver effective care to Long Covid patients.

First, I contacted Dr David Joffe, a physician, researcher and Vice-Chair of the World Health Network Long Covid Working Group.

Thanks for your time, David. Can we start with one area where you think psychological help is important for Long Covid sufferers?

Yes. There are several examples of cognitive and emotional impairments associated with Covid-19 infections and Long Covid. We already know that the fronto-temporal injury mediated by hypoperfusion – decreased blood flow through an organ – will considerably affect mood. The incident rate of post-infectious depression is considerable. There are also several ways repeated in which Covid infections can lead to cognitive impairments and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Similarly, Yunhe Wang and colleagues noted in Naturethis year that 'compared with contemporary controls, infected participants had higher subsequent risks of incident mental health at 1 year, including psychotic, mood, anxiety, alcohol use and sleep disorders, and prescriptions for antipsychotics, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers and opioids.'

The incidence of PTSD as a consequence of prolonged Intensive Care exposure and a life-threatening illness are also vital to consider. That can sometimes manifest as 'survivor guilt'. Furthermore, injury to the hippocampus and amygdala have been clearly established and are linked to PTSD.

There is also clear evidence of Dopa Senescence with rising cases of REM sleep Behaviour Disorder and an increase speed of neurodegenerative processes following infection. The integrative role of dopamine and serotonin imbalance are clearly another marker of this process.

What is Dopa Senescence?

Yang and colleagues recently demonstrated direct Dopamine cell aging and death. The usual pathways of cellular recovery are damaged. The virus causes direct cell death, but also prevents the usual cascade of enzymatic repair from being activated… hence the term senescence. This is what we are so worried about. I have 20+ Long Covid patients with laboratory-confirmed REM sleep Behaviour Disorder. The average age is about 40. It's primarily a condition we used to see in older men with a high rate of Parkinson's or Lewy Body Dementia. Will they be the same? Time will tell.

Which psychological therapies could be relevant, and why?

We need psychotherapists and other psychological practitioners to treat phobias and PTSD. Many Long-Covid sufferers have significant issues with phobia related to the risks of repeated infections in a world devoid of mitigation. It's essential we get supportive psychological therapy, from CBT to strategies to improve impulse control and reduced socialisation.

Addressing the phobias could help them continue taking effective Covid-19 precautions, such as wearing well-fitted respirators, without any unwanted psychological distress.

What else would be helpful?

Therapies such as Dream Rehearsal Therapy and other non-pharmacological treatments have been used for a long time, and are known to be very effective in treating some psychological disorders such as PTSD in parallel with pharmacotherapy. We need Neuropsychologists to measure cognitive challenges and suggest therapies.

In terms of research, as a Sleep Physician with expertise in neurocognitive dysfunction and driving in OSA, there's a critical role of Neuropsychologists for both primary and secondary evaluation of metrics, such as short-term memory, attention, concentration, visuospatial agnosia and apraxia. Repeated measures following a therapeutic intervention, or merely as a guide to rate of progression will be critical. At this point, there is little data to determine the risk and rate of progression in those with prior normal function. We just don't know.

Are there also emerging concerns as the virus changes?

Yes – with the Omicron variant, the evidence for greater neurotropism (i.e. the ability of a virus to invade the nervous system) has been realised. And there is a growing concern of rising ADHD as a consequence of direct putamen injury. This will have considerable implications for those practising in Educational and Child Psychology.

Last but not least, the toll on partners who are now carers, and kids who have disabled parents, should not be underestimated. Couples Counselling and Supportive Family Counselling should be considered crucial. These roles have been underestimated and severely underfunded. I have mentioned the damage to kids. They are not protected against Long Covid. As an Adult Physician, I am not positioned to advise in this regard, but they have been poorly treated in general.

Would you also have an overall message for our readers?

Yes. Although we need the input of Psychologists, please do not psychologise ME/CFS or Long Covid. The Psychology community needs to understand that this is a direct organic, neurological condition, with a plethora of complex outcomes, including severe consequences for autonomy and quality of life. The presence of depression, dementia, and PSTD are clearly evident from the vast body of literature.

The ME/CSF community have long railed against the 'Psychologising' of their conditions. The evidence for interventions such as Graded Exercise and CBT in isolation have been questioned and debunked. That community were right to warn us of potential missteps being repeated for a condition with vastly more neurological sequelae, and immense disability.

It is crucial that issues around plans for Rehabilitation and 'Return to Work' strategies appreciate that the vast majority of Long Covid patients will never achieve anything close to their prior function. Mental and physical pacing, reducing workload, and supporting people to manage these tasks can be helpful strategies. But there needs to be a recognition that these patients will likely not return to baseline.

Clinicians cannot manage the psychological damage alone. Psychologists must be properly educated and informed to realise the consequences. Let's see the back of those that consider this a malingering condition, or one that will improve with 'a bit of CBT'.

Thank you Dr Joffe for your insightful comments… I think they will empower practitioners and researchers to focus their efforts in the right direction. Long Covid is a physiological condition with some psychological and neurological consequences; Psychologists can help address these consequences, but we should not expect psychological therapies to be anywhere near sufficient to treat Long Covid.

There is still a lot we don't know about Long Covid. We need to learn, fast, and get this right as Psychologists.

Next, I approached Psychotherapist Janina Bradshaw. Here's what she had to say.

Long Covid or Post-Covid condition is a complex and multi-faceted syndrome, with over 200 symptoms listed under this broad umbrella term. The latest figures from ONS suggest at least two million people in the UK may have this condition. This includes over 100,000 children and young people. It is a massive and growing problem.

Many with the condition feel neglected and overlooked by the medical establishment – research is under-funded and there are no known cures (although there are some treatments and therapeutics in trial).

There is a danger that Long-Covid (LC) could be psychologised, in a similar way to CFS/ME – which is also a complex condition which for many years has been viewed as being of largely psychological aetiology. It has sometimes seemed that with a very complex condition that we don't know much about, if medicine doesn't have the answer, it must be the patient that is 'at fault'. We might see this as medical gaslighting. Given that government and the medical establishment's response to Covid can appear to be to downplay the ongoing impact, many with LC may be left feeling disenfranchised, rejected or even harmed.

I do want to emphasise that although there is some overlap in symptoms between CFS/ME and LC (particularly Fatigue, and Post Exertional Malaise [PEM]), LC is a much more heterogeneous condition than CFS/ME. Many with new onset health conditions (which includes but not limited to Diabetes, Heart Conditions such as POTS and pericarditis, Cognitive Decline and 'brain fog', other autoimmune conditions, plus the re-activation of viruses such as EBV) may not even realise that these new onset conditions are as a result of their previous Covid infections. At present, the medical establishment are not fully making these links either, despite there being many studies which point to Covid as a precipitating factor.

If you were a previously relatively health and active person, it may be assumed that this loss of health status is a major issue to adapt to. At present, we do not know if people will ever resume their previous functioning. It is the role of therapists to assist people with their process of coming to terms with this.

As a therapist, I want to stress that LC has a clear physiological basis, requiring medical input and much more research to begin to address the physical basis of this condition. However, I do think that therapy practitioners have a role in assisting LC patients in coming to terms with the grief and anger they may be feeling as a result not only of developing LC, but also due to the lack of an adequate response to the pandemic which has resulted in lack of appropriate treatments. Given that health and social care workers, teachers and others who work on the 'frontline' are over-represented in the LC population, as well as people from more deprived economic backgrounds and those from ethnic minorities and women, therapists have a role in offering a listening ear. It's about allowing expression of the grief and anger, and also acknowledging and supporting people to find their voice in the face of such systemic injustice.

Another issue I think is important to reflect on as psychotherapists is this: why are so many people so willing to accept the continuing immense impact the Covid is having on the population? My impression is that grief and trauma from the start of the pandemic, coupled with the inadequate and deceitful conduct of government, plus a lack of public health messaging, has left many people so unable to face this ongoing reality that they are heavily in denial. They are unable to grasp the very real harms that repeat Covid infections are having on them and their children. There is probably also a lot of guilt that people will have to face if they realise how their actions are contributing to this ongoing harm.

Repeated Covid infections increase the chance of developing Long Covid, so prevention should always be an important part of our strategy to deal with Long Covid. Psychotherapists could help and empower individuals to use protection such as masking and help them deal with the psychological conflicts of being one of the few to still being Covid cautious in a world that seems willing to ignore Covid-19.

From my part, I will do everything I can to help people with Long Covid. I believe psychotherapy can have a positive effect in the lives of the people that suffer from this debilitating illness.

I thank David and Janina for their thoughtful input.

Finally we spoke to Kirsty Stanley, an Independent Occupational Therapist and Health Lead at the charity Long Covid Kids, about the issues she is seeing.

Understanding the wide ranging co-morbidities that can occur following COVID-19 infection is essential for appropriate diagnosis and management. Children and young people (CYP) can display similar Long Covid symptoms to adults, but they are far less likely to be offered medications for Long Covid's common co-morbidities such as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), instead only being offered self management options. Additionally CYP can develop Paediatric Acute Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, an equally misunderstood neuro-inflammation condition, that can initiate tics, emotional regression and hallucinations, which can respond to antibiotic treatment. Many families feel forced to seek expensive support from private practitioners. Gastrointestinal symptoms are also extremely common and can present as disordered eating but may be mistaken for eating disorders.

Post Exertional Malaise (PEM), also known as Post Exertional Symptom Exacerbation (PESE), can be a particularly troubling symptom for the CYP, their parents or caregivers and professionals to understand. The delayed onset of symptom exacerbation following physical, cognitive and emotional exertion can make it seem like CYP are functioning well. The subsequent inability to attend school due to these severe symptoms then sees some families at risk of fines or, in growing numbers of cases, referred to social care for neglect, or fabricated and induced illness claims. Whilst professionals should always be alert to the possibility of abuse, it should also be recognised that the negative and long lasting impact on families of false claims is immeasurable.

Where adults may find equipment, aids and adaptation readily provided, children have regularly been told to avoid using wheelchairs due to the risk of 'deconditioning'. We need to recognise that without vital mobility aids many can become stuck at home, or indeed in bed, unable to engage in daily life. CYP talk about the loss in friendships, as peers move on with their lives whilst they struggle to engage with activities where they need to pace or plan energy. Finding community with other disabled peers can be useful for identity – identifying as disabled is not something that should be labelled as negative.

The impact of medical gaslighting can not be underestimated. The very real risk of psychologising Long Covid is that CYP end up masking symptoms of anxiety, depression, self harm and suicidal ideation. Psychologists need to support around re-building trust with healthcare professionals, to ensure that the disbelief young people have experienced in their formative years does not continue into health inequalities in future.

Occupational Therapists are among the professionals well-placed to consider people holistically. Whilst we inevitably wait for large scale biomedical research, drug and treatment trials, we should not underestimate the positive impact that addressing the person's social environment can have. Evidence from ME/CFS demonstrates that where CYP are appropriately supported to rest and pace during their early illness they do have a significant likelihood of recovery (for multiple reasons this is sadly less likely for adults). Education for parents, caregivers, and those working in schools and colleges, can better facilitate a supportive environment where CYP are not pushed beyond their energy limitation, but facilitated to succeed within it.

Psychologists and Occupational Therapists can be advocates for the CYP voice to be heard. Together we should campaign for clean air, particularly within educational establishments, because the risk of Long Covid rises with repeated Covid-19 infections.

[sataniccapitalist]

#thewaronyou

Another winter of death is now unfolding in the United States and across the Northern Hemisphere as the JN.1 variant of the coronavirus continues to surge globally. Wastewater data from the United States released Tuesday indicate that upwards of 2 million people are now being infected with COVID-19 each day, amid the second-biggest wave of mass infection since the pandemic began, eclipsed only by the initial wave of the Omicron variant during the winter of 2021-22.

There are now reports on social media of hospitals being slammed with COVID patients across the US, Canada and Europe. At a growing number of hospitals, waiting rooms are overflowing, emergency rooms and ICUs are at or near capacity, and ambulances are being turned away or forced to wait for hours to drop off their patients.

According to official figures, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Charlotte, North Carolina are now at their highest levels of the entire pandemic. In Toronto, Dr. Michael Howlett, president of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, told City News, “I’ve worked in emergency departments since 1987, and it’s by far the worst it’s ever been. It’s not even close.” He added, “We’ve got people dying in waiting rooms because we don’t have a place to put them. People being resuscitated on an ambulance stretcher or a floor.”

Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, told the Today Show website: “The current strain right now seems to be packing a meaner punch than the prior strains. Some features of the current circulating strain probably (make it) a little bit more virulent and pathogenic, making people sicker than prior (variants).”

Indeed, two recent studies indicate that JN.1 more efficiently infects cells in the lower lung, a trait that existed in pre-Omicron strains which were considered more deadly. One study from researchers in Germany and France noted that BA.2.86, the variant nicknamed “Pirola” from which JN.1 evolved, “has regained a trait characteristic of early SARS-CoV-2 lineages: robust lung cell entry. The variant might constitute an elevated health threat as compared to previous Omicron sublineages.”https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/1MGIQxPf0Ig?rel=0An appeal from David North: Donate to the WSWS todayWatch the video message from WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North.DONATE TODAY

The toll on human life from the ongoing wave of mass infection is enormous. It is estimated that one-third of the American population, or over 100 million human beings, will contract COVID-19 during just the current wave. This will likely result in tens of thousands of deaths, many of which will not be properly logged due to the dismantling of COVID-19 testing and data reporting systems in the US. When The Economist last updated its tracker of excess deaths on November 18—before the JN.1 wave began—the cumulative death toll stood at 27.4 million, and nearly 5,000 people were continuing to die each day worldwide.

The current wave will also induce further mass suffering from Long COVID, which has been well known since 2020 to cause a multitude of lingering and often debilitating effects. Just last week, a pre-print study was published in Nature Portfolio showing that COVID-19 infection can cause brain damage akin to aging 20 years. The consequences are mental deficits that induce depression, reduced ability to handle intense emotions, lowered attention span, and impaired ability to retain information.

Other research indicates that the virus can attack the heart, the immune system, digestion and essentially every other critical bodily function. The initial symptoms of COVID-19 might resemble those of the flu, but the reality is that the virus can affect nearly every organ in the body and can do so for years after the initial infection. While vaccination slightly reduces the risks of Long COVID, the full impact of the virus will be felt for generations.

The latest winter wave of infections and hospitalizations takes place just eight months after the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Biden administration ended their COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declarations without any scientific justification. This initiated the wholesale scrapping of all official response to the pandemic, giving the virus free rein to infect the entire global population ad infinitum.

A virtual blackout of any mention of the coronavirus in the corporate media accompanied the swan song of official reporting. From then on, if illnesses at hospitals or among public figures were referenced at all, it was always with the euphemism “respiratory illness.” The words COVID, coronavirus and pandemic have been all but blacklisted, and the facts about the dangers of the disease have been actively suppressed.

Summarizing the cumulative results of this global assault on public health, the WSWS International Editorial Board wrote in its New Year 2024 statement:

All facts and data surrounding the present state of the pandemic are concealed from the global population, which has instead been subjected to unending lies, gaslighting and propaganda, now shrouded in a veil of silence. There is a systematic cover-up of the real gravity of the crisis, enforced by the government, the corporations, the media and the trade union bureaucracies. Official policy has devolved into simply ignoring, denying and falsifying the reality of the pandemic, no matter what the consequences, as millions are sickened and thousands die globally every day.

In response to the latest wastewater data, there have only been a handful of news articles, most of which have sought to downplay the severity of the current wave and largely ignored the deepening crisis in hospitals.

The official blackout has given rise to an extraordinary contradiction in social life. The reality of mass infection means that everyone knows a friend, neighbor, family member or coworker who is currently or was recently sick, or even hospitalized or killed, by COVID-19. Yet the unrelenting pressure to dismiss the danger of the pandemic means that shopping centers, supermarkets, workplaces and even doctor’s offices and hospitals are full of people not taking the basic and simple precaution of masking to protect themselves. Every visit outside one’s home carries the risk of being infected, with unknown long-term consequences.

As the pandemic enters its fifth year, it is critical to draw the lessons of this world historical experience. The past four years have demonstrated unequivocally that capitalist governments are both unwilling and incapable of fighting this disease. Their primary concern has always been to ensure the unabated accumulation of profits by corporations, no matter the cost in human lives and health.

The real solution to the coronavirus is not to ignore it, but to develop a campaign of elimination and eradication of the virus worldwide. To do so requires the implementation of mask mandates, mass testing and contact tracing, as well as the installation of updated ventilation systems and the safe deployment of Far-UVC technology to halt the spread of the virus. The resources for this global public health program must be expropriated from the banks and financial institutions, which are responsible for the mass suffering wrought by the pandemic.

All of these measures cut directly across the profit motive and the real disease of society: capitalism. As such, the struggle against the coronavirus is not primarily medical or scientific, but political and social. The international working class must be educated on the real dangers of the pandemic and mobilized to simultaneously stop the spread of the disease and put an end to the underlying social order that propagates mass death. This must be developed as a revolutionary struggle to establish world socialism.

[hennethgalad]

"Changes in the brainstem caused by Covid-19 infection could also lead to poor mental health outcomes, because of the tight connection between physical and mental health"

omg, it’s like they’re finally discovering that humans are made of flesh. they themselves are made of flesh.

it’s like watching dinosaurs trying to hatch… remember, universities began as monasteries. there was only one book, a history and mythology of a tribe of shepherds that lived thousands of years ago.

there was only one book. but these Wise men think they understand the DNA interface with RNA and the importance of viscosity to intracellular manufacturing and export/import processes. from one book.

the wretched book, despite its utter irrelevance to almost everything, is still everywhere. generally i find book burning abhorrent, but that one would be cathartic, like throwing statues in the harbour.

how many people have been murdered, one way or another, by that book. no fancy scanners required to see the long damage it has done.

[darkmaga-returns]

Extracts of the the Judge’s reasoning and analysis:

On November 4, 2020, Plaintiff Brianne Dressen received AstraZeneca’s experimental COVID vaccine as part of a clinical trial in Salt Lake County. 4 Velocity Clinical Research, Inc. (Velocity) administered the trial on AstraZeneca’s behalf. 5 Before receiving the inoculation, Dressen signed an informed consent form (ICF) that outlined her rights and responsibilities as a trial participant and disclosed possible side effects of the vaccine.6 Under the terms of the ICF, the parties agreed AstraZeneca would “reimburse[] for time and travel in the amounts of $125.00 per each completed study visit and $30.00 for each completed phone call.”7 The parties also agreed that a “study doctor” would “provide medical treatment or refer [Dressen] for treatment” if Dressen became ill or injured while participating in the study.8 Additionally, AstraZeneca disclosed that it had an insurance policy to “cover the costs of research injuries as long as [Dressen] followed [the] study doctor’s instructions.”9 AstraZeneca confirmed it would “pay the costs of medical treatment for research injuries, provided that the costs are reasonable, and [Dressen] did not cause the injury [her]self.”10 At the same time, the parties agreed federal law may limit Dressen’s right to sue for injuries caused by the vaccine: Due to the coronavirus public health crisis, the federal government has issued an order that may limit your right to sue if you are injured or harmed while participating in this COVID-19-related clinical study. If the order applies, it limits your right to sue the researchers, healthcare providers, any Sponsor or manufacturer or distributor involved with the Study. You may be prevented from making claims for injuries that have a causal relationship with the use of the investigational product in this Study, including, but not limited to, claims for death; physical, mental, or emotional injury, illness, disability, or condition; fear of physical, mental, or emotional injury, illness, disability, or condition, including any need for medical monitoring; and loss of or damage to property, including business interruption loss. However, the federal government has a program that may provide compensation to you or your family if you experience serious physical injuries or death. If funds are appropriated by Congress, compensation for injuries may be available to you under this Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program.11 Within an hour of receiving the vaccine, Dressen’s right arm began tingling.12 The sensation, a condition called paresthesia, soon spread to her right shoulder and left arm.13 Later the same day, Dressen began experiencing a host of other symptoms, including blurred vison, tinnitus, nausea, and sound sensitivity.14 Dressen first visited an emergency room three days after receiving the vaccine.15 The doctor who treated her diagnosed her with a “vaccine reaction.”16 She returned to the emergency room four days later, and the next day she visited a nurse practitioner at Utah Valley Neurological who diagnosed her with an “immunization reaction.”17 Thirteen days after receiving the vaccine, Dressen visited an otolaryngologist to seek care for “acute sensitivities to light and sound.”18 The doctor noted Dressen was suffering from “a likely side effect due to an increased immune response to the vaccine.”19