Anxiety & Depression
All posts by Sophie
Doctors discover telehealth’s silver lining in the Covid-19 crisis
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/19/telehealth-silver-lining-discovered-covid-19-crisis/ original article
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Telehealth has many advantages, including keeping patients safe from possible exposure to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, improving access to care, cutting health care costs, and contributing toward a greener earth by cutting down on car trips to see doctors in their offices. It also offers its own type of personal and lighthearted or even heart-warming connections.
Over the past few weeks, I have had conversations with several colleagues about this new wrinkle in our professional lives. Here are some of the things we enjoy about telemedicine in the time of Covid-19:
Seeing our patients in their pajamas.
We can work in pajamas, too.
Finally “meeting” the dogs and cats they talk so much about.
Gently reminding them about social distancing as their grandkids play on their laps.
Feeling amazed after a successful FaceTime visit with an 89-year-old.
Getting magnified views of chin hair, moles, nostrils, and other facial features of patients who aren’t fully familiar with the cameras on their phones or computers.
Conversing about their home décor and choice of wall color.
Realizing that it’s now acceptable to enjoy a cup of coffee with our patients.
Actually seeing ourselves as we chat, and fixing our hair or smiles in response to the image in the video window.
iPads are now a legitimate business expense.
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Coronavirus is causing a mental health crisis. Here’s how to fight it.
Original article https://www.vox.com/identities/2020/4/16/21219693/coronavirus-anxiety-depression-mental-health-ptsd-covid
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The fact that many people are unable to see their friends and loved ones in person only makes the situation worse. “Social distancing is really hard on people, and it’s especially taking its toll on people who are isolated at home alone,” Meredith said. “Loneliness can be a big source of stress.”
Even under more normal circumstances, prolonged loneliness can contribute to depression and anxiety, as well as to physical health problems. One 2016 study, for example, found that being lonely was associated with an increased risk of stroke and heart disease. Today, the ordinary risks of loneliness could be magnified by the stress of living during a pandemic. For people who are social distancing right now, “there is a high risk that they’re going to become more anxious, much more depressed, and it’s going to have longer-term effects,” Rima Styra, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, told Vox.
Overall, a lot of people around the world are experiencing a dip in mental well-being. Factors from “looming severe shortages of resources” to the “imposition of unfamiliar public health measures that infringe on personal freedoms” are likely to increase emotional distress during this time, psychiatry professors Betty Pfefferbaum and Carol S. North wrote in a paper published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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When to let a friendship go 😞
https://www.oprahmag.com/life/relationships-love/a25919349/signs-of-toxic-friendship/
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What a blessing friendship can be. Studies have suggested that those with really solid friends live longer. Like all deep relationships, however, even your platonic ones are bound to have their shaky moments. But if those tiffs, or lingering feelings that you’re not getting out as much as you’re putting in, happen more often than not, your friendship could be unhealthy, or even toxic.
“Friendships can be protective and rewarding, nurturing and uplifting. If a friend has the opposite impact, we may want to reconsider our relationship and reconfigure that person’s role in our lives. It doesn’t mean you need to end the friendship altogether—maybe you still see them for social gatherings—but they shouldn’t be who you turn to for emotional support,”
Recognizing that you’re in the midst of a toxic friendship by evaluating the signs is the first step toward extricating yourself—a painful but necessary process. “As you get older, it’s important to evaluate your friendships. If they’re not healthy or serving a positive purpose, it’s time to phase those people out,”
It’s not a loss
wwtbyh 