Tag: COVID-19

Posted in advocacy, Community, psychology

Friends, Let’s read

Posted on by alidware

Hello friends, it has been some time.

Writing has been difficult. I hope everyone is staying healthy, safe, and inside their homes.

For those of us with mental health issues, all the panic, the uncertain information and unpredictable future can exacerbate our mind-states. If you are feeling effects from the global death, the misinformation and poor leadership (in some places), know that you are not alone. Many of us are feeling this. We are experiencing a collective trauma. Think of this as beautiful: we are stuck getting through this together as the economy flip-flops, healthcare becomes a war zone, and our sick family members and friends fight for their lives.

It’s obvious we lack some scientific understanding, as I mentioned in my last post, and that becomes scarily evident with the orange, diseased walrus in office (here in the U.S) barking empty threats to pull U.S funding from the WHO, lying about the amount of PPE and testing kits available, and tossing around ideas of re-opening public spaces against medical advice.

In the mean time, though, I browse mental health support pages on Instagram because they are recommended in my feed or I find them through other mental health connections I have on the app. It still baffles me that those of us who advocate for each other aren’t educated in the science of the brain. It’s great that we are experts in our own experience. It’s great that we leave space for others to be experts in their own, and don’t push drugs or not-drugs as an agenda. But how can we do that if we aren’t pulling from both sides?

Science and personal experience are how we exist in the world: our brains react to biology and environment, and both influence each other. Genes play an almost negligible role when it comes to the deciding factors of someone developing mental health symptoms, and yet we still push this idea that things like schizophrenia are inherited. They are not: schizophrenia in particular has a high level of heritability, meaning it swims around in the general population’s gene pool, and you are more likely to develop symptoms as a result of genetic chance than you are receiving it from your parents.

Now, before you say “well, I know that my mom. . .” or “well, my friend’s dad had schizophrenia and he does too . . .”, remember that your personal experience, or your friends’, are not common enough to generalize. Please stop.

As for environment, genes turn on and off in reaction to what the body experiences in this physical world. Brain structure changes. Trauma reroutes cells, wilts some, builds some in different, non-beneficial places. At the end of this pandemic, we will see noticeable changes in society and in the people living in areas hit the hardest. In the United States, New York healthcare works in particular may not be the same. In Italy, those who have been quarantined with the dead bodies of their relatives will not be the same. Trauma will change how they see the world, politics, life, friendship, and in their healing process they will learn new things, understand new things. Some will be okay. Others will not. And this variety of reaction is a testament to the way environment shapes us.

When we, as advocates, focus on spreading this disingenuous positivity, this overly positive positivity, as I call it, and we forfeit spreading facts, we are only harming our own cause. So, in light of that, I’ve been reading some research. Sleep is one thing I struggle with, and in my three-am database search for an interesting read, I came across this article here.

I had had access to a full text version, but right now can only link the abstract. If you have access to pubmed, or found it somewhere else, let me know.

But this article states they’ve found a consistent decrease in melatonin across those diagnosed with schizophrenia. Their participants had already been diagnosed and were not on antipsychotic medication (YES that is a possibility for some). Antipsychotics did not increase melatonin levels when introduced.

Nine people is a poor amount, and not very indicative of the population of us, but I assume a bulk of participants were just not available: how many do you know diagnosed with schizophrenia have the ability to take on their journey without meds? Not many.

This study however, has implications for how sleeplessness could be treated in patients with schizophrenia. What this also reveals is that the sleep you get from your antipsychotics (and I remember mine fondly, because I got LOTS of sleep, and I hadn’t had much in a very long time) is not restful. It’s more like a heroin knock-out, and less of your body’s choice.

Assessing those who were not on antipsychotics allowed these researchers to see a natural reduction in melatonin, not linked to the psych-drug usage, and although we could never say for certain that schizophrenia is the cause, the implication is there. What could be other reasons for the melatonin decrease? Perhaps large doses of antipsychotics when hospitalized had rerouted these patient’s melatonin years before, although unlikely considering doses of these antipsychotics int he experiment did not decrease levels of melatonin further. Perhaps their bodies adapted over the years as they got less and less restful sleep because of their symptoms. Perhaps their pineal glands had always secreted a low level of melatonin and THAT contributed to the development of their symptoms. We could hypothesize for years. We have been.

If you have something on the spectrum of schizophrenia, how would you rate your sleep? I rate mine poorly, particularly in times of stress. It takes me longer to fall asleep and it’s harder to wake up. I also attribute some of this to screens and my incessant need to play video games.

That study was from 1997: there may be updated research on this, or conflicting research. If you’re feeling lazy during quarantine, sad, anxious, scared, whatever your emotion, maybe some good old boring, informational research on schizophrenia could pull you out of your funk. It’d help your advocacy, too.

Also, welcome to the load of new followers I’ve received over the last few weeks. I promise I am much more consistent with my writing than I have been these last two months. Feel free to browse the blog for great past posts like this one about positive thinking and this one about supporting your loved one.

Be healthy, be safe, be mindful.

For updates on posts, research, and conversations, follow me:

Instagram: @written_in_the_photo

Twitter: @philopsychotic

If you enjoyed this post, please share, like, and follow ThePhilosophicalPsychotic. I appreciate every reader and commentator. You give me more reason to continue this joyous hobby.

Posted in Community, science

Our Scientific Crisis

Posted on by alidware

In the wake of this lighting striking all over the world, there’s been a level of social (media) distancing I can appreciate. I haven’t written since my break because I don’t just want to talk about COVID. It’s just that everything else seems so irrelevant now. So, I have something very simple to say.

We are in a SCIENTIFIC CRISIS.

What does this mean?

It means we’re not focused on the task at hand: containing a rapidly spread, generally mild but sometimes very severe illness. Instead, we’re focused on our infrastructure, media reporting, fear mongering, and blame-gaming.

How many people have actually went to the CDC website and read up on what a Coronavirus is versus how many people went out and hoarded N95 masks to the point healthcare workers are falling short of the protection they need? I’m not saying self-preservation is bad. I’m saying stupidity is bad.

I’m sick of the fear mongering, in particular. I follow The Mighty, although I’ve never been published by them, probably because for my previous blog Mental Truths I email-interviewed the C.E.O pertaining to questions about the outrageous amount of funding they suck down from pharmaceutical companies in exchange for all the pro-medication ads on their website. If you want to know my stance on biological treatment, give this and this a read (i’m not against it). In my email this evening, a new article came in from one of The Mighty’s editors, summarizing this idea that doctors across the states are considering DNR’s for all COVID patients.

CHRIST! A title like that would scare me too. If I didn’t know any better. The comments were full of immuno-compromised and chronically ill people TERRIFIED. Utterly TERRIFIED. And for GOOD REASON! A breakdown of ethics of THAT magnitude would mean all hope is lost.

Doctors have indeed been discussing DNR’s in relation to those having severe respiratory reactions to COVID. These matters are discussed on a case-by-case basis with the family as they have always been since the dawn of DNR in western medicine. There are no current guidelines for COVID treatment, one of the reasons this has become such a scary time. What makes it scarier is when a website dedicated to chronically ill and vulnerable people can’t cite their sources or present an argument objectively, not even when the argument pertains to peoples’ livelihood, health, and well-being.

I’m seething behind my keyboard.

As other doctor’s have stated (you can find the quotes in that linked CNN article above), the DNR discussions have not been blanket DNR’s–essentially the statement “every COVID patient who’s respiratory system has failed will be left to die for the sake of health care workers and other patients” is the message The Mighty and other media giants like The Washington Post have been spreading. While it IS a concern for a healthcare worker to climb on a failing patient and give mouth-to-mouth when they’ve tested positive for COVID, killing all respiratory distressed COVID patients not only isn’t practical, it’s reprehensible. Two good reasons why it would never happen.

Okay, there is ONE CASE in which this would become a reality in the United States: hospitals in all states are overrun with the infectious disease, there aren’t enough doctors to care for patients because ALL the doctors are sick too, and bodies are piling up in the street. Then it’s safe to say ethics are out the window and the survival of those well enough to survive become precedent because it would be happening in all other countries as well. Luckily, COVID is not going to be the virus to drive us to extinction. Imagine more of a virus that causes the symptoms of Ebola but spreads like the Bubonic Plague. That will be our demise, surely.

What’s going on in Italy and Spain are examples of this: overrun hospitals, bodies having to be stored in people’s quarantined homes (Italy) and on ice rinks (Spain) because there is just no safe way to handle them, or any businesses open to do so. Will this be a reality for the entire world? I strongly doubt it. Is this reality for those countries horrible? I couldn’t even put into WORDS how absolutely sorrowful their experiences are right now.

We are in a SCIENTIFIC CRISIS because funding has been cut to the CDC, the WHO has made countless mistakes, researchers are ignored in favor of big business, and NOW, in the quarantine, people are forced online and what’s online? Secondary, third, fourth, fifth sources that are easy to read but entirely misinformed and not very analytical. People aren’t paying attention to the exponential growth curve of the spread of COVID, nor have they reasoned that the lack of tests (one of the reasons we in the U.S have now become the leader in contracting COVID cases) means many more people have the disease and many more people have recovered at home.

I suggest staying off of Apple News and instead read updated information on the CDC website. I suggest reading your own county information in your own state (if you’re in the U.S). I suggest straying from Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter for reliable pandemic information. I also HIGHLY SUGGEST JAMA Network, a website of specialty journals that are consistently uploading studies and scientific information about SARS-CoV-2, aka COVID-19. If you struggle reading this kind of technical information, read this about how you don’t need to be medicine-inclined to get something reliable and important out of these studies. The reason why the media is so misinformed is because the people who report on experiments do so incorrectly, misunderstand conclusions, and often know nothing about the scientific process. That article will give you just enough basics to read a scientific paper, think critically, and extract the important information. It’s a lot easier than it sounds. And this time, the life of your mother, father, aunt, uncle, and cousin with or without underlying health conditions may be on the line. That’s some good encouragement to READ.

Want some information NOW? Read this article published by Louisiana State University that, with further research, may help us understand why “underlying conditions” can post a threat for coronavirus patients. Hint: it has more to do with the medications they are taking than the actual conditions.

Many people are unaware of what the tiniest bit of misinformation can do in this pandemic: it WILL make or break us. If we are not informed, if we are not reasonable, panic will consume us and all the N95 masks. Please, for the sake of your neighbors, for your coworkers, for your kids, your family, yourself, for my dad who struggles with high blood pressure, seizures, COPD, and congestive heart failure, keep yourself informed, stay indoors, limit or eliminate your contact with non-essential people, and wash your hands. If you’ve ever needed a purpose, this is a time for you to contribute to the health of the globe. You make the difference.

If something in this article hit home for you, if you want others to inform themselves about this pandemic and stay on top of relevent information, please share on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and any other social media. The people who look to those sites for information could use this more than you, perhaps.

Stay healthy everyone, please. Someone in the world dearly misses their loved ones because action was not swift enough, because people thought this was the flu, because people didn’t take this seriously. Let’s not make the same mistake twice.

I’m not putting my normal blurb at the end of this article. The only thing I ask is that you share this and think scientifically.

If you have a surplus of PPE or N95 masks, gloves, or disinfectant wipes, please donate some to your local medical facility. Check your county website to see if they have set up protocol for donations. Mine has.

Be safe, stay home, and stay informed.

Posted in Community, psychology, science, travel

The Do’s and Don’ts of COVID-19

Posted on by alidware

My social media break has officially broken, and I am back amid panic, turmoil, and pandemic simply because being quarantined means there is nothing better to do than browse social media, panic more, and then realize that fear is more constrictive than any virus outbreak could be.

If this pandemic has been affecting your Mental Health, you’re not alone. Even if you understand the numbers are not as bad as the media portrays, even if you understand that over 90% of the people who may come in infectious contact with the virus recovery well, with mild to moderate symptoms, the tension in the air, the way people drive, the mad scramble for food, toiletries, and essentials can twist a lot of stress in your body.

So, what should we do and what shouldn’t we do during this time?

DO:

Maintain as regular as a routine as you can. Enjoy healthy meals, and try to avoid stress eating sweets and other things that not only compromise your mental health but your immune health. Exercise in nature if applicable to you: there are forests, state parks, beaches, where you can get a healthy bout of endorphins running and kick your immune system up. The gym isn’t the only place in the world to get exercise.

DONT:

Eat a pot full of garlic and think that will protect you. Chances are, you may come in contact with this virus. This chance, depending on where you live, is either very low or very high. Don’t pretend like staying in your house and sleeping all day is healthy; in fact, it could compromise you more. Fit in exercise and health where you can and however you can.

DO:

Listen to science. For the sake of your neighbors, your friends, your family, LISTEN TO SCIENCE. The facts are there. Yes, COVID-19 is indeed SARS-cov-2, according to the CDC. Yes, there are many cases. But the numbers show a different story than the media. It’s important to help curb the spread, just as it would be for any new infectious virus no matter how severe, but the fact is there are so many people in the United States who haven’t been tested, who have probably come in contact with the virus, been sick, stayed home, recovered, and are now not being counted as a COVID-19 case. This means the survival rate and infection rate is higher than being reported. This means, most likely, you’ll be okay.

Dont:

Act only in SELF-PRESERVATION. Stores are sold out of all cold, flu, and cough medicine, toilet paper, meat, and cleaning essentials. This is NOT the end of the world. By hoarding items, you are SELFISH. By hoarding masks, you are CARELESS. Most likely, especially if you are in the U.S right now, you will NOT get sick. Buying three bottles of Tylenol ISN’T NECESSARY. Masks are for the MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS taking care of the SEVERELY ILL. If you are standing in Safeway with a cart full of items right now reading this, chances are you AREN’T SEVERELY ILL. Chances are, you won’t ever be.

It was advised people get enough items for 2 weeks of self-quarantine, IF NECESSARY.

Six bottles of bleach? That’s going to last you two months, if not more.

Seven boxes of Tylenol? You’ll kill yourself. Even if you did get sick, you couldn’t continuously use it at the rate you would need to to finish seven boxes in fourteen days.

This selfishness is why people are panicking. It’s how the virus will continue to spread. It’s why young people aren’t taking anything seriously, it’s why many people aren’t social-distancing–the hysteria is off-putting, it makes it seem unimportant. So, by hoarding food, house items, and cough medicine, you’re single-handedly increasing the chances of this infection spreading quicker and harder. Those of us who are young are the ones MOST LIKELY to SPREAD this infection without knowing it. Instead of facing this scientifically, intelligently, which would make most of us young folks pay better attention, everyone is facing this hysterically, with misinformation.

Thank you, apocalypse shoppers, for ruining our chances of a speedy, national recovery.

DO:

Wash your hands for at least 20-30 seconds. If you weren’t doing that before, I’m worried. Disinfect surfaces frequently, and personal items like keys, your phone, and the inside of your car, if you want to be extra cautious.

DONT:

Touch your face or put strange objects in your mouth. If you’re anything like me, and a writer, this can be tough if you are, well, writing with a pen. I used to bite on my pens in mid-thought. Can’t be doing that right now.

DO:

Understand that if you get sick, you have a very high chance of being okay. People are dying, and that can’t be overlooked. There are some young people who lose the battle, and many older folks, most of which (from both categories) have some type of underlying cardiac or other health condition. If you smoke, your lungs will have a harder time to push back against this illness. And even still, there are some people in their 80’s and 90’s who are surviving, and some people with underlying conditions who are surviving. This is not endgame.

DONT:

Pretend like you can’t get sick just because you’re young. You can, and if it doesn’t become severe, that’s wonderful. Problem is, you will spread your germs and get the vulnerable population sick. Again, stop acting in SELF-PRESERVATION. Everything isn’t always about YOU. Sorry if that hurts your feelings. Start acting like a community. Start showing some compassion and intelligence. Keep yourself healthy, keep your neighbors healthy. It doesn’t take six bottles of bleach and all the food in Trader Joe’s to keep you healthy. Stop being stupid.

DO:

If you have mental health issues, don’t forget about self-care. Focus on activities you like. Read, write. Play video games, watch television, have a laugh. Engage in news and stories and conversation that isn’t just about COVID-19. Stay updated on current local information, but do not become consumed by it. Unlike COVID-19, panic can spread through the internet and radio.

DON’T:

Spend all your time listening to White House addresses if you’re in the U.S. For the love of God.

DO:

Recognize that people are hurting. The stories coming out of Italy are heartbreaking. Take this seriously without losing yourself.

DON’T:

Become a doomsdayer or conspiracy theoriest. Wait until the global emergency is over for all that.

The world is in so much pain right now, and is so confused. China has made great efforts and cases of COVID-19 have been drastically reduced. Recovery surpassed 80% there, days ago. This will pass.

Every once in a while, humans need to be reminded that we aren’t impenetrable. We aren’t immortal. We aren’t invincible. We’ve gotten so cocky on Earth, we think we know everything, think we can have a sustainable life with the way we purge natural resources. This pain on a global scale isn’t necessarily what we deserve, but it is a reminder that we are only organisms. There is so much more to life than money, jobs, school, Apple T.V, Trump, drugs, sex. And when our life gets disrupted, look how we crumble. Look how fast we are to only save ourselves. Life always, always has a way of curbing arrogance. Always.

We’re not curbing this virus. It’s curbing us.

For updates on posts, research, and conversation, follow me:

Instagram: @written_in_the_photo

Twitter: @philopsychotic

If you enjoyed this post, please share, like, and follow ThePhilosophicalPsychotic. I appreciate every reader and commentator. You give me more reason to continue this joyous hobby.