Mary1 had a history of mood swings, depression, anxiety, and PTSD from childhood sexual abuse. Her years growing up were in a chaotic and disruptive home, especially after her alcoholic father deserted her and her mother. She had experienced a hard time growing up with parental neglect, physical, and emotional abuse. Her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) returned after the hurricane with a vengeance.
Growing up in the rural countryside, I loved to run and play, in the open fields and woods, with my friends and dog. I became good at swimming and other sports. Even though polio was in the news with pictures of children paralyzed from the untreatable illness—there was no effective treatment or vaccine. I felt invincible and in robust health. But with a turn of fate, the virus found me one summer day.
In his timely book, now published, Ronald R. Parks, MPH, MD, examines the impact of COVID-19 or other forms of crisis, loss, or tragedy on individual mental health.
Recognition and management of fear and anxiety are essential to maintain healthy emotions and mood. Cascading anxiety can contribute to emotional collapse and severe depression.
Fear can paralyze a person with a loss of productivity, effectiveness, and quality of life. Unchecked fear with worry can build to loss of confidence, insecurity, and significant emotional states like anxiety, panic, and depression. Today’s unique atmosphere of a viral COVID-19 pandemic is overwhelming for many. Our nation is experiencing a collapsing economy, with the devastating effect of an enormous number of people dying from the viral illness.
Information evolves, and in something like a pandemic, the story changes daily.
The threat of severe health impairment, death, or significant mood impairment, brings up many questions and concerns. A desperate and frightened caller might seek answers to their current perplexing, pandemic-related situation: updated information, a different perspective, and a broader view can be helpful.
COVID-19 emerged as a new frightening and dangerous respiratory virus with many deaths due to a lack of immunity and natural protection.
The deadly virus has had a devastating impact globally and taken an enormous toll on the lives of vulnerable individuals and communities. As with any natural or human-made disasters, a time comes for gradual containment, mitigation, rebuilding, healing of wounds, and revelation of deeper truths and knowledge to ensure a better and safer future.
Does COVID-19 have favorite human hosts that are its preferred place to infect, live, and thrive? If so, what will be the key to the prevention of future infection and recurrences of the sometimes deadly respiratory virus?
Control of such a highly contagious viral illness is unlikely, especially in the short term, as universal compliance with social distancing in our society appears to become more attenuated with time, partisan political ideas, and the degree of confusing information.
The spin away from the“inconvenient truths” in the current COVID-19 crisis, represents business and politics at their worse.
In business and politics, controlling the narrative towards what will win customers, build a brand, or gain a captive audience of followers, can be the way towards profits or power. People’s awareness and attention, unfortunately, gets diverted away from critical issues that need action. Not attending to these vital issues is a formula for disaster and recurrence of tragedies like the deadly pandemics from COVID-19.
The current COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call to understand all the contributing factors, and steps needed to protect ourselves and future generations from recurrences and the devastation.
Hopefully, soon, COVID-19 will peak and subsides. Its rapid spread and lethality have had a devastating and tragic effect on the most vulnerable people and the vital infrastructure of our society.
When the final analysis is done, what will be learned and taken away as practical ideas or as more profound wisdom? Some useful areas of interest and inquiry may focus on
What will be the outcome as COVID-19 continues? Can we look at past viral epidemics in the country to clarify where we are now and what to expect?