A friend recently posted this story about himself and it got me wondering what role mental health plays in supporting people affected by lesser-known or not-fully-understood diseases, conditions, or injuries.
In this case ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) seems like an ideal candidate for assistance because of the very nature of the condition.
In the early, uncertain days of the pandemic, it’s likely that your brain’s threat detection system — called the amygdala — was on high alert for fight-or-flight. As you learned that masks helped protect us — but package-scrubbing didn’t — you probably developed routines that eased your sense of dread. But the pandemic has dragged on, and the acute state of anguish has given way to a chronic condition of languish.
In psychology, we think about mental health on a spectrum from depression to flourishing. Flourishing is the peak of well-being: You have a strong sense of meaning, mastery and mattering to others. Depression is the valley of ill-being: You feel despondent, drained and worthless.
Languishing is the neglected middle child of mental health. It’s the void between depression and flourishing — the absence of well-being. You don’t have symptoms of mental illness, but you’re not the picture of mental health either. You’re not functioning at full capacity. Languishing dulls your motivation, disrupts your ability to focus, and triples the odds that you’ll cut back on work. It appears to be more common than major depression — and in some ways it may be a bigger risk factor for mental illness.
Covid Was a Tipping Point for Telehealth. If Some Have Their Way, Virtual Visits Are Here to Stay.
As the covid crisis wanes and life approaches normal across the U.S., health industry leaders and many patient advocates are pushing Congress and the Biden administration to preserve the pandemic-fueled expansion of telehealth that has transformed how millions of Americans see the doctor…
The state of Alabama currently has no laws specific to teletherapy practice. Providers are required to follow all federally mandated laws. Check your state board for additional information.
Social Workers using teletherapy should make reasonable attempts to become familiar with teletherapy technologies and assess the advantages and disadvantages of providing teletherapy services.
If so, please comment here or email me directly at oliver@hellotriad.com. Looking forward to speaking with more of you and thanks to those who've spent time already. It's been great!