I wrote all that before clicking through to the article, which is titled "If You Have Anxiety and Depression but Feel Better During Coronavirus, You’re Not Alone." The title stresses that there is company for those who suffer from anxiety and depression, but not — as I put it — because everyone else is joining you in your dark place. The relief from aloneness is in a fellow feeling among the people with anxiety and depression: feeling better.
The author is Laura Bradley. Her byline calls her an "entertainment reporter," but she identifies herself in the article as one of the "depression and anxiety patients" who have "felt their symptoms alleviate." Excerpt:
Elizabeth Cohen, who has practiced psychology for 15 years with a specialty in anxiety, estimates that 20 percent of her clients have actually seen their symptoms alleviate in recent weeks. Roughly the same portion have seen their symptoms worsen, she says, while the remainder have seen little change....Obviously, that's pretty different from what I'd anticipated. I thought of the depressed/anxious person thinking of herself in comparison to what other people seem to be going through, but Cohen is talking about the patient's lone experience, which makes better sense in the changed conditions in the real world.
A big part of anxiety, Cohen pointed out, is the anticipation of the unknown—worry about something bad that will inevitably happen. With the outbreak, she said, “a lot of people are saying, ‘The terrible thing happened.’ So in a lot of ways you’re not in the anticipating state.”
Ironically enough, another factor that might be helping some people with depression and anxiety cope during this crisis is a habit that, in normal life, we try to avoid. Many people who experience depression and anxiety find themselves separating from their immediate situations, either intentionally or unintentionally—a mental process called dissociation. A person might, for instance, focus intensely at work before coming home to disappear into a TV show or endlessly scroll through Instagram.
“That’s not great when we’re in our lives because that means you’re missing a lot of your life,” Cohen said. “However. Right now... if you’re a master dissociater, you’re going to be in a better place... You have, basically, a toolbox of how not to have to deal with all the scary feelings.”
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54 comments:
Pretty much every reporter and celebrity is undergoing psychiatric treatment or counseling. To them, crazy in normal. No wonder they are feeling better these days.
Fear on the installment plan is now being focused in on one disaster in the present being constantly shared . It beats a defuse fears of hundreds of things. But what about the Olympics?
The question is how it interacts with soap opera.
Yes, there are people who love to wallow in misery.
This era of mass delusion and madness is a godsend for them.
Obviously these folks, like all Americans, are soothed and reassured by the knowledge that our President, Donald J. Trump, is on the job.
I'd imagine that people with social anxiety are under a lot less stress right now.
What's that German word for enjoying the suffering of others?
Farfegnugen? That's what I think they're doing.
All my life I have felt guilty about lying in bed and watching too much television. I now understand that those idle moments were, in fact, prep for this moment of crisis. There is no better way to flatten the curve than to stay home and watch television. I'm doing my part.
I don't think it's farfegnugen.
I'm pretty sure farfegnugan is a German word for an unusually large and firm erection.
The anxiety and depression of these folks will dramatically increase if the economy tanks, due to the prolonged lockdown. There's not enough govt money to bail everyone out.
Happy Palm Sunday!
I'd imagine that people with social anxiety are under a lot less stress right now.
Nation's Nerds Wake Up In Utopia Where Everyone Stays Inside, Sports Are Canceled, Social Interaction Forbidden
Also - "Millions Of Women Outraged As Essential Oils Businesses Deemed Non-Essential"
I have a person in my life who has everything that should make a person happy and grateful.
And, yet he finds no joy in life and feels cheated.
It’s an incredibly frustrating phenomenon to deal with. And it’s destroying him.
who has practiced psychology for 15 years with a specialty in anxiety, estimates that 20 percent of her clients have actually seen their symptoms alleviate in recent weeks. Roughly the same portion have seen their symptoms worsen, she says, while the remainder have seen little change....
Stop the presses! This could have been written 52 weeks ago and been just as true, right? LOL
Life used to be good before corona. Once we are through this most people will remember who the President was that was working to make our lives better. The same one that saw China as a threat. And who was working against his agenda.
"before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounding yourself with assholes." quote from the internet, author unknown to me. best advice is to stop watching the MSM or reading wapo, nyt, atlantic, vanity fair, or any of the liberal propaganda rags. their job is to bring down trump, and fuck the truth, or presenting actual facts. Pravda would be embarrassed by most of them.
Depression can be a serious disease. It is also the refuge of scammers, and scammers pretending to be mental health professionals. If it has good insurance , medicate it.
Reading the daily basilisk is depressing.
Stop the presses! This could have been written 52 weeks ago and been just as true, right? LOL
Heh, yeah probably.
But they also seem to think that it's unusual for some of their patients, er, clients, to actually improve, even if it's only 20% of them.
I don't have anxiety or depression at this time. Never have had those feelings much except: of course the usual teenage anxiety that most everyone has. I'm a pretty stoic and optimistic person, if you can reconcile those two things.
What I do have now is anger, frustration at the stupidity, annoyance at the complacence of others. I have actual FEAR that our lives are now forever changed and we are going to be subjected to the nightmare of Democrat/Socialist rule.
Then I have resignation and thankfulness that I am old and will die before it really comes to fruition. And especially sadness for my children and grandchildren who will have to live through the rest of this nightmare.
There are a small number of people who have some kind of a neurological (for lack of a better term) issue that causes them to feel anxious and depressed a lot. They are ill, and it is a shame.
But I think most people who complain of this are just self-centered whiners, like I suspect, this writer. The cure for that problem is simple: think about someone other than yourself. Do something kind or useful for another. Prune a tree (or plant one). Forgive someone their past offenses.
Works every time, but it's hard to get a feature article out of it.
"This could have been written 52 weeks ago and been just as true,"
Spring comes every year, virus or not.
Anxiety is unavoidable when you are both narcissistic and other-directed. Nearly everyone in the media/entertainment world is afflicted by this tension.
My son, who is adopted and whose birth mother used a festival of inadvisable substances during his gestation, struggles with ADHD, depression and anxiety. Not having access to his therapist has been a challenge for all of us, as has the change in routine, the isolation and the general uncertainty and fear. School itself, with its regimentation and social challenges, is a source of anxiety for him, so it's a strange mixed bag. He's both relieved and relaxed, and anxious and unsettled, to not be going to school.
Essential Oils Businesses Deemed Non-Essential"
It's selling like hotcakes, for some reason. Per stepdaughter, doTERRA is sold out! Hoarded by Karens worldwide for its well known curative properties!
I Have Anxiety and Depression.
"My life is so empty, and void, that I need illness I can talk about!"
Misery loves company. That's why a number of previously anxious and depressed feel a bit better. That is also why there is a Democrat Party.
Her attitude puts me in mind of that old joke about the Europeans killed in a plane crash. St Peter queries them about their dreams for their people. They all express lofty social goals Until the Russian. Who says he wants his neighbor Ivan’s mare to die. Misery loves company and my guess is Missys misery started Nov 8th 2016.
If you have anxiety about going places and talking to people and doing new things and are locked up at home and can't go places or talk to people or do new things, a lot of your problems have vanished. True, there is the fear of going bankrupt, but having only one thing to worry about may be a relief.
Depression is harder to get over when you're quarantining, especially if you or others you care about are sick. Not getting exercise can also make you feel worse. But if you are alone at home all day and on antidepressants, you can sing, you can dance, you can talk to yourself in funny voices all day. You can give in to the little touch of mania that the pills give you. Some of the things that usually give you pleasure - television, the Internet - can make you more depressed, though. Enough is enough.
Nah, it’s just “misery loves company” writ large.
Neuroticism disappears in the face of real problems. Startling. Just wait until there isn't enough to eat.
I am the least anxious I've been in a long time. I worked for someone who was unpredictable - usually nice, but has also come into my office and literally yelled at me for not doing something I was never told to do. He swore he had told me and it was in his notes from our one-on-ones, but we hadn't had one for over a month (he cancels them so he can come in late). Still he insisted we go to his office so he could show me where it was in his meeting notes. (It wasn't.)
Management was chaotic and toxic. COVID-19 is much less worrisome for me.
The German noun you are seeking is: Schadenfreude
Fahrvergnügen is a different word entirely.
I like Michael Savage's take on anxiety and depression. He says these are normal feelings that should not be medicated away but to be used as fuel to get s*** done. I of course did not click through to read the rest of the article or the quotes. IMHO, the reason people are feeling less depressed and anxious is that they realize what they were depressed and anxious over is pretty meaningless compared to the existential threat they and their family and neighbors are facing.
You need to screw your head on better DBQ, what you're describing sounds like symptoms of depression and anxiety. My kids and grandkids are facing the challenges with Grace positivity and joy. They all have Bright futures ahead of them in a wonderful world that we inherited and help change for the better. I am very hopeful that after the corona crisis is over that there will be some extreme house cleaning in the world of politics and policy.
Skookum John said...
Anxiety is unavoidable when you are both narcissistic and other-directed. Nearly everyone in the media/entertainment world is afflicted by this tension.
Very perceptive comment. There may be an unpleasant polemical edge in there, though - I don't know. It's not just celebrities or some "them". An awful lot of people in the world are like that.
For Weinstein, who works as an audience developer for The Recount, it’s also helped to work in news—both because she has access to accurate information
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
The whole article seems like an excuse to make neurotic frakazoids in the media seem heroic.
Which, I guess, is what they do all the time. Never mind.
Neuroticism disappears in the face of real problems.
Didn't Freud say something like that? I don't know Freud's works, but I believe the "Wolf Man's" troubles cleared up after Freud had all of his money.
Howard You need to screw your head on better DBQ, what you're describing sounds like symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Thank you for your professional psychology opinion. I will ignore it.
I'm not depressed. Nor am I anxious about anything. Except if the yeast that I am using from the fridge will work well enough to make rolls tonight to go with the ham and bean soup. The yeast is old and the store is out for now because EVERYONE is baking. Worry, a bit, if the blossoms on the apples and pears will get the proper dose of copper sulfate in order to stave off the fire blight that we had last year. The weather must cooperate, and of course I have no control over that either.
I look forward to each day and planning on what to do today. What we might watch on Netflix or other tonight. What music I want to listen to while puttering around the house. Picking out a pattern for hat to knit out of my stash of yarn. I eagerly anticipate spring weather finally happening so I can go outside more and work in the orchard and yard and to be able to sit in the sunshine on the deck and watch the hummingbirds.
Being angry and annoyed at the current events and political machinations of the Democrats, is actually a rational and sane response. Stoic doesn't mean you have no emotions. Being sad about what "may" happen in the future is also normal. Especially since there is nothing that I, personally, can do to change anything except for the immediate circumstances of my own life. My authority ends at the tips of my fingers and only that far.
Being accepting of the reality of life...I'm going to die sooner than later. Maybe really sooner if I catch the Wuhan Flu. The future is uncertain and unknown, but what can I personally do about it? Nothing. Other than to be prudent in my life and enjoy what I have. This a stoic and also rational reaction.
I'm not in AA nor am I much of a drinker. We are still occasionally having a drink out of the Christmas bottle of scotch and half of it left. We just don't drink much anymore. But I was previously married to an alcoholic and I heartily subscribe the the Serenity Prayer as a way of life.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, smile, smile.
Narr
There's no "I" in Better! That would spell Bettir, which is not a word.
Howard said: You need to screw your head on better DBQ, what you're describing sounds like symptoms of depression and anxiety.
No. It does not Howard. Not in the least.
It sounds like she has a mature philosophical underpinning to her life.
As an aside, when I was a practicing clinical psychologist, the vast majority of my depressed patients wanted to talk about how Trump's election ruined their lives. That external locus of control is a significant factor in depression.
This is essentially the thesis statement of the Lars von Trier film Melancholia.
Misery doesn't love company. It loves attention.
In recent years, we have seen an efflorescence of self-obsesssed memoir pieces by young people dotting the pages of the Medium website, the Sunday editorial sections of theoretically serious newspapers, and announcements of new book releases. The typical structure is 1) something bad happened, and 2) let me tell you how I feel about it.
Getting a little tired of the phenomenon.
Apparently British mental health statistics improved markedly during the Blitz. Not sure if that lasted the entire war.
I'm not in AA nor am I much of a drinker.
"I'm a drunk, not an alcoholic. Alcoholics go to meetings." -- guy who died from alcohol.
@Mary Beth, I once worked for a firm where the guy at the top was what the Brits would call a "right bahstahd." Every one of his direct reports was a woman. A friend met one of them in her office hours after quitting time (working late is an occupational reality in IT) and she was bawling. My friend was concerned that a family member had died or something, but she looked up at him and said "Do you know the reason [name withheld] only has women reporting to him? Because not one of you men would put up with his shit without beating the snot out of him."
The only way to work for a boss like that is for as short a period of time as possible.
But I was previously married to an alcoholic and I heartily subscribe the the Serenity Prayer as a way of life.
Here's one for ya -
Joke #2138
An alcoholic walked into a bar and, after staring for some time at a woman seated at the bar, he walked over to her and kissed her. She jumped up and slapped him silly.
He immediately apologized and explained, "I'm sorry. I thought you were my wife. You look exactly like her."
"Why you worthless, stupid, no good drunk!" she screamed.
"Funny," he muttered, "you even sound exactly like her."
Crazy Jane said... Misery doesn't love company. It loves attention.
Yes. That is why psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists see so many depressed people who have no desire to change their cognitive and behavioral patterns.
I don't have a blog and I'm not active enough on social media to have a lot of followers, so I don't have an established platform for this message. Maybe others can pass it on.
If you’re lucky enough to be sheltered in place with people you love, consider what it may be like for those living alone. Even for introverts, there is much more to getting through this than staying physically healthy.
Texts and emails may not fill the human-contact void as well as hearing a human voice. A history of depression may pose a bigger risk to them than the virus. If they’ve lost a spouse or partner or close relative recently, friends probably realize that and are doing their best to check in regularly. If the loss was not so recent, they may be blindsided with grief that they thought they’d gotten past, and they may not know how to talk about it to others, lest they hear “but that was years ago.”
If you know someone living alone, don’t assume their relatives or other friends are aware of these challenges and are maintaining regular contact. They may think that current conditions are not a significant change for people living alone. Consider that you might be able to do something for them that literally no one else is doing.
@ Fernandistein 11:48
LOL. Good one.
DBQ: I wasn't aware of emotional stoicism. Must have missed that in "Meditations" ;)
I made the wife the last of the tres leches pancakes this morning.
As I have remarked to my self destructive, drama queen of a daughter, it's not how you *feel* about yourself or the condition of your life, but what you *do* about it. The world around you doesn't give a damn about your *feelings*, just your contributions. Depression for a lot of snowflakes is not taking ownership of their inability to deal with the struggle of life.
As someone well medicated for depression and anxiety, I've found this to be a strange time. I'm quite anxious - and rightly so - for what the future holds. But that bit of paranoia that comes with the downward spiral in mood can be worse. Mostly what I'm noticing though is that people are giving each other a bit more of a break now that they need one too, and they're being a bit more appreciative of those around them.
The people who are most smug about the worthlessness of those with anxiety and depression are generally the worst for us to deal with. It's not simply that we think that we are special for are sensitivity. They tend to think they are special for their brusqueness and indifference make them more serious or realistic, not realizing that part of realism is knowing that there are a fair number of broken people out there who can do good things for you if treated one way and shut down and watch everything you need from them to go to shit if you treat them another way. If you've ever whined that a broken person let you down, suck it up, buttercup. A realist knows you need to treat different people differently and doesn't get hurt feelings over it.
For me, I would say the hardest part of this is I used to walk 8-10,000 steps a day. With sheltering in place, it's down to about 2000, and that's with laps up and down the hall at odd intervals. Lot of excess energy to burn off.
For me, I would say the hardest part of this is I used to walk 8-10,000 steps a day. With sheltering in place, it's down to about 2000, and that's with laps up and down the hall at odd intervals.
Indeed. No commute so no steps that way. And walking on the sidewalk seems a trifle awkward. Happily the apartment building has an adjacent elevated parking structure which is a beaut for walking. Isolation and private property so no copmice to ask for papers.
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
My son, who is adopted and whose birth mother used
Bless you, Pants. Can he do therapy via videoconference? Doctors are lightening up on that, my dad is getting consults via video, though I am here now outside the lab, he finally had to go for bloodwork. Using one of the only two N95 masks I had for them. Fair enough I guess but would have suggested he go bandana.
Howard said...
Nichevo, Fen is gone because I trolled him into a meltdown. Another weak sister you look up to.
Look up to? Fen is his own man making his way through the world. I only name him because as a fellow Marine he could probably explain the Advanced Bullshit Training "you people" take. I don't think he even remembers you, it was AA he went off on. And since any scumbag is now let back on, he could doubtless return if he chose, though I doubt he gets either the blowie or the front page apology from Althouse that he set as the price of his return. If he were here I would invite him to look up "Kol Nidre" and regard the perversity of vows.
You never answered clearly: Do you agree the TR should have stayed at sea and let the virus exhaust itself running through the people? If nothing else it woukd have been a swell Petri dish. You could have had your controlled double blind study, even. I wonder how the USS Bunker Hill is doing. They could give her commander Crozier's job.
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