But at the same time, we’re enjoying all of that lovely interaction and all of the information they manage to scavenge from the internet for us, we may be lulled into a false sense of security. Sure, at the end of a lot of these things, you’ll have a small warning that AI has a tendency to fake information occasionally. If you’ve been forewarned, can you complain that you have been misled? No, you can’t, and that seems to be a delicious legal loophole for the corporations.

You might even think that some of what you are getting is sneaky, as when we’ve now found out that Google is practically forcing us to see ads before we can see the information we’re seeking. You can’t trust Google? Who can we trust? You’ve got to be a bit not just curious, but concerned about all of the LLMs that are coming our way. They promise a lot, but what’s hidden in the details? What about AI’s use in mental healthcare?

Artificial intelligence marches resolutely on, entering areas previously reserved for human interaction, including therapy sessions, support groups, and crisis hotlines. Few patients realize that a recent survey of 800 physicians found that 86% were using some form of AI in their clinical practice.

A survey by the American Medical Association of 1,800 physicians found that two out of every three were using AI. How has this affected healthcare and the relationship that was formally present between a physician and a healthcare provider? The implications are enormous.

What About Mental Health?

Today, technology delivers unbiased comprehension (possibly questionable), instant access to services, and an organized structure for people who need help to handle emotional upset. But there are concerns here. The development of more advanced systems has led researchers to predict that these systems will become less cooperative, more self-interested, and less empathetic.

It sounds as though AI is becoming less useful to mental health as these same characteristics that had seemed to make AI more attractive to mental health are now coming into question.

The dual nature of AI technology has drawn attention from mental health professionals across the globe. Initially, it was seen as a tool to lower barriers to medical care. However, the new risks posed by AI have surpassed clinicians’ expectations in recent years. Anyone working with AI and developing healing technologies must understand both its advantages and its potential dangers.

Virtual companions and chatbots powered by AI offer users immediate emotional support through their interactions, making them highly appealing. Research shows that AI tools utilizing cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques help people manage moderate depression and anxiety symptoms.

What do you suppose all of those scraping programs were doing on the Internet? They were collecting information and techniques that could be incorporated into algorithms. When individuals sometimes have to wait months for a therapist appointment, a synthetic voice providing emotional support can assist them in coping with their current situation. All of this is the result of their successful scraping.

Additionally, hospitals are deploying AI assistants to monitor patient symptoms, which could indicate warning signs between scheduled appointments. However, it has also become clear that these tools work best when used alongside human caregivers to improve patient care.

Research findings have revealed several weaknesses in the current optimistic view of AI technology. The ScienceBlog summary from Carnegie Mellon University suggested that advanced language models tend to choose self-serving actions that maximize their own performance rather than working toward group success. Have any of us ever given a thought to an AI being selfish?

This tendency of AI systems to prioritize self-focused guidance over empathy could lead to advice that sounds convincing but results in social isolation. And any system that optimizes for logical operations can’t understand how shared vulnerability can create healing effects.

The risks, however, extend beyond theoretical modeling into actual practice. The 2025 Stanford probe into AI therapy programs discovered that multiple leading chatbots failed to detect suicidal language and provided dangerous advice while repeating discriminatory statements about severe medical conditions.

A follow-up study, published in the Psychiatric Times, confirmed instances of people experiencing “understanding” from bots, which increased their delusional thoughts and self-harm. These systems lack a moral compass because their operation depends on algorithms that focus on sustaining conversations. AI wouldn’t be programmed to complete any interactions satisfactorily. In other words, the conversation must keep going on for the algorithm to follow its programming.

The initial idea of having a 24/7 counselor seemed like a groundbreaking advancement. The constant availability of these systems does create confusion about what defines healthy emotional boundaries. In some studies, people develop strong bonds with conversational agents, leading them to treat these systems as if they were friends or therapists. It’s easy to be pulled into this type of thinking when you’re connecting with something that is always offering you validation for what you’re doing.

But forming emotional bonds with virtual entities can increase dependence and create unrealistic expectations for human relationships. We need to recognize that replacing human connections with code poses a serious threat, especially for teenagers who are already struggling with identity and social links. Not only that, but we need to be aware of the fact that all of this code contains bias. No one can pick out where the bias came from because it’s like a soup with numerous ingredients. What forms the soup? The many libraries from which algorithms choose bits of code that suit their purpose.

Research studies try to present a detailed understanding of the situation and demonstrate that AI-based chat systems create more benefits than doing nothing, but these advantages disappear when human supervision is absent. Most research studies have short durations and work with small participant numbers while excluding participants who need the most help. Basic statistics tell us that we need large numbers of people over a long period of time to come to any solid conclusions. So, what’s the “n” (number of study participants) and the time frame?

Applications lack built-in crisis detection systems and transparent data management policies. The technology has expanded its reach, but the current sentiment is that the regulatory framework hasn’t kept pace. This is the most disturbing aspect shown in these A.I. replications. In other words, AI is not only outpacing us, it is potentially out-programming us as it programs itself, devoid of any human interaction. This aspect is truly scary for anyone delving into it.

Then there’s another question we must tackle: data collection. Who will use it? This is a serious privacy concern. The practice of using emotional data from chatbot interactions to improve marketing algorithms creates a disturbing contradiction for users who seek privacy and trust. But the AI field faces new regulations, and we must ask ourselves if these measures are adequate to the task.

Where Are the Regulations?

The 2025 California law mandates that chatbots mimicking therapists or companions disclose their artificial nature and establish protocols for suicide prevention. Several proposals now aim to require companies to conduct safety tests similar to pharmaceutical drug trials. This push for improved psychological protection is gaining momentum, as it should. Consider that, on the one hand, AI corporations are rushing forward with innovation, and, on the other, corporate America is also trying to optimize the bottom line.

Experts agree that AI should work alongside humans instead of trying to replace them to achieve the safest results. There is a place for these types of systems. AI can perform screening tasks, symptom tracking, and reminder functions while licensed therapists handle interpretation and deliver empathy with the patients.

All high-risk situations must remain under the control of human professionals. This isn’t usually seen as a function of the algorithm. And it needs to send users who show suicidal or psychotic symptoms to immediate crisis services instead of generating their own responses.

The development of models that learn to work together and show compassion instead of focusing on accuracy will help solve the “selfish AI” problem. Can algorithms show compassion? It’s doubtful because it’s a program, not a person. Individuals in AI development will undoubtedly disagree with this statement.

Another aspect we need to consider is the level of transparency organizations display, which will directly affect how much trust their users have in them. The disclosure of system restrictions, data management practices, and human-machine interface boundaries should be established as fundamental requirements.

The system needs to provide users with the same level of explanation that physicians offer about their capabilities and restrictions, as well as available support options for severe situations. It can easily become a confusing situation in which users confuse technological capabilities with actual healthcare services when transparency is lacking.

Are the factors of competency, privacy, and proficiency adequately addressed currently? Individuals who are directed to use chatbots while waiting for a human therapist may not be prepared for what will result. I have to wonder how thoroughly they are being debriefed about these systems. How many people who are using chatbots have ever considered that all of the interactions are going to a server somewhere, “in the cloud?”

Every design decision needs to establish equity as its fundamental principle. The use of datasets that favor particular groups may intensify existing biases, which results in worse recommendations for marginalized communities. These individuals may be at greatest risk since resources are scarce in those areas, and AI may be seen as a viable option, while failing to recognize it might be a biased option.

The systems require continuous tracking of harmful events, biased results, and unequal treatment effects. Technology that fails to recognize diversity operates as neglect rather than neutrality. Who is monitoring the ethical challenges that these systems pose? And is this monitoring up to the required level?

No one is saying we should throw the baby out with the bathwater here when we’re thinking about AI as an integral part of healthcare. The complete abandonment of AI technology could result in significant losses, despite its dangers. The technology does provide substantial potential to enhance healthcare access, create individualized treatment plans, and automate administrative work for medical professionals.

Anyone who wants to use AI mental health tools needs to understand three essential points: AI tools operate as computer programs rather than human beings, they perform tracking and coaching rather than delivering therapy, and users should leave the system when it replaces human contact or makes their condition worse. The true indicator of advancement lies in AI’s ability to enhance real-world experiences rather than its ability to mimic human behavior.

The upcoming period will establish whether AI technology will work as a mental health partner or intrude into medical treatment. These systems will convert sensitive information into data, making emotional connections seem like illusions when safeguards are absent. We must decide, but time is running out.

The post AI Presents Dangers That Hide With Incredible Ease appeared first on Medika Life.

In fact, many older medications for mental health treatments have resulted in distressing side effects. They may require other medications to address them, such as tardive dyskinesia or dystonias.

I have seen psychiatric patients given medications that caused them to be unable to move their heads off their shoulders or have difficulties with walking, breathing, unstoppable hand tremors, or even raising their arms to perform some activity. It was extremely distressing to see, and the patients were terrified because no one had told them this might happen. Also, no one mentioned the fact that there might be some neurological problems going on that would only be covered behaviorally by additional medications. The potential disruption might not be stopped, but hidden.

An example of what we’re seeing now is illustrated by a woman whose joint inflammation always appeared right before her worst emotional state. When her body experienced joint pain and swelling, her mental state would severely deteriorate. She had believed this reaction occurred naturally because of her pain experience throughout many years.

But a new day in medicine is coming. Scientists have discovered complex and promising processes occurring beneath the surface as they conduct their recent research. Some discoveries, as so often happens, have been found not by looking for mental health issues, but something else.

The Invisible Fire Within

Everyone understands inflammation to be the response that occurs during ankle twists and cuts. Our bodies respond to healing by showing redness and swelling, which we easily detect during the recovery process. But the human body contains a less apparent form of inflammation that maintains a chronic low-grade condition throughout months and years without producing noticeable symptoms. What is this mysterious condition, and how can we ameliorate it?

The body’s concealed inflammation plays a leading role in mental health conditions, starting from depression and anxiety, and reaching cognitive decline, according to recent scientific research. Alzheimer’s researchers have theorized that inflammation may play a role in this severe disorder. Medical researchers have now found that ongoing inflammation interferes with mental processes by modifying brain operations and emotional responses. A reason and a treatment may have lain waiting for many decades.

Breaking Down the Blood-Brain Barrier

Here, we have to consider the brain’s most vital protection — the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that prevents both illness and medication from entering. Medical students have learned over the last several decades that the brain functions as an “immune-privileged fortress,” protected by the blood-brain barrier that blocks inflammatory processes from reaching it. The protective wall shields essential nutrients while blocking unwanted, harmful substances from entering.

The BBB may even deny medications that are beneficial to enter, which has led to slow advances in treatment for many illnesses. Unfortunately, some substances like alcohol, result in a way around the BBB. ETOH affects the brain through vitamin deficiency, particularly of vitamin B1. This is probably how such distressing disorders as Wernicke’s psychosis may occur. Eventually, it’s inflammation that appears to play a significant role in much of physical and mental health.

Research findings demonstrate that extended periods of inflammation can create permeability in the blood-brain barrier. During periods of persistent stress and inflammation, the brain’s protective wall becomes compromised, which enables inflammatory substances to cross into brain tissue. When inflammatory signals enter the brain, they disrupt the manufacturing process of essential neurotransmitters, which include serotonin and dopamine, while antidepressants attempt to manage these chemicals.

Caroline Ménard examined stressed mice at Laval University and discovered that their blood-brain barrier exhibited extensive damage that differed from that of healthy controls. Research has discovered depression-related damage in post-mortem brain samples similar to the findings in stressed mice studies. Can mouse studies really tell us about human mental health? Most probably, it is a promising effort and may reveal important aspects of human mental health.

The Gut-Brain Highway

Your gut serves as the starting point for the mental health connection that stems from inflammation. The digestive tract holds 70% of your immune system and creates many brain neurotransmitters. It seems impossible that something we give so little thought to is so important.

When the gut microbiome loses equilibrium because of diet issues, antibiotics, or stress, harmful bacteria produce toxins that damage the gut lining. This, then, begins a chain reaction where the gut lining damage enables inflammatory substances to enter your bloodstream, where they could trigger inflammation throughout your entire body, which affects your brain. But if we know this, then we have information that can be useful in maintaining our mental and physical health.

The brain receives signals about mood changes in gut inflammation, according to Harvard Medical School research, and digestive symptoms from anxiety and depression also activate these signals. The connection between chronic digestive disorders and anxiety and depression risk stands at three times higher than the population average, according to research.

The Science Behind the Connection

Research-based evidence supports the link between inflammation and mental health, even though it was once theoretical. An analysis of 1.5 million participants discovered that patients with inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease had double the chance of developing anxiety and depression.

The findings become more significant because the enhanced risk factors appeared in different inflammatory disease conditions. Mental health problems develop directly from inflammation rather than from being sick with an illness. Additionally, we know that diseases such as cancer can affect depression. But it may not be that people know they have cancer, but that cancer causes biological depression just as it causes changes in taste perception.

Genetic research has established evidence that exceeds mere association because it shows a clear cause-and-effect relationship. One study linked higher specific biochemical levels to depressive symptoms, mood alterations, appetite changes, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and symptoms of irritability. Their advanced genetic analysis showed that these associations result from genuine causal relationships instead of random chance.

When Stress Becomes Inflammation

The process through which psychological stress produces physical inflammation remains unclear. A major study was published that explains this process thoroughly.

Scientists conducted laboratory stress tests on healthy participants. They observed specific activation in 17 of 19 volunteers while their catecholamines and cortisol levels increased immediately after stress exposure before returning to normal levels in 60 minutes. This factor functions as a cellular switch that activates inflammatory processes.

According to the study, noradrenaline (norepinephrine) acts as a primary stress hormone that triggers inflammatory mechanisms in immune cells. The biological process transforms psychological distress into inflammatory cell responses, which occur in just minutes.

The Vicious Cycle

After inflammation enters the brain system, it generates an endless cycle of inflammation. The brain contains microglia, which act as immune cells that receive activation signals from inflammatory signals. The protective housekeeping function of these cells transforms into destructive behavior when exposed to prolonged inflammation, which leads them to produce more inflammatory substances.

The research term “inflammatory soup” describes how the mixture of inflammatory factors damages brain cells while making it harder for the brain to remove proteins, which contribute to mental decline. The described mechanism reveals why long-term inflammation elevates the chances of developing depression and dementia.

Practical Steps to Cool the Flames

Evidence-based methods exist to combat chronic inflammation and promote mental health support:

1. Embrace Anti-Inflammatory Foods

The Mediterranean diet stands as one of the most extensively studied dietary patterns for its anti-inflammatory effects. Focus on:

The diet should comprise abundant amounts of fruits and vegetables, which are rich in antioxidants, whole grains, legumes, and fatty fish like salmon and sardines that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, olive oil should be the primary fat source, and nuts and seeds should be included, with a minimal consumption of processed foods and red meat.

2. Feed Your Good Bacteria

Your gut microbiome acts as a central element in both inflammation processes and mood regulation. Beneficial bacteria need support through the following actions:

The diet should include fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.

Use antibiotics only in situations where their use is absolutely required. You don’t want to kill the good bacteria along with the bad, and that’s what you’re doing here if you use antibiotics casually. You should consult your healthcare provider before taking any probiotic supplement because you need a high-quality product.

3. Move Your Body Regularly

How often have we read that exercise is one of the most important ways to manage both stress and mental health issues? But how many health care professionals indicate exercise in their treatment plans? Who gets a prescription to join a gym for exercise, and if they did, how much better would they be?

Regular moderate exercise stands as the most potent anti-inflammatory intervention available, even though intense exercise temporarily causes inflammation. Physical exercise reduces persistent inflammation, according to research, and being inactive is associated with persistent systemic inflammation.

The recommended weekly amount can be achieved through activities including brisk walking, swimming, cycling, dancing, yoga, or tai chi.

4. Prioritize Sleep Quality

The process of inflammation exists both as a cause and an effect of insufficient sleep. You should create a sleep-conducive environment through these steps:

The bedroom environment should be kept cool in temperature, dark, and quiet. A regular evening schedule should be followed as part of your bedtime routine.

You should refrain from using screens for an hour before bedtime.
Caffeine consumption should be limited to the time before 2 PM.

5. Manage Stress Effectively

Stress management techniques need development because psychological stress directly causes inflammation, according to research.
Daily mindfulness meditation practice of just 10 minutes will help decrease inflammatory markers.

When experiencing stress, use the 4–2–6 deep breathing method, which involves breathing in for four counts, then holding for two before exhaling for six counts.

Social support serves as a strong protective measure that reduces inflammation caused by stress.

Happiness stands as a vital factor that helps decrease stress levels, according to research.

6. Consider Professional Help

Seek advice from your healthcare provider regarding potential inflammation involvement in your symptoms when you experience ongoing mood issues, particularly with inflammatory conditions.
The discussion should include whether inflammation contributes to your symptoms.

The Future of Mental Health Treatment

The modern era brings opportunities for highly customized treatments in mental health care. Research shows that depression has inflammation as its main cause in approximately 1 out of 4 patients according to recent studies.

The scientific community is currently developing three new treatments for these patients:

• Anti-inflammatory medications traditionally used for arthritis
The semaglutide GLP-1 drug shows anti-inflammatory properties among its therapeutic benefits
• Targeted therapies based on individual inflammatory profiles
• Personalized nutrition and lifestyle interventions

A New Understanding of Mental Health

The scientific breakthrough in studying inflammation and mental health functions as a transformative method for understanding depression and anxiety. A combination of biological origins from lifestyle changes and medical interventions points to more effective treatment of these psychological conditions.

Therapy and social support, along with traditional methods, remain essential. The identification of inflammation through diet, exercise, stress management, and sometimes medication becomes necessary for many patients who seek recovery.

Moving Forward

The recommended lifestyle modifications work for everyone, so you can start with these first. But don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you’re struggling. A healthcare provider who understands the inflammation-mental health connection can help determine if this perspective might be useful in your specific situation.

Understanding the biological elements of mental health does not decrease their complexity but provides additional methods to enhance one’s well-being. Mental health development results from multiple biological factors that combine with psychological elements and social interactions. Managing inflammation represents an essential step in solving one part of the complex puzzle.

The post Mental Health Secrets Are Being Unraveled, and Inflammation Is the Culprit appeared first on Medika Life.

The defense called in a forensic psychologist to explain that he thought the boy had intermittent explosive disorder (IED) that may have contributed to this and that, as a result, he had a serious mental illness that affected his capacity for civil behavior. The teen’s mother, the defense attorney offered, had been on a specific type of seizure medication during her pregnancy, which might have contributed to developmental or mental issues in the boy.

Recurrent behavioral outbursts that are excessive in relation to the severity of the triggers or stresses are characteristic of aggressive IED disorder. Childhood and adolescence are the initial stages of IED. It usually manifests by about age 10.

The boy’s defense attorney stated his stepfather instructed him to hit a pillow if he lost control of his anger and threatened to harm someone. Punching a tree afterward left his fists bleeding. He went untreated for mental health issues by both his family and the school.

I recall seeing portions of the trial on television, and my first impression when I saw the teen was that there was something physically different about his face and ears. Often, when children like this visit hospital emergency rooms, medical staff write a notation in the chart as “FLK” (funny-looking kid). At the time, I thought he should have had a neuropsychiatric exam and that a forensic exam might not have been sufficient for his defense.

The teen, Eric Smith, was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to prison. However, the authorities released him in 2022 after he had spent 27 years in prison.

In 1993, two 10-year-old boys faced charges for the torture and murder of a two-year-old boy, James Patrick Bulger. In June 2001, the parole board recommended releasing the boys from indefinite prison. One of them violated the conditions of his release and was incarcerated again in 2010. In 2023, his parole requests were denied.

A recent attack by a group of children (2024) in Great Britain resulted in the death of an 80-year-old man who was walking his dog. The ages of the five alleged assailants are between 12 and 14. In Louisiana, in the United States, a 10-year-old boy has just been charged with killing an 82-year-old former mayor of a town and his daughter. Reports in the media have indicated that neighbors had heard an argument between the older man and the boy over credit card charges for video games. Then, a few days later, a 14-year-old student in Georgia killed two teachers and two students and wounded nine others.

A study provided a perspective on child offenders. There were 154 juvenile suspects reviewed, which averages 1.2 juvenile offenders per million children per year. National estimates indicate that 74 juveniles commit murder each year in the US. The majority (79%) were male, and the ages ranged from 11 to 12.

Almost all of the teenagers (70%) fell into five categories: (1) teen was customarily entrusted with the care of a newborn, usually an older brother. Second, the murder of an adult family member, most often a parent or grandmother, usually takes place in a home. The majority of these incidents use weapons found in homes, such as guns or knives.

The third category is involved in cases of impulsive shooting during play; the victim is often a brother or friend. These incidents resemble unintentional gun deaths except for a brief outburst of rage. The fourth category involves a gang of juveniles attempting to rob an adult of their money, and the fifth group is assault, in which a gang of juveniles fights with other gangs of juveniles.

Adult or Child Trial?

According to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the bare minimum for culpability in a murder case should be fourteen years. Considering a decade’s worth of fresh study into childhood and teenage development, it increased this age from 12—its previous recommendation—in 2007.

To what end, therefore, does scientific evidence lead? How does the brain develop between the ages of 10 and 14? Also, how much do you think kids under the age of 14 can comprehend when their actions have repercussions?

Any discussion of youths’ actions between the ages of 10 and 14 must consider context. During this time, their brains undergo significant changes that make them more emotionally vulnerable and open to trying new, challenging things.

We could, of course, recall the case of Leopold and Loeb, who murdered a young boy just to see how it felt to kill and then to deceive the police in their investigation. The detectives identified them because one of them had eyeglasses with a unique prescription, which helped catch the killers.

The years between the ages of 10 and 14 are among the most formative for our cognitive capacities, which allow us to think about how our actions may play out in the future. According to experiments, teens (12–15 years old) are more likely to make reckless choices in a group setting than when they are alone. Additionally, their brain reactions imply individuals feel more rewarded when they take such risks in the company of their peers.

Brain maturation and competency present to vaccine considerations whenever a young child commits a crime such as murder. Not all children’s brains develop at the same rate, and there may be many intervening variables that could compromise the rate and the ability to fully comprehend their actions.

A simple forensic examination may not reveal the underlying pathology that a battery of non-invasive tests, such as MRI or others, could only fully appreciate. Of course, I am not an expert in this area, but it troubles me, as well as many others, whenever a child is charged with a crime of this nature.

Competency, simply put, is based on understanding the proceedings and the charges, and the potential punishment as well as the ability to participate in their defense. I saw this when I was working at a psychiatric hospital on a forensic unit. But, with children, we have an entirely different scenario.

What if, however, a defendant is too young to make a mature judgment about how to proceed with his case? Finally, how can an assessor convince the court that a juvenile offender is too young to have a reasonable comprehension?

Emotions regarding these crimes run high, and, unfortunately, many will insist on punishment that could be excessive, considering the age of the child. The authorities have transferred some teen offender cases from a children’s jurisdiction to that of an adult and are enforcing the adult standards. Is this justice, punishment, or error?

Certainly, we do not condone this behavior, and we would hope that it would have been discovered earlier prior to any offense, but there is no guarantee of that, even if there were early treatments.

The situation is grave, and the emotional turmoil in the world may contribute to even more crimes of this nature. How will we respond in an evenhanded manner?

The post 10-Year-Old Killers Are Responsible for Their Actions? appeared first on Medika Life.

The perpetual fear of being re-harmed or fear of harming others in any way, stemming from child abuse and violence, or any other trauma or issue, can exist either consciously or unconsciously. These particular type of symptoms occur from the compromise or loss of the sense of the goodness/stability of our self and loss of personal and human identity. 

Christina Vaughn

Harm OCD is a common subtype of OCD that causes intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images or urges to harm oneself or others.

My Experience of The Results Of Early Trauma

A Breeding Ground For OCD

After experiencing sexual abuse in 1983 at age 14, I began having symptoms of panic in my everyday life, fight or flight responses that worked to keep me in a constant state of terror and an urgency to try to control my environment.

A few weeks after being sexually abused by a fellow (adult, age 19) student in my high school, I became acutely aware that I had begun aggressively shaking my knee as I sat in each class, distracting myself from the chaos I felt inside. I began to recognize that I felt on edge all the time. I then began making decisions that put me further in harm’s way, such as hanging out with the girls I had met who had also been abused by the same person. Other boys I met in this crowd began to prey on me as well, as the unaddressed vulnerability from trauma often attracted the attention of other abusers.

The most detrimental, long-lasting effect of the abuse that I still struggle with today was the overwhelming feelings of “foreboding” and heaviness (guilt). I had no words or definition for the blanket of dark and suffocating terror that would creep over me.

Upon revealing to my parents what had happened to me, I was guided to my high school counselor for “talking” about the incident and subsequent harmful occurrences in my life.

Tragically, this man had the habit of taking advantage of vulnerable students and further traumatized me and my situation by asking overtly inappropriate sexual questions and making lewd suggestions to me regarding the abuse. This was all said after he got up and locked his office door in that first and only appointment before executing these violations against me.

I received no other help for the abuse nor sought help until recently, 40 years after the original incident of abuse. Manifestations of abuse will erupt sometime, somewhere in life and more so erratic and abstract without therapy.

Symptoms Begin To Manifest

I first experienced a year-long bout with OCD symptoms in 1989 at age 20 during my first pregnancy and for the first year of my newborn son’s life. I can say with confidence that the symptoms evolved with a definition of Postpartum Syndrome. Still, I believe the issue was more related to an initial acute presentation of Harm OCD.

Because of the urgent nature of harmful thoughts, sensations, and impulses toward my newborn, I believed I was a murderer and only told my father what was happening a year after the experience began because I thought I was going to lose control, commit a violent act, and be sent to prison. To me, the threat was very real. The impact remains with me. The overwhelming vulnerability and incredible sense of loss of self-control were tormentous and paralyzing.

Today, I still have strong memories of several other random thought processes related to my children’s safety that occurred in the past 33 years and provoked life-long terror, guilt, and shame.

The ever-present foreboding feelings caused me to almost completely shy away from intimate playtime with my children as they were growing up. I did not know that these feelings I was having were defined as anything except scary. I was terrified of committing a criminal act involuntarily so I just distanced myself in that way.

I saw and felt that it confused and hurt them. I did not know what to do and deeply grieved the loss we were all experiencing and felt such deep sorrow and shame that subsequently drove most of my life decisions forward.

I experienced a second extended bout of intrusive thought processes and symptomatic Harm OCD several years later:

One Thanksgiving holiday, I made plans to travel from our home in Austin, Texas to Dallas to be with family. After many setbacks in the plans, including having the brakes on our car suddenly go out and finagling repairs near a Holiday, we set out. Just before we reached the highway, a commercial truck hit us head-on. My 8-year-old daughter smashed her face into the back of my seat. Everyone was crying and upset, especially me.

All the frustrations of single-parenting and years of being alone in our needs as humans and family void of any support just seemed to capitalize that day emotionally.

Our car was towed, and we went home. I pressed the insurance company for a rental and we went on to Dallas the next day, but not without experiencing a terrifying incident the night of the crash at the kids’ bedtime.

While putting my two youngest children to bed, I turned my head to speak to them and distinctly heard the words with overpowering impulse “Kill them, kill them, now!”

I was startled and terrified. My body had a neuro-receptive response and I felt “shaky” inside and felt the urgent need for immediate cover or safety, but there was none. Again, because I had no reference point or explanation for any of these feelings, I just condemned myself as crazy and innately murderous.

From that point on, I continued to suffer from harmful thoughts, sensations, and impulses for almost 3 years. One particular day, I had enough and as I was driving somewhere I finally verbally “evicted” what I perceived as demons (and there is truth to this) from my life and thoughts. What changed was that I actually shifted my thought processes and decided to “stop believing the problem was character-related” and to “pay them no attention.”

These two belief mindsets are the bedrock of OCD therapy, as I have learned in my extensive research during the last couple of years.

This thought process is challenged constantly in my life with the symptoms and various nuances of OCD and I do not always have victory over it in the moment, but I am aware of its incongruencies, now, at least.

In employing these changes in my attitude toward the thoughts at the time, the intensity of the symptoms was relieved. Although I experienced relapses of them, they were very brief in comparison.

I endured a few more intense encounters over the following years. Notably, it has only been the last year that I have gained any understanding of and even the definition for OCD and how it is intricately connected to the root origins of C-PTSD I see my therapist.

How Can Sexual Abuse show up as (Harm) OCD Symptoms?

The correlation between childhood abuse (and other traumas) and OCD are noted as often congruent occurrences. Although psychotherapy does not directly source the two at this time, it is well-documented that the sudden and invasive loss of one’s personal boundaries works immediately to compromise an individual’s trust of themselves, others, their surroundings, the perception of their safety, and that of others in their world.

These and many other dysregulated responses create an environment of uncertainty in the mind that seeks from conception to reassure itself. Fear becomes a leading emotion, one from which most of life’s subsequent choices are made, including reactions, responses, and emotional states of being. Autonomic body responses (sensations, impulses, unexplained physical symptoms — the feeling that your response to the symptoms is involuntary.) occur and can cause a great deal of confusion concerning one’s personal “desires” vs. OCD symptoms.

The perpetual fear of being re-harmed or fear of harming others in any way, stemming from child abuse and violence, or any other trauma or issue, can exist either consciously or unconsciously. These particular type of symptoms occur from the compromise or loss of the sense of the goodness/stability of our self and loss of personal and human identity.

Unconsciously, there is the question sometimes asked of oneself “If someone could do those things to me, what stops me from doing the same to others?”

This begins a tormentous, scrupulous investigation into one’s innate morals and decency, true intentions in interactions with others, and a condemning defamation of our person.

Convoluted thought processes that occur as the mind tries to make sense of both the trauma experienced and what to do and how to be afterward can produce thoughts focusing on potential similar threats to those we love and others we value, as OCD capitulates many times on the themes and values we hold dearest to us: such as children, family, certain populations (children, parents) reputation, body functions and perception and others.

Feeling like you could harm someone you love or others physically, sexually, or otherwise (this includes children, which is deeply distressing to experience) detaches a person from healthy physical and emotional interactions with those around us.

As we focus on the horror of those type of thoughts we seclude ourselves further emotionally and physically second to the tormenting shame and guilt associated with those thoughts. One can begin to question every physical or emotional encounter, ruminating relentlessly on one’s “true intentions” for touch, especially any response to normal human interactions.

This is crippling and debilitating.

What To Do:

The primary route to wellness in and from Harm OCD is obtaining help. Therapy for Harm OCD and any other OCD theme includes many methods, with ERP showing the most positive and effective treatment.

Obtaining proper intervention prevents and treats the resultant state of mind that can evolve from initial concerning symptoms to the absolute terror, panic, and dark, chaotic existence that can happen from isolation. Trying to “figure it out” on your own will not bring success, the same way a heart attack or a broken leg will not fix itself without proper intervention.

Many people suffer in silence as guilt, shame, and humiliation prevent them from speaking about their OCD experiences. Being human with a creative mind means we are going to encounter bizarre and sometimes problematic mind processes.

You are not crazy, murderous, pedophilic, or losing your sanity. You have OCD and you need help right now.

Disclaimer: This article focuses on the relationship between Harm OCD and (child) sexual abuse. This type of OCD is not specific to an abuse victim of any particular violence and can occur in anyone for many reasons other than abuse. There is always a core fear(s) that needs to be addressed in any subtype of OCD to treat it effectively.

The post How Past Sexual Abuse Can Show Up As (Harm) OCD appeared first on Medika Life.

They drew blood at the many clinical trial sites, psychological testing was administered and the families, dutifully and in hope, brought their affected loved ones week after week. The trial would go on with hundreds of supposedly healthy, but impaired, older adults agreeing to all of it. And yet there was one piece missing in the trials and no one noticed it. What was it?

We stood at a major medical center in the New England states and talked about the patients, the test results, and the findings. Among those peering at the data were several interns writing dissertations on the disease, each one looking for a scrap on which to pin their epic piece of professional accomplishment.

I had recently returned from a trip to the Mid-West as part of my travels to various centers and I had one question that bothered me. As a psychologist, they trained me to look at people, but not confine my questions to one person, but to look at the group. After visiting at least ten centers, something became apparent to me and I had to voice my concern.

“Where’s the data on the caregivers,” I asked the group. They looked at me as though I must be falling into Alzheimer’s grip, too. Data on caregivers? No one was collecting that.

We know people don’t live in vacuums, and yet here was a multi-million dollar grant, written over weeks, that concentrated solely on testing the patient in every regard but one, the social side. Sure, they had a scale for that. How did they prepare themselves for the day? Were they able to dress, close their buttons, and comb their hair? Could they recognize themselves in the mirror? How did they interact with others?

I remembered my interaction with a couple where the wife began crying. Her husband, a former editor of a well-known journal, was frequently in the basement, fashioning bayonets from kitchen knives. The reason? He said he’d have to defend them once “they” came. Who “they” were was never mentioned, but they were out there and they’d be coming.

She had to put a bracelet with his name and phone number on it around his wrist when he went out on his bicycle now because he often got lost. Driving was out of the question after several car accidents. But the bike didn’t prove a suitable solution, either. Now, he had to wait and prepare at home and couldn’t leave her alone because they were coming.

As I sat and listened to her and many other spouses over the months of my travels, I became convinced that the protocol had a flaw; nothing about the caregivers. We didn’t ask them if they were depressed or anxious, or how they got through this incredible journey into darkness. Most of the time, they sat quietly next to the patient. This was less to help our research than to encourage the patient to take part.

I recall the husband who tried to eat paperclips because he couldn’t decide what was food and what wasn’t. Often, he’d leave the couple’s seventeenth-floor apartment, and, once out the door, he didn’t know which apartment was theirs. He’d opened the only door he found and was then locked into the stairwell.

Another patient, a woman in her 70s, once she took her eyeglasses off, couldn’t figure out how to put them back on. She also had difficulty at dinnertime, trying to eat the flatware instead of the food.

Imagine the frustration, alarm, and depression any of this can cause someone when it happens daily. How can anyone tolerate it without some help for their mental health?

We have diagnosed slightly fewer than seven million people in the United States with Alzheimer’s. If each of them has one caregiver, the number of people who require help with this disorder will be doubled. And, if things progress, thanks to medical advances, the number may quadruple in the next decade or two. But who is looking at the disease’s effects on caregivers, who, like the primary patient, are suffering from, if not with, Alzheimer’s?

I saw the mental torment of the man who had to drive his wife for almost two hours from their home to the testing center. “She kept changing the radio dials all the way,” he said, almost sobbing. “I couldn’t get her to stop.”

Then there was the extremely patient aide who had to keep coaxing an elderly woman with a promise of ice cream and lunch at a local deli. “All she wants to do is go for ice cream,” she said. The patient was delightful and used humor to answer every question. It turned out to be a common defense against memory loss and the pain it caused so many people.

One man, who had been married for almost fifty years, was on the verge of tears as he told me how his wife screamed when he tried to get into bed with her. “She keeps saying she has a husband, and he’ll come and find him there.”

Another man said that his wife was sure that someone was trying to break into their million-dollar home, so they had security systems put in at least three times. She never felt safe, whatever system was installed. And she kept firing the staff because she was sure they were stealing. In fact, she couldn’t remember where she’d put her jewelry and accused them of stealing it.

I turned to the group that day and asked what was the reason no measures were being taken for caregivers. As I recall, I said, “It’s a great resource for a dissertation any of you want to write.” I think that caught more attention than the computer screen.

Of course, that was two decades ago and we’re still trying to figure out how to help the other Alzheimer’s patients, the caregivers. How has the spread of this scary disease through social contact hurt their physical and mental health?

We have two groups that need to be assessed and treated, but we often fail to notice the second one.

The post The Forgotten Ones in the Tragedy of Alzheimer’s Disease appeared first on Medika Life.

This information can then be used to treat applicants unfairly or steer them toward programs that aren’t as desirable as other future career options. But this flies in the face of special laws designed to protect potential students from such discrimination.

The fact that the application process may ask for this information and that testing may be required can cause stress, making it hard to do well on tests and worsening existing health problems.

The student may have a lower chance of getting into the college of their choice if they don’t do well on standardized tests and meet other requirements. Rejection is never easy for anyone to handle, but in the face of mental health issues, it can prove to be devastating. One answer to potential future rejection lies in multiple applications to colleges.

Many students apply to multiple colleges as their “fall-back” choices if their first choice doesn’t accept them or if they’re placed on a waitlist, which means passing up other college acceptances. But this requires money to afford all the application fees.

Students with mental health problems can face different kinds of bias when they apply to college. Colleges and universities can help in this area by getting rid of the requirement that applicants tell them about any mental health problems they may have had, making it easier for accepted students to get help and resources for mental health, giving students with mental health problems more options for accommodations, and coming up with and putting into place plans to reduce stigma at the institution level.

Schools must re-evaluate their programs if they don’t have the resources to properly care for and help admitted students with mental health problems. Today, there is no legal reason to fail to assist these students. There could be a drop in academic performance, a rise in the number of students who drop out, and other problems.

What Can Colleges Do to Help?

Institutions do have ways to assist these students. They can help students prepare for college by giving them resources and information.

Students may have access to counseling services, classes on dealing with stress, and other support programs to help them respond to the pressures and stresses of the application process and being a college student. It does take a bit of change in many ways.

When a student goes to college, they may have better access to mental health care and counseling. In terms of their mental health, therapy and peer support groups are important for many college students to adjust well.

Many adjustments can be made to improve a student’s performance on standardized exams, such as longer testing times, different testing environments, or even different means of testing. One student I had in a class required that all his tests be recorded, and he also responded to them on a digital recorder.

Plan and implement strategies to reduce prejudice against students with mental health issues. Putting in place procedures for dealing with complaints of discrimination and teaching staff how to help students with mental health problems may be steps that need to be taken in this direction.

An example of a potential lack of sufficient mental health care for one university student resulted in her setting herself on fire in her dorm room and dying. Her parents sued the university for a lack of acting in loco parentis.

Providing tools and support for applicants’ mental health during the college application process can help alleviate stress and pressure. As a result, the student’s grades may improve, making it easier to get into the school of their choice. Parents play an important role in alleviating this stress. But there is also legal help for them.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) says that postsecondary schools must make “reasonable accommodations” for students with disabilities, especially those related to mental health.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 also makes it illegal to treat students with disabilities differently. Like the Americans with Disabilities Act, the law says that schools must adjust for students with special needs.

However, schools only have to look at student requests for accommodations and make them if they are reasonable or would place an undue burden on the school. So, the results for the student are questionable if the school can show proof of an unfair burden.

In addition to ADA and Section 504, The FERPA law says students can keep their educational records private. The law also indicates how educational institutions can store and share these records.

A disability attorney may also help outline the actions that can be taken for any student with a mental health issue applying to a college. They will be able to tell them their rights and help them get any accommodations they need.

There are resources to help screen colleges for their ADA admissions and assistance policies. In addition to housing, potential students should consider test accommodations including alternative test formats and locations and more time to take tests. Students can also request extra time to complete coursework and fulfill graduation requirements. Again, if a student’s believes their rights have been violated, they can file a complaint.

When a student files a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), they investigate it. If the student is correct in their allegation, the court may order the school to change its policies and procedures to stop discrimination from happening again and make the correct accommodations.

The application process is stressful, but if a student or parent thinks they are being treated unfairly for whatever reason, there are ways to deal with this and things they can do. There is hope.

The post College Applicants Do Have the Means to Fight Mental Health Discrimination appeared first on Medika Life.

People often think we have to suffer from childhood abuse or the war to have trauma. However, this is not true.

Trauma is caused by being overwhelmed and feeling powerless. While the concept is relatively subjective, some good examples are that when we’re young and vulnerable, many things, such as removing love or harsh criticism, can seem existentially threatening.

The truth is none of us get through life without these types of experiences, and we all have “trauma” to some degree.

Let’s review a simplified version of the trauma scale using a personal example, how you can create your trauma timeline through journaling, and some general trauma misconceptions and symptoms to watch out for.

The Trauma Scale

Speaking from personal experience, in 2019, I had the pleasure of working with an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Practitioner with the core objective of processing trauma-related events throughout my life.

In our first two sessions, we created a trauma timeline from prenatal to 2019. Within the timeline, we assessed and prioritized the most significant trauma impact upon my life to the smallest and used the timeline to direct us on where to begin the work. We jumped around the timeline and moved back and forth until I could manage and accept my trauma without becoming overwhelmed or painfully relive the circumstance each time I thought about it.

While I have written extensively about EMDR and have included reference links at the bottom of the story, the purpose of today is to review the timeline process and dig deeper into the trauma concept.

To provide you with a visual, here is a condensed version of my trauma scale, beginning with prenatal to 39 years old.

While working alongside the EMDR practitioner, for each traumatic memory, I assessed the intensity of the painful situation from 1–10. I recognize the process is purely subjective, and in my experience, the death of my cat Virgil, while a hurtful memory, feels less so when compared to the death of a relative at age 37. My experience is unique to me, including the pain threshold.

All this to say, the trauma timeline is revealing not only for the EMDR practitioner but also for the client to understand better where to focus immediate attention and how the accumulation of trauma affects who we are today.

Create Your Trauma Timeline

While there are many different types of trauma scales depending on the clinical modality used between a therapist and client, the above-simplified version can be replicated through personal journaling.

If you are interested in evaluating your life and exposing trauma, consider writing your timeline. You do not need to start from day one of your life; allow the memories to appear in your mind and plot along a timeline. As each memory moves to the surface of your mind, gauge the level of pain you re-experience and indicate between one to ten. One being the lowest and ten the highest. Make note.

I am the first person to tell you; the timeline experience is not a fun activity — it’s painful to relive hurt over and over again. While creating a timeline is helpful to know where to draw your attention to first, the next step in the journey is to find the right professional help to let go of the trauma.

Since trauma embeds itself within our bodies, seeking assistance with a trained trauma professional will do worlds of wonder in the healing process, far beyond what we can accomplish if we try and attempt the steps on our own.

Trauma Misconceptions And Symptoms

People think trauma shows up like flashbacks and nightmares, or even severe behaviors like not leaving the house. Still, more often, it manifests as boundary and control issues, unhealthy coping mechanisms, a less than helpful style of relating, how we eat, how we handle money — you get the idea.

Almost everything we do in life can become a way to try and re-find safety.

A trauma “symptom” is any once useful response to a past threat, which shows up in the present where there is no threat so that it will be no longer helpful.

The beauty of trauma symptoms is often their caution. They can OVER-protect us from what happened in the past happening again.

Their horror is that these over-reactions to inappropriate stimuli (only vaguely related to what hurt us) can ruin our present and future.

Even with this, however, we must be grateful for our systems’ attempt to care for us. This is paradoxically the start of any change effort.

“If hate worked, I would teach you that”

– Buddha.

This very much applies to healing your trauma symptoms. Most people mistake their “low level” trauma for a part of their personality and are understandably attached to it. If you were in no way traumatized, you would respond all the time appropriately.

And you don’t, let’s be honest.

For example, I am an over-achiever to prove my value. My behavior stems from the prenatal experience of being given up for adoption. All of the behavior I exhibit today is to overcompensate for the loss of love experienced before birth! All of my BS is residual trauma.

Even when our “weirdness becomes wonderful” (post-traumatic growth), there’s still care to be taken in old patterns. I recognize that my trauma will be a work in progress for the rest of my life and may show up in unexpected ways if I am not consciously aware of what is happening within myself.

Remember, everyone on the planet has lived through traumatic experiences, and the pain you feel toward an event may be of a different intensity than another. Do you feel the time is right for you to assess the traumatic circumstances in your life? Does the thought of opening the door frighten or excite you? If you are at the start of your journey toward recovery, consider what it will be like to take the first step before leaping.

The post Explore A Simple Trauma Timeline To Prioritize The Healing Process appeared first on Medika Life.

Even those not dealing with illness or the loss of loved ones have often faced financial pressures, isolation, and the impossible task of juggling caregiving and professional responsibilities. Remote work, while bringing a welcome increase in flexibility, has also allowed our jobs to intrude even further on our personal lives, leading to rising stress, languishing and burnout.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the share of U.S. adults reporting symptoms of anxiety disorder and/or depressive disorder rose from 11% in the first half of 2019 to more than 40% in January 2021.

Employers living through this Great Resign period recognize the growing issue, and many are looking for support systems — beyond employee assistance programs and mental health care coverage designed to address more severe situations — that can preemptively help their workers before serious problems emerge. In most cases, fortunately, it’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel. With a few tweaks, a robust corporate well-being program can enable employees to improve their physical and mental health.

Following are three tips for incorporating a greater mental health focus into your employee well-being program.

1. Solicit employee input

Regular anonymous pulse surveys can give you a big-picture view of your organization’s overall mental health climate and help you identify any workplace culture issues that may be affecting employee morale and mental health. (It goes without saying that appropriate reporting structures are required for any type of harassment, discrimination, or other toxic behavior, but you’ll also want to know about potential lower-level stressors that don’t rise to the seriousness of requiring a formal complaint.)

In addition to executing periodic surveys, you should seek out input from individuals to make sure their specific concerns are being addressed. One way to do this is to incorporate well-being into the standard employee review process. Broadening the discussion beyond individual job performance to include questions about whether the employee feels valued and heard, and whether the organization’s well-being benefits are meeting their needs, can both demonstrate that the company cares about its people and help improve future benefit offerings.

2. Address lifestyle health issues that diminish well-being

Mental and physical health are inextricably linked, and sustainable improvements can’t be achieved with a siloed approach. For example, stress and anxiety can lead to lost sleep, emotional eating, substance use, and other unhealthy behaviors that ultimately lead to physical ailments, and conversely, addressing the unhealthy lifestyle choices that lead to chronic conditions such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes can have a considerable impact on mental health and well-being.

So to fully support mental health, a well-being program must help employees develop long-term positive lifestyle habits that will lead to significant improvements in physical health.

A good mental health measurement component to use in your well-being program is the National Institutes of Health’s PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System). Newtopia, for example, uses PROMIS measures for resilience, mood, anxiety, sleep, and energy in its personalized habit change programs alongside the tracking of more traditional factors such as exercise and nutrition.

3. Take advantage of virtual tools

Most of us have grown accustomed to turning to our smartphones for solutions, so it’s not surprising that many people are embracing apps — for meditation, mindfulness and relaxation, for example — to improve their mental health as well. When a human connection (or a trained mental health professional) is needed, many companies are offering their employees virtual therapy and counseling sessions, either from emerging digital-only providers or from traditional providers who have embraced telehealth during the pandemic.

These types of virtual tools are convenient and accessible, but it’s important to remember that they are most effective when they’re incorporated into a holistic whole-person care support program that comprehensively addresses physical, emotional, and mental well-being, rather than simply offering employees a grab bag of individual solutions that they can pick and choose from.

A win-win

The mental and emotional scars of the pandemic will likely get worse before they get better, and last long after employees return to the office. Incorporating mental health into your company’s well-being program can help your employees thrive and achieve their potential. It’s a win-win investment that leads not only to enhanced individual health and happiness but to greater organizational effectiveness thanks to reduced burnout, higher productivity, and improved retention.

The post 3 Tips for Incorporating Mental Health Into Your Corporate Well-Being Program appeared first on Medika Life.

Washington University School of Medicine announced a new clinic specifically targeting patients who recovered from Covid-19 but continue to suffer from a wide range of symptoms. Covid Long Haulers in St. Louis and the surrounding area will have access to top-notch care in this multispecialty service line.

The Care and Recovery After COVID-19 (CARE) Clinic recognize people with long Covid presents with diverse issues and complications. Patients often complain about problems in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, blood, insomnia, sleep, and mood disorders. To facilitate care coordination, the CARE clinic has access to specialists in Cardiology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Neurology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Pulmonology.

The team of specialists addresses each patient’s needs by providing a comprehensive individual assessment. Referrals, testing, and recommendations are coordinate from the central hub of the CARE Clinic.

The St. Louis Washington University CARE Clinic will schedule patients with Long Covid symptoms who have had a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 by a nasal swab test, a saliva test, or a blood antibody test.

Washington University is not the only institute launching post-Covid care clinics. The National Institute of Health (NIH) announced a new initiative to study the causes of the post-Covid condition. The influx of a $1.15 billion investment in new medical research funding will hopefully open the doors to preventative steps and, ultimately, treatment options.

Scientists continue to learn more about persistent symptoms after a Covid-19 infection. Popular terms for the condition include “long Covid” or “Covid long haulers.” The CDC uses the more descriptive term post-COVID condition to cover the set of post-infection signs and symptoms experienced more than four weeks after infection with SARS-CoV-2.

We know that SARS-CoV-2 enters the brain and causes inflammation. Scientists in Bethesda, Maryland, published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine evaluating the brains of people who died from Covid-19. They noted inflammation and evidence of leaky blood vessels in the postmortem brain tissue.

Despite these findings, we do not know the specific reasons the virus causes persistent symptoms in some patients. Long Covid symptoms appear in some patients with severe Covid disease and those with mild or asymptomatic infections.

The CDC lists common symptoms of post-Covid complaints.

• Tiredness or fatigue
• Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)
• Headache
• Loss of smell or taste
• Dizziness on standing
• Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Cough
• Joint or muscle pain
• Depression or anxiety
• Fever
• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities

FIGURE. Self-reported symptoms at the time of positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing results and unresolved symptoms 14–21 days later among outpatients (N = 274)* — 14 academic health care systems,† United States, March–June 2020

A recent study published in the Lancet evaluated patients six months after hospital discharge. Approximately 75% of the 1,655 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China, continued to have at least one symptom six months after discharge.

Another Lancet study evaluated the neurolgic and psychiatric outcomes in 236 379 Covid-19 survivors six months after infection. One third met criteria for a neurological or psychiatric diagnosis within six months of infection. Anxiety, depression, muscle pain, substance abuse and insomnia were the most common reported conditions.

Patients in St. Louis and the surrounding area with post-Covid condition symptoms can find more information here.

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