Americans report severe psychic distress

[Eldorado]

Nine long, deadly months into the pandemic, Americans report severe psychic distress. It’s dark, we’re stuck inside, and we’re isolated from friends and family.

Politics is fevered, the economy continues to struggle, and the coronavirus rages on. Many of us may be at a breaking point.

According to a new Gallup survey, Americans’ assessment of our mental health is “worse than it has been at any point in the last two decades.”

But now comes winter and the holidays, a time of special dread. Even in ordinary years, this season turns up the needle on stress.

Full opinion piece at the Register Guard (Oregon): Link

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by Eldorado

[+and-then]

Not to trivialize the burden this virus is inflicting on some states, but in the area I'm in, we are at least being allowed to live and work like we always have done.  In fact, very little extra stress is being observed beyond the normal chaos that comes with the Holidays.  I think the great majority of stress for most comes from the actions of local and state governments whose edicts are causing people to lose jobs, businesses, and hope.

[papageorge1]

Well I live alone and about all of my normal social outlets have been shut down. I feel more deflated and finding life less worthwhile.  This is just one of many things to consider along with social, economic, educational and other hits to the quality of life. I was just hearing how there will definitely be starvation problems in 2021 trickling down badly on the 30 poorest countries in the world. I here in America am sure I will have food but this is a consideration too to the overall quality of human life.

I am saying our coronavirus response should be one that maximizes the overall quality of life for the society and that does include tough trade-offs. Maybe even higher corona numbers might make sense in the tradeoff?

[Mirzam]

"Like telling people to car pool and turn down the thermostat to defeat climate change, it shifts responsibility for addressing a crisis from the systemic level to the individual and will almost certainly not be adequate for the people most in need."

I've heard a lot of people but especially news sources blaming individuals for covid problems like job loss and relationship strain rather than how the covid response procedures impacted lives. One radio ad about mental health and covid was pretty biased. Thankfully they phased that one out. When I was growing up some sources tried to teach us the same idea of poverty always being the fault of the individual.

The wording misled me a bit. When I first read "psychic" I hoped that they would propose an interesting abstraction about spiritual individuals experiencing something unusual and sharing their thoughts on that...

[XenoFish]

After you spend a year dealing with media induced fear and paranoia, no wonder people are losing it. 

[+and-then]

3 hours ago, XenoFish said:

After you spend a year dealing with media induced fear and paranoia, no wonder people are losing it. 

I'd be afraid for their sanity if the WEREN'T beginning to crack up from this onslaught.  It seems that it's a totally binary choice.  Buy into the media hype OR be considered a denier of "reality".  What the hell happened to an expectation that adults BEHAVE as adults?  There is no record of this kind of hysteria surrounding the H1N1 of 1918-1920 that killed tens of millions around the globe.  So call me jaded for not hiding under a bed because some blue state governor demands it.  

[XenoFish]

17 hours ago, and then said:

I'd be afraid for their sanity if the WEREN'T beginning to crack up from this onslaught.  It seems that it's a totally binary choice.  Buy into the media hype OR be considered a denier of "reality".  What the hell happened to an expectation that adults BEHAVE as adults?  There is no record of this kind of hysteria surrounding the H1N1 of 1918-1920 that killed tens of millions around the globe.  So call me jaded for not hiding under a bed because some blue state governor demands it.  

I don't trust the media at all. On any level. 

[openozy]

This a is where protection and spirituality are a real benefit to the human mind.

[XenoFish]

On 12/18/2020 at 10:00 PM, and then said:

There is no record of this kind of hysteria surrounding the H1N1 of 1918-1920 that killed tens of millions around the globe. 

They didn't have the internet then. With the internet we can get a very false reality or distorted model of reality. Which is why my trust level is extremely low in regards to any information that I'm given. Doesn't make me paranoid, just cautious. 

[+Sherapy]

On 12/18/2020 at 7:00 PM, and then said:

I'd be afraid for their sanity if the WEREN'T beginning to crack up from this onslaught.  It seems that it's a totally binary choice.  Buy into the media hype OR be considered a denier of "reality".  What the hell happened to an expectation that adults BEHAVE as adults?  There is no record of this kind of hysteria surrounding the H1N1 of 1918-1920 that killed tens of millions around the globe.  So call me jaded for not hiding under a bed because some blue state governor demands it.  

I was a caregiver, regularly taking the elderly to the hospital who had H1N1, during the Obama administration there was no mass hysteria because our governing administration was prepared on all levels with PPE etc. etc.  First of all we were given the facts and then applicable solutions. We wore masks, gloves and washed our hands. It is not rocket science.
 

There is no reason to hide under a bed, and it hasn’t helped that millions think that wearing a mask is an infringement on their rights while our frontline workers give their lives to care for the folks that refuse to do their part and we have an administration that called Covid a hoax, set a very poor example, wouldn’t allow testing etc. etc. and as a result what could have been nipped has now become a huge issue affecting the livelihood of millions. Now, many states have zero capacity, no beds for the sick in any capacity. It never needed to be like this. My two cents is we all need to band together and do our part which is wear the mask, etc. etc. etc. 
 

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by Sherapy

[XenoFish]

53 minutes ago, Sherapy said:

My two cents is we all need to band together and do our part which is wear the mask, etc. etc. etc. 

So herding cats huh. Look, sad to say it and it might make me look like a bad person, but perhaps we need this as a species. Perhaps the herd needs thinning. If this virus is natural/unnatural, at the rate people are going I'd say let it happen. Then again I don't care if I survive or not. As a species we are screwed no matter what. 

[+Nuclear Wessel]

1 minute ago, XenoFish said:

So herding cats huh. Look, sad to say it and it might make me look like a bad person, but perhaps we need this as a species. Perhaps the herd needs thinning. If this virus is natural/unnatural, at the rate people are going I'd say let it happen. Then again I don't care if I survive or not. As a species we are screwed no matter what. 

Yeah, but what about the ones that do care about surviving and simply are not in a position to be able to appropriately protect themselves, thus rely on others to do their part?

[XenoFish]

1 minute ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

Yeah, but what about the ones that do care about surviving and simply are not in a position to be able to appropriately protect themselves, thus rely on others to do their part?

What about them? Are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives, no matter how short lived in fear? Look I'm not saying abandon all hope or whatever. What I'm saying is that no matter what, things are going to be whatever they will be. I don't trust the vaccine, I don't trust the media, and I don't trust the government. I don't trust the medical establishment either. I personally think we are doomed. Am I supposed to care if a group of people want to throw a party? Am I supposed to care that rioters destroy what people work for? (which for some reason isn't a factor concerning rising cases)

Right now I've got my own problems like everyone else. So I am trying to survive with what sanity I have intact. Which means what you choose to do is on you and only you. You can't force people to do what you want. As we can all tell it doesn't work and this is the longest two weeks I have ever experienced which was supposed to be months ago.  

[+Nuclear Wessel]

3 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

What about them? Are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives, no matter how short lived in fear? Look I'm not saying abandon all hope or whatever. What I'm saying is that no matter what, things are going to be whatever they will be. I don't trust the vaccine, I don't trust the media, and I don't trust the government. I don't trust the medical establishment either. I personally think we are doomed. Am I supposed to care if a group of people want to throw a party? Am I supposed to care that rioters destroy what people work for? (which for some reason isn't a factor concerning rising cases)

Right now I've got my own problems like everyone else. So I am trying to survive with what sanity I have intact. Which means what you choose to do is on you and only you. You can't force people to do what you want. As we can all tell it doesn't work and this is the longest two weeks I have ever experienced which was supposed to be months ago.  

Wearing a mask, respecting social distancing, and getting vaccinated is not much to ask, brother.

It's really not.

As for the "two weeks" thing--that WOULD have been the case had everybody respected the guidelines as outlined by the WHO/CDC... but nope, people want to do what they want to do because "muh rights!!1"--**** the vulnerable.

Edited December 20, 2020 by Nuclear Wessel

[+Sherapy]

1 hour ago, XenoFish said:

What about them? Are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives, no matter how short lived in fear? Look I'm not saying abandon all hope or whatever. What I'm saying is that no matter what, things are going to be whatever they will be. I don't trust the vaccine, I don't trust the media, and I don't trust the government. I don't trust the medical establishment either. I personally think we are doomed. Am I supposed to care if a group of people want to throw a party? Am I supposed to care that rioters destroy what people work for? (which for some reason isn't a factor concerning rising cases)

Right now I've got my own problems like everyone else. So I am trying to survive with what sanity I have intact. Which means what you choose to do is on you and only you. You can't force people to do what you want. As we can all tell it doesn't work and this is the longest two weeks I have ever experienced which was supposed to be months ago.  

1 hour ago, XenoFish said:

What about them? Are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives, no matter how short lived in fear? Look I'm not saying abandon all hope or whatever. What I'm saying is that no matter what, things are going to be whatever they will be. I don't trust the vaccine, I don't trust the media, and I don't trust the government. I don't trust the medical establishment either. I personally think we are doomed. Am I supposed to care if a group of people want to throw a party? Am I supposed to care that rioters destroy what people work for? (which for some reason isn't a factor concerning rising cases)

Right now I've got my own problems like everyone else. So I am trying to survive with what sanity I have intact. Which means what you choose to do is on you and only you. You can't force people to do what you want. As we can all tell it doesn't work and this is the longest two weeks I have ever experienced which was supposed to be months ago.  

 

1 hour ago, XenoFish said:

What about them? Are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives, no matter how short lived in fear? Look I'm not saying abandon all hope or whatever. What I'm saying is that no matter what, things are going to be whatever they will be. I don't trust the vaccine, I don't trust the media, and I don't trust the government. I don't trust the medical establishment either. I personally think we are doomed. Am I supposed to care if a group of people want to throw a party? Am I supposed to care that rioters destroy what people work for? (which for some reason isn't a factor concerning rising cases)

Right now I've got my own problems like everyone else. So I am trying to survive with what sanity I have intact. Which means what you choose to do is on you and only you. You can't force people to do what you want. As we can all tell it doesn't work and this is the longest two weeks I have ever experienced which was supposed to be months ago.  

It never had to be this long. We could have came together in the first place. Fortunately, more of us decided to err on the side of empathy for each other. So, we shall see what we do with our chance. 

1 hour ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

[thedutchiedutch]

This is really sad and I hope that with the new leadership things will get better soon because the way that the current administration is handling this disaster, no wonder people are getting depressed and distressed 

[+and-then]

2 hours ago, Sherapy said:

First of all we were given the facts and then applicable solutions. We wore masks, gloves and washed our hands. It is not rocket science.

H1N1 was the novel virus called the SPANISH FLU.  It was first seen in 1917 and had burned its way through the globe by 1920.  It killed at least 50 million.  I'm not sure which contagion you are referencing.

[+Sherapy]

11 minutes ago, and then said:

H1N1 was the novel virus called the SPANISH FLU.  It was first seen in 1917 and had burned its way through the globe by 1920.  It killed at least 50 million.  I'm not sure which contagion you are referencing.

H1N1 during the Obama Admin. 
 

 

[Guyver]

14 hours ago, XenoFish said:

They didn't have the internet then. With the internet we can get a very false reality or distorted model of reality. Which is why my trust level is extremely low in regards to any information that I'm given. Doesn't make me paranoid, just cautious. 

For good reason.  From the beginning of the pandemic I began studying the published infection rates.  Numbers didn’t align, even from the CDC.  I stopped studying them when I found the information to be unreliable.

[XenoFish]

16 minutes ago, Guyver said:

For good reason.  From the beginning of the pandemic I began studying the published infection rates.  Numbers didn’t align, even from the CDC.  I stopped studying them when I found the information to be unreliable.

Too many things don't add up and I do not trust the vaccine. Odd that all this happened on an election year. Plus the media is nothing more than a propaganda machine. All it wants to do is keep people scared and afraid. People are dependant upon a system that doesn't care about them. Yet many could take small steps to be a lot more independent, like growing their own food for one. The preppers used to be the crazy ones, ha, they were right.

Worried about food when you had time to buy one extra can of whatever. Worried about money when you could've spent less. Then this pandemic showed up and they went crazy and panic bought. 

I wonder what would happen if the internet and TV services went out for a year? 

[+Nuclear Wessel]

29 minutes ago, Guyver said:

For good reason.  From the beginning of the pandemic I began studying the published infection rates.  Numbers didn’t align, even from the CDC.  I stopped studying them when I found the information to be unreliable.

What, specifically, are you referring to when you say "numbers didn't align"? What methodologies did you use when "studying" the published infection rates?

[+Nuclear Wessel]

8 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

Too many things don't add up and I do not trust the vaccine.

Such as? What are your reasons for not trusting the vaccine?

Edited December 21, 2020 by Nuclear Wessel

[Guyver]

38 minutes ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

What, specifically, are you referring to when you say "numbers didn't align"? What methodologies did you use when "studying" the published infection rates?

I compared the state and county published data against that of the CDC.  I looked at infection rates and death rates.

[+Nuclear Wessel]

3 minutes ago, Guyver said:

I compared the state and county published data against that of the CDC.  I looked at infection rates and death rates.

OK--and to what degree was the CDC data inconsistent with the data published by counties/states? Could you give some examples?

Also, it's not terribly uncommon for data to be unreliable at the beginning of a pandemic.

Edited December 21, 2020 by Nuclear Wessel

[Guyver]

1 hour ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

OK--and to what degree was the CDC data inconsistent with the data published by counties/states? Could you give some examples?

Also, it's not terribly uncommon for data to be unreliable at the beginning of a pandemic.

No, I don’t have specific examples for you.  There were significant discrepancies in the data, enough that I considered it unreliable as I said.  I especially noticed a lot of variation between media reports and “official” channels like state and county health departments and the CDC.  FWIW.