Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, we must not neglect the needs of those with mental illness

Here are latest COVID-19 coronavirus stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ --------------------------------------------------------------- Here are latest COVID-19 coronavirus stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com [Critical care intensivists, New York City](. Per diem locum COVID-19. The need for emergency clinicians is higher than ever. We want to help treat those that need immediate help in [fighting this virus](. [Full-time physician, virtual care](. Travel/remote. Full-time COVID-19. Family medicine, internal medicine, and emergency medicine physicians. [On-demand, text-based virtual care](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Apr 25, 2020 [Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, we must not neglect the needs of those with mental illness]( “I’m in a constant state of fear.” “I have nothing to look forward to now.” “I don’t know when my life will go back to normal.” As a psychiatrist practicing in a busy urban academic medical center, I have started to see the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on individuals’ mental health. Although […] [My wife was worried as I left for the ER. She had a point.]( I was about to step out for an evening shift when I caught a small quiver in my wife’s lip as she was saying good-bye. This drew me up short. I could tell that she was worried about me; it occurred to me she had a point. I’d had about a week off, and in […] [Unmatched: a setback or a step forward?]( I still remember the morning of Monday, March 11th, 2019, with vivid clarity. I was on my last rotation of medical school. My medical ICU team was preparing for morning rounds. Vital signs and lab results suddenly seemed less important as my rotation friends, and I anxiously awaited “the email.” At precisely 10 a.m., we […] [Coronavirus highlights why America needs a national medical license]( The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many vulnerabilities in the U.S. health care system. While shortages of safety equipment and ventilators have been widely reported, the shortage of physicians and staff to manage patients in respiratory failure is also a major concern. Given the reported conditions throughout northern Italy with hospitals operating over capacity and exhausted […] [The concerns and considerations of implementing a universal mask policy]( America greatly stands to benefit from a universal face mask policy that mandates face coverings in public. Understandably, adoption of such a policy raises concerns, including: Universal public masking will come with an exaggerated sense of security, loosening people’s social distancing practices. Not everyone will use masks correctly, making their efforts counterproductive. Part of a […] [Human rights and social inequity issues are magnified by COVID-19]( The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is considered a powerful document at present, more than 70 years after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at its 3rd session on December 10, 1948, in Paris, France. Since its creation, it is currently available in 360 languages and it is no surprise that it is […] [Preparing for the next pandemic: Why a one-country approach is needed]( One needs to look no further than any mainstream news or social media outlet to realize that our public health system and hospitals are overwhelmed. Whether it be the lack of adequate testing reagents to properly monitor the current COVID-19 pandemic or the lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators to safely care for […] [Doctors shouldn’t feel ashamed for wanting to protect themselves or their family]( A troubling type of social media post I’ve recently seen from providers (often not directly taking care of any COVID-19 patients) is one of excitement at the prospect for the medical community coming together to defeat this invisible foe. This mentality seems to say that as health care providers, we should all rush to the […] [6 ways to help your patients cope with anxiety from coronavirus]( As death tolls rise from the global spread of a novel coronavirus, I have observed an increase in anxiety among my patients. I am writing this article to provide physicians with tips on how to help their patients cope with anxiety from the coronavirus. 1. Validate their anxiety To some degree, an increase in anxiety […] [We must not forget the caregivers during the pandemic]( Last night, a cable news host raised an anguished alarm about the crisis of the pandemic in America’s nursing homes. It resonated. As a physician, I have worked in those places across the U.S. From the pastoral rural to the gritty inner city. Faces of people and scenes inside those walls flashed before my eyes. […] [COVID-19: Nurses and the respiratory therapists are truly the brave]( It is all about the nurses and the respiratory therapists. I watch countless brave actions every day in the ICU. These are people who, in “normal” times, spend nights, weekends, and holidays caring for the sickest of the sick. They are modestly paid, and often have little control over their schedules. They balance a stream […] [A scandalous prank, as told by a social worker]( Everyone called her “Maggie,” which was short for Magnolia. She acquired that nickname because she was from the Deep South, which made her a standout in New York. Her name was really Linda. Maggie seemed to gravitate to the Irish in New York City, where she worked as a nurse. Not that she had a […] [Persons with intellectual disabilities forgotten in the COVID-19 pandemic]( I am hiding out in our lovely spacious house in the woods with my husband, hoping that COVID-19 will not find us. Both of us are in the “at-risk” category as we are both in our 70s. We are both New Yorkers, but we are upstate because our 50-year-old daughter lives in a community here. […] [Approach the gun violence epidemic like we do with coronavirus]( Among industrialized nations, only the United States endures the current public health epidemic of firearm-assisted injury and death. In 2018, nearly 40,000 people were shot to death in the U.S., while proponents of the Second Amendment continue to protect it at all costs — fighting even common-sense measures such as limiting access to felons and […] [How we respond to COVID-19 can serve us well for the rest of our lives]( Many of the patients whom I met during my oncology rotation felt hopeful for a cure. They imagined how once their cancer went into remission, they could go back to their normal lives as they once were. I was struck then when one patient, a 72-year-old male Mr. G, shared with me a different attitude […] [Human values in the age of COVID-19]( COVID-19 has brought out the best in people, and also the worst. Daily on social media or in the news, I read heartwarming examples of generosity and kindness that challenge me to be a better person. The doctors, nurses, therapists, and chaplains who are selflessly risking their lives, sometimes with substandard personal protective equipment (PPE), […] [Being a pregnant medical trainee just got more complicated in the COVID-19 era]( As a cardiology fellow in a busy New York City hospital, my life has snowballed into chaos. Just last week, I was a pregnant doctor completing her second trimester, waddling down the halls of the hospital with an echocardiogram machine in tow, taking care of sick cardiac patients. Now a viral pandemic has invaded all […] --------------------------------------------------------------- If a friend sent you this email and you want to subscribe, go to [KevinMD](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 345 Hudson Street New York NY 10014 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](