Category: Conditions

6 ways to help children navigate the challenges of 2020

One thing we all need right now, especially for our kids, is optimism. Anxiety and uncertainty are part of daily life. Still, there are ways to help children navigate the challenges 2020 has brought us, whether in our own household or our professional …

Alone and frightened is the way COVID patients die

I began my career in psychiatry with the desire to work with dying patients. This is an odd way to begin, but I had begun my career with interest in oncology and eventually discovered the field of psycho-oncology. After graduating, the first population…

COVID-19 and the cruel death of my mother

I am very happy to hear that the CDC decided to prioritize health care workers and long-term care residents to be the first to receive the vaccine for the COVID-19 vaccine.  It is very personal to me as a health care worker and a daughter. My mom was a…

The truth about Baron Von Munchausen, Munchausen’s Syndrome, and Munchausen’s by proxy

  An excerpt from Medical Myths: A Sceptic’s Journey. The German Baron Karl Friedrich Von Munchausen (1720-1797) was famous for his tall tales. Returning from the war, he described himself riding on a cannonball and even reaching the moon.  …

COVID-19 stands on the shoulders of giants

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult to assimilate the global transformation that has taken place in just a few short months.  As we each struggle to make sense of this life-altering event, it might help to reflect on pandemics’…

Dear families: We are strong, but we are tired

After 33 years as an ICU RN, I had finally decided I couldn’t do this anymore. It was my last nightshift. The last shift convinced me I had made the right decision. The CNA and I went door to door to turn each ICU patient that was not capable of turnin…

The potential for violence against health care workers during COVID-19

Recently, the FBI foiled an attempt to kidnap the governor of Michigan.  The entire story reads like a Tom Clancy novel: a group of disgruntled strangers meets and organizes through chat rooms online.  They conduct tactical training in the woods, do su…

The myth of object permanence

I remember the sound of pure joy and laughter when playing peek-a-boo with my daughter.  She would look at me with her big blue eyes and giggle loudly.  One of the reasons this game is interesting to children is the psychological concept of object perm…

The coronavirus football double standard

It is Thanksgiving and, while many are counting their blessings, others are mourning the loss of family time, routine, turkey, big family gatherings, and football.   The Baltimore Ravens had to cancel their game today because of too many positive COVID…

What you need to know about cold and flu season in the time of COVID-19

The cold and flu season looks very different this year with the COVID-19 pandemic. When a person has a fever, sore throat, aches, and chills, they need to consider when to self isolate, when to be tested for COVID-19, when to be assessed in person and …