Admit you don’t know what to say Express “I care” Remind them that they matters Check them regularly Ask how I can help, but be specific (“Could I do X?” rather than “How can I help you?“) Encourage them to see professional treatment To listen without interruptions Only claim understanding if you g...
Dismissing chronic illness: A qualitative analysis of negative health care experiences
In the US, medical training is inadequate regarding the symptomatology, prognosis, and treatment for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). As a result, many physicians lack the appropriate level of knowledge about effective methods for ME and CFS symptom reduction and often suggest inappropriate treatments, such as increased exercise or psychiatric services. The authors’ purpose in this study was to analyze negative patient experiences with health care professionals. Patients with ME and CFS who reported experiencing a dismissive physician attitude were asked to detail the encounter via open-ended response on an international, online survey. Participant responses were thematically coded and analyzed using processes outlined by Patton. Emergent themes related to perceived physician attitudes and how they impact patient wellbeing are described and their implications discussed. Additionally, we highlight suggestions for how the health care system can effectively approach this often marginalized patient group.
When You Are Depressed, Make Something.
Depression doesn’t discriminate. Everyone is a potential target for it, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, geographical location, or income. We are all subject to its grasp, and remember, it’s not the same thing as sadness.
When You Are Depressed, Make Something.
Depression doesn’t discriminate. Everyone is a potential target for it, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, geographical location, or income. We are all subject to its grasp, and remember, it’s not the same thing as sadness.
Patterns of Utilization of Medical Care and Perceptions of the Relationship between Doctor and Patient with Chronic Illness Including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
To what extent do personal constructs affect the relationship between doctor and patient when the ill patient does not readily recover with treatment? Questionnaires were returned anonymously by 609 patients with a self-reported diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, who were considered chronically ill. Findings were compared with those of an earlier study of a population of 397 general medical patients. The chronically ill patients lost an average of 65 days of work per year due to illness compared to general medical patients who missed six or fewer days per year because they were ill. The chronically ill patients also reported a 66% higher frequency of iatrogenic illness, spent more money on health care, took more medication, saw more specialists, and were more litigious than the general medical population. Research suggested several patterns of relationships between doctors and patients, and attitudes to health and illness, which may alert doctors to patients' perceptions, beliefs, encoded constructs, and patterns of relating that affect responses to treatment. More attention by doctors to patients who are experiencing the stress of chronic illness is indicated.
What do we know about how to support mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic from past infectious disease epidemics? - DEP
Opinion | The Real Causes Of Depression Have Been Discovered, And They're Not What You Think
To deal with depression, you need to deal with its underlying causes.
How To Create Meaningful Connections By Asking Great Questions
Different people offer different kinds of support. Whether you jump to solutions, ask questions, or simply make someone feel heard, your default conversation style shapes how others experience your care.
Confessions of a Failed Self-Help Guru
I traveled around the country telling strangers how to better their lives—until I learned that the those offering to solve your problems are often the ones who need help.
Mental illness in the workplace: Ask for help early, lawyers say | CBC News
Employers are required to help workers who are dealing with a mental illness or disability. But legal experts say it's important to disclose an illness early — and sometimes to even tell an employer a little more than they strictly need to know.
How to take things less personally and avoid mind reading | Psyche Guides
Always blaming yourself or assuming others think ill of you? A CBT therapist shares ways to break these self-critical habits
Who listens when mental health struggles disrupt daily life?
Ask a Bangladeshi newspaper reader to picture a mental health story. Perhaps a psychiatrist’s quote comes to mind, a helpline number, or a headline about a student’s death.
Can One Donation a Day Keep Depression Away? Three Randomized Controlled Trials of an Online Micro-Charitable Giving Intervention
Prosocial interventions grounded in social interactions have shown limited effectiveness in alleviating depressive symptoms, possibly because of the discomfort and unease that depressed individuals experience during such interactions. We developed and examined an innovative prosocial intervention—an online micro-charitable giving intervention, in which individuals voluntarily donated at least one Chinese cent (¥0.01, or about $0.0014) daily. We conducted three preregistered, 2-month randomized controlled trials with depressed individuals (Sample 1: N = 125, Sample 2: N = 296, Sample 3: N = 462). Results showed that, compared with the waitlist group, the intervention group exhibited significantly greater improvements in both depressive symptoms (Cohen’s d s = −0.19 to −0.46) and emotional positivity (Cohen’s d s = 0.22 to 0.49), and that emotional positivity mediated the intervention’s effect on the reduction of depressive symptoms. Exploratory analysis found a slightly larger intervention effect for generous donors than for minimal donors. This low-cost, easily accessible prosocial intervention holds potential for the prevention of depression. Statement of Relevance Can donating one cent (specifically one Chinese cent, or about $0.0014) alleviate depressive symptoms? We have developed a practical and effective intervention—donating at least one cent daily on an online charity platform—and have discovered that this intervention effectively mitigates depressive symptoms in depressed individuals. Despite the nominal purchasing power of one cent in contemporary society, this act of giving has been shown to significantly enhance mental health. Our findings could be relevant to everyone in society; charitable donations promote societal harmony and, in addition, offer a cost-effective way to alleviate depressive symptoms. As the intervention instruction asserts, “Charity encompasses love, regardless of its size, as even one cent holds value.”
Mental Health - Platform | The Australian Greens
If you’ve ever struggled to access mental health care, you’re not alone.
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Find Mutual Aid Networks and other community self-support projects near you. Join these important efforts, offer resources, or submit needs requests.
People are using AI for their health crises, and no amount of screaming about it is stopping that. I started slowly drafting a piece about my experiences having long, slow conversations about AI practices in the patient communities I'm in, where I primarily stay just to provide scientific support
