Breaking Unhealthy Pandemic Habits
Now that we’ve been in a pandemic for about a year and a half, some of the habits we’ve picked up may be more ingrained. For instance, my screen time has gone up by a lot in that time, as I started using it to turn off my brain when things got overwhelming. It’s okay […]
Recent Review Measures Rates of Depression and Anxiety in Youth During COVID-19
A review published August 9th in JAMA Pediatrics aimed to measure how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted mental health in children and adolescents[1]. It evaluated the results of 29 studies including a total of 80,879 youth from around the world. This review found that 25.2% of youth worldwide (1 in 4) have experienced elevated depression […]
Lessons Learned From More Than a Year in the Pandemic to Bring to Early Sobriety
We’ve now been in a pandemic for over a year. It’s been a hard time for a lot of people. Still, there are things to take from this experience—not to brush aside what we’ve been through, but to provide a blueprint for the future. When I think back to my early sobriety in 2015, I […]
Staying Sober in This New World
A lot has been written about the pandemic’s negative effect on people in recovery. This is important to discuss; addiction rates have spiked during COVID-19. But it’s also true that as things reopen, we sober folks may face new challenges. Staying Home Sometimes Meant Less Triggers I know several people who got sober during COVID-19. […]
COVID-19 “Long-Haulers” Receiving Potentially Addictive Prescriptions
We’ve written about the collision of the COVID-19 and opioid epidemics. Now, there is a new intersection between the two. Long-Haulers Receiving Prescriptions at Higher Rates More than three million people who have had COVID-19 are considered “long-haulers,”[1] meaning their symptoms linger for weeks or months after first becoming infected. In order to treat these […]
New Study Measures Psychological Growth Among Veterans During the Pandemic
A study published April 8th assessed whether veterans have experienced psychological growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Participants completed a health and resilience survey between November 2019 and early March 2020, and a follow-up between November and December 2020. Participants were assessed for symptoms of COVID-19-related PTSD, screened for suicidal ideation, and evaluated for something called […]
Recent Study Finds COVID-19 Continues to Adversely Affect Mental Health
At the beginning of the pandemic, many people’s mental health suffered; people were stressed, traumatized, and more likely to use substances to cope. A study published last month[1] aimed to figure out whether this initial response has lessened over time or remained consistent. Mental Health Impacts of COVID-19 Continue After Initial Trauma The study survey—given […]
Study Finds High Rates of PTSD Among People Who Had Severe COVID-19
A study published last month measured rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people who recovered from severe COVID-19. Among the 381 participants in the study, 115 had PTSD, making up 30.2% of the patients studied.[1] By contrast, 7-8% of the general US population will have PTSD at some point in their lives.[2] People with […]
TruHealing Centers Stays Open Through the COVID-19 Crisis to Treat People Unsure Where to Go for Help
OWINGS MILLS, MD, March 26, 2020 —People across the country struggling with a substance use or co-occurring disorder have a place to turn during the COVID-19 crisis. TruHealing Centers—a group of 13 addiction and mental health treatment centers in Maryland, New Hampshire, Georgia, Ohio, Florida, and Texas—remains open. People need treatment no matter what is […]