COVID-19, Neuro-Cognitive Change, Social Isolation, and Climate Change
Claudewell S. Thomas, MD, MPH, DLFAPA, is an established psychiatrist who is currently retired ,, He received his medical degree in 1956 at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine and specializes in social psychiatry, public health psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry. Dr. Thomas was board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry... more
There appears to be an upsurge in violence directed against visible minorities and not dependent on rapid fire handguns or AR15s. In Saskatchewan, Canada ten are dead and 19 injured from a coordinated knife attack. Of course gun violence will usually do more damage. There is a possibility that the newer COVID-19 variants BA14 and 15 could be responsible for causing neuro-cognitive alterations that take the form of violence. Possible, but not terribly likely. Climate change bringing about fire, flood and murderous heat most certainly is responsible for fear, impatience, and rage. The rapidity of communication of worldwide events brings almost immediate knowledge of those events thus imposing more stress.
The revocation of Roe v. Wade and the springing up of 11 to 22 trigger law states introduces the horror of political control by counties and states of medical practice where abortion and contraception options are taken away from medical practitioners, including nurses, nurse practitioners, and in some areas, social workers. They are handed over to political entities dominated by evangelical christian bias and nascent racism and sexism. Caregivers are under enormous pressure. Many capable people are retiring early or falling prey to alcohol or drugs and worst of all, suicide. Your caregivers can be helped by your patience and kindness, and the bonus for us is they will do a better job.
The evolution of The Big Lie and the challenge to the legitimacy of the Biden Presidency combined with the damage to confidentiality of secret, top-secret, nuclear data, and espionage worthy documents encourage followers and despisers of our Teflon king to treat our cars as escape to road rage episodes or intemperate speeds.
