Notices by Buffy the Psych Prof (drpsybuffy@mstdn.social), page 2

My kid left for Denver this morning with her boyfriend, who has an internship with Ball Aerospace this summer. She'll be working in healthcare, as she needs lots of hours like that before applying to med school next year. Her boyfriend will be graduating with a BS in Engineering and an MS in Engineering Management (a tough concurrent degree path at Rose-Hulman). Don't let anyone tell you that everyone has the same opportunities. These kids are PRIVILEGED to have these opportunities.

The persistent myth in America that everyone can have the life they want is absolute bullshit. These two young adults (I shouldn't have said kids before) have educated parents, a solid upper middle class upbringing, and both went to a high school that is considered one of the best in the state. Their parents were able to save some $$ for college so they have less debt when they graduate than most of their peers. And now they have parents helping them with $$ so they can do internships like this.

News: “Storms are increasing in frequency and intensity, tornadoes are striking in areas not normally hit, people are dying.”
People: Climate change isn’t real.

People: “Jeez, everyone just seems sick all the time. My kids have been coughing since last year, I have this weird tingling in my hands for some reason, and I can’t remember shit.”
Same people: “Covid is just a cold. I’ve had it four times with no ill effects whatsoever.”

People suck

This is horrifying! Three 10-year-old girls in Tennessee married men aged 24, 25 and 31 in 2001. An 11-year-old who married a 27-year-old woman in the same state in 2006. Children as young as 12 were granted marriage licences in Alaska, Louisiana and South Carolina, while 11 other states allowed 13-year-olds to wed. More than 1,000 children aged 14 or under were granted marriage licences.

https://qasimrashid.substack.com/p/america-has-a-child-marriage-epidemicand

I am a parent of a 20-year-old college student. Trust me when I say these young adults are VERY knowledgeable and informed about what is happening in Gaza and the history of the region. It’s so insulting for the media to portray these students as clueless.

America is so predictable. Instead of addressing rampant corporate greed that’s sucking the life out of families, let’s showcase how to penny pinch instead. The corporate overlords demand it! https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/14/i-spent-124-dollars-on-groceries-in-a-month-what-i-bought.html

Every time someone who just got back from traveling says, “I caught a bad cold” I want to scream. But no one is listening and no one cares because we are living in the absolute dumbest times

Saw a friend today who got COVID in late November. She is having tachycardia when she lays down and she also constantly has a sensation that her lungs are being squeezed. She is now on albuterol treatments and oral steroids. Sje is falling asleep by 7:00 every night. This is a woman who has been a powerhouse of energy since the day I met her. She looked straight at me today and said, “I was healthy before COVID.”

I told her about the hearing on Long COVID yesterday—she had no idea. Told her the rate of long COVID in people who get it—she had no idea. She’s always thought my extreme caution was just health anxiety, but now, unfortunately, she knows it was for good reason. That so few people know the true risk of COVID is criminal.

“Covid's cognitive aftermath might be akin to accelerating the brain's aging by 20 years. This is not about alarmism; it's about facing reality. We're not dealing with mere speculations anymore; we're seeing concrete evidence emerging.” -Dr. Sean Mullen

We need to be having serious conversations about how we are likely to see the impact of this in the future, especially considering how often young people are getting infected.

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3818580/v1

I purchased a Far UVC light direct from UVWave Tek and have been using it in my counseling office since October. I also purchased a personal sized Far UVC light that I take with me if I have to do something in someone else’s office. I have been exposed to COVID twice now, once in my own office and once in a one-on-one meeting with another therapist. I escaped infection both times, as far as I know (I did test multiple times over the next 10 days but we know RAT tests aren’t always valid).

I also have a high powered HEPA in my office. Right now I’m taking the big light home because my daughter is home from college and is choosing to work without a mask and socialize with friends. I turn it on in the family room when she’s home and spending time hanging out, and I move it as necessary or use the personal one if we are eating together. Additionally, I have HEPA purifiers in every room. Yes, this has been expensive but I feel it’s worth it.

My daughter and her boyfriend are hosting a New Year’s Eve party at his tonight (not big, but several people) so we’ve agreed to masks in the house for a bit when she gets home. This is my life now. Some will call me crazy, or a hypochondriac, but I just feel like I’m adapting to the reality that has been created in my efforts to not be a victim of long COVID. I already have one autoimmune disease, I don’t want another one.

But it’s also more than that. I’m single, I live alone (when my daughter’s at university). I don’t have family in the area I can rely on for help should I become incapacitated. I am the sole provider of helath insurance for me and my daughter. I’m the healthcare guardian of my disabled aunt. I have two beloved dogs that are 70 lbs. each and I also need to be well for them. Taking these steps—as extreme as they may seem to others—is RATIONAL in my situation. Period.

Telling people who are adapting as best they can that they are mentally ill or irrational is epic gaslighting. What’s irrational is pretending that everything is normal. We’ve been told over and over again that we can’t expect others to care about us or change their behavior but yet when we become proactive and engage in behaviors that *will* protect us, we’re made fun and told to get therapy. It’s so absurd. So I’m just going to keep on doing what works for me, regardless. 🖕🏼✌️

@MisuseCase @mmlvx This is….disturbing

More confirmation that COVID harms the brain. But, it’s just a cold, right?

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42320-4

@Nonya_Bidniss I have a chronic illness and have had to care for people with chronic illnesses, so I’ve told people I know who aren’t COVID- cautious that it’s a lot harder of a life than you think, but it just doesn’t sink in. I’ve heard “I’d rather live my life now than worry about out that” and I just think, “you say that now…” 🤷♀️ and honestly, if they don’t care about themselves, ok, fine—but it’s their lack of caring about infecting others that FUCKING INFURIATES ME

I just read multiple social media posts from different folks saying that children are not harmed by COVID *at all* and that there is zero evidence that masks work—and I don’t think these are just trolls. I think these are average folks who genuinely believe this. I know that some people only get their information from FOX, but it’s still quite jarring to see how disastrously ignorant people can be, and how stubborn they are to new info. I’m a goddamn psychologist and it still shocks me.

Public health has been a spectacular failure and we will all be paying the price in the years to come.