“Make an appointment for your annual checkup” says the friendly celebrity on the TV. “And share with him everything you’re feeling physically and emotionally.”
The world has been turned on it’s head. The economy is in the crapper. Unemployment is at levels not seen since the Great Depression. People are dying in droves from an illness no one had heard of last summer, and innocent African Americans are being killed by police in real time on the evening news while peaceful protesters are being tear gassed. Social norms have changed dramatically overnight. Wearing a mask, which would have gotten you weird looks just 6 short months ago, has now become a sign of party affiliation. All the while our nation is being led by a man who was unaware that Finland is a country.
Our world is on fire. We’re anxious and depressed, and we’re supposed tell our primary care provider about it? So she can do what exactly?
We’ve been trained to take all our discomfort to the professionals for a quick fix. We’ve been told not to do so is irresponsible. But I think we can be forgiven if the Coronavirus crisis has made us less sure of the value of this approach. Theories and advice have been evolving constantly since it entered our vocabulary. This has been a good reminder of why they call it practicing medicine. Questioning our healthcare providers is not foolish. It’s prudent.
Depression, anxiety, anger and even psychosis are completely normal responses to a world in this much turmoil. Anyone who would suggest it’s not – that your emotional distress is being caused not by the madness around you, but some kind of chemical issue in your brain – has a screw loose themselves.
The weird, unnatural thing would be if you were totally unaffected by that this, if you weren’t somewhat traumatized by the events of the past few months. Feeling this way doesn’t make you ill. It makes you human, and being human is not something that can or should be medicated away.
This moment will pass. We will find balance and normality again. Don’t let a temporary interval drive you to seek a course of treatment that may damage your brain and body forever.