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Costco is out of toilet paper and CVS is out of cough syrup. Your group fitness class and your favorite restaurant are closed. Your cousin keeps posting memes on instagram about some conspiracy theory and your co-worker brags on about how she hasn’t been sick in years so she’s not worried about germs. This is not a nightmare. This is real life in 2020 thanks to COVID-19, aka the coronavirus.

By Erin Digitale, Stanford Children's Health, March 10, 2020 As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, experts at Stanford Children’s Health have advice about how families can prepare their children for the continued news coverage and conversations around the outbreak. Parents and caregivers should communicate in an age-appropriate way that addresses children’s questions without stoking anxiety, says Stanford Children’s Health psychiatrist Victor Carrion, MD , who also directs...

I am a naturopathic doctor from the Seattle/Tacoma area. I have worked extensively with people to develop resilience after challenging childhoods, history of mental health and addictions. What I learned is that it is helpful to have away, have some information on how one might takes some steps forward. I wrote a blog answering the 10 most common questions about this moment. It might be helpful to those who are just starting to become aware of this epidemic. Here is my blog.

Yesterday was another trauma informed care training to nurses. I'm still very amazed at the biases that occur around sex, drugs, abortion, alcoholism, mental health or other challenges. As typical I received a follow up email from a survivor with their thoughts, not about the training but about the response of other humans around human behaviors and actions. The nurse survivor that emailed me felt so empowered to make a change that she has requested that I share her story with others in the...

By Lindsey Thompson and Sonja A. Rasmussen, JAMA Pediatrics, March 13, 2020 A new viral illness called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was discovered in China in December 2019. Lessons learned from China and similar viral diseases can help families prepare for spread in the US. How children in the US will be affected is still mostly unknown. So far, proportionately fewer children have gotten sick in China, and the effects on them have mostly been mild. It is important for families to...

With the headlines about Covid-19 shouting, "it's the end of the world," I'm sure you are all feeling *slightly panicked right along with me. This is a scary time for America and the world. There is a lot of uncertainty, and it is entirely reasonable to feel anxious and afraid. If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, you can find help here. I am writing to share my hope. When faced with tragedy, we can succumb, or we can rise. I am going to choose to rise every.single.time and I hope...

Living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is very challenging. It affects every aspect of the lives of those who suffer under its symptoms. In this article, we are going to examine together with a brief synopsis of CPTSD and how this disorder creates difficulty in forming and maintaining intimate relationships. An Overview of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder CPTSD isn’t yet in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the Bible used by...

Jennifer Burns will be the special guest on "Breaking the Silence with Dr. Gregory Williams" this Sunday evening, March 15th at 8 pm Central Time. Jennifer will be sharing your personal story of trauma and pain during her childhood. Jennifer will also be sharing one of the things that helps her deal with her anxiety and stress is art. She creates beautiful works of art now and this has become a great therapy for her. "Breaking the Silence with Dr. Gregory Williams" is heard each Sunday...

By The Times Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times, March 8, 2020 Imagine a woman named Monica. She trudges up the steps toward the courthouse door but stops short, overcome by a feeling of dread. Each time she’d walked through that door in the past she’d had to leave behind something of value before she could walk out again. Once it was the money for next month’s rent, because she had to pay a traffic fine. And then it was her apartment itself, because she was too many months in arrears. And,...

By Hannah Miller, CNBC, March 10, 2020 KEY POINTS The World Health Organization acknowledged that the coronavirus is causing stress in the global population. The organization published mental health tips that include specific advice for health-care workers, caretakers of children or older adults, and people in isolation. The guidelines were developed by WHO’s mental health department and provide considerations for the general population. [ Please click here to read more .]

By Trudy Lieberman, Center for Health Journalism, March 5, 2020 It’s hardly a secret that health care is a dominant theme this election season. It has been the subject of almost every Democratic debate, fodder for political pundits, and top of mind for voters. Exit polls in the early primary states indicate “Medicare for All” motivated large numbers of voters. Last summer well-known Harvard health policy and polling expert Dr. Robert Blendon prophesized that the election hot topic would be...

By Emily Tate, Public Broadcasting Service, March 10, 2020 In the living room of his mother’s apartment, a threadbare two-story unit next to the train tracks, Ryder pulls out bulky plastic toys from a bin and wonders aloud about how they work, smiling toothily, mumbling along to “Baby Shark” and occasionally popping another fruit-flavored gummy into his mouth. Although he maneuvers from one activity to the next with the energy and ease of a typical tyke, Ryder, at age 4, has been exposed to...