By Sandee LaMotte, CNN Full Article: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/05/health/anxiety-coronavirus-turns-dark-wellness/index.html Updated 8:49 AM ET, Tue May 5, 2020 (CNN)Enforced lockdowns. Isolation from friends and loved ones. Loss of job, income, economic stability. Grief and loss on so many levels — from missing milestones such as birthdays and graduations to severe illness and death. Difficult times made worse by the fear of an invisible, deadly enemy who strikes via the very air we breathe. Such is the anxiety-ridden reality of living in the age of coronavirus for many people around the ..read more

By Alice Reeves-Turner May 2 2020, 18.00 Full article: https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/freestyle-kayaker-heidi-walsh-discusses-the-impact-of-concussion/ The trials and tribulations experienced by athletes, whether that be hard training, poor performances in competitions or career altering injury, is a topic often discussed. But in recent years a new discussion point has loomed ever larger, that of the injury you cannot see: concussion. Team GB freestyle kayaker Heidi Walsh is well aware of the impact concussion can have; she was concussed in 2019 after diving into Westwater Canyon in Utah fo ..read more

Based on a review of the data, Brookhaven leadership have gleaned the following informtation: 38 patients presenting with BH/SUD issues were screened using our brain injury screening tool from 3/21/20 to 4/27/20. 29 patients screened positive for acquired brain injury While this is not a diagnostic tool, we can communicate that 76.3% of patients presenting for MH/SA treatment, in our preliminary data set, have screened positive for acquired brain injury (ABI). Of those who screened positive: 96.6% (28) screened positive for traumatic brain injury 82.8% (24) reported a loss of consciousness 72 ..read more

An epidemiologist says social isolation could lead to a range of mental health issues as people face the prospect of living under the current COVID-19 restrictions for months. Sandro Galea, dean at Boston University’s School of Public Health, says the isolation as well as the uncertainty about how long it will last and how the pandemic will play out can all contribute to increased anxiety. “We humans are ultimately social. We’re social creatures and we do need interaction — physical and social — with others. This week, public health officials in British Columbia announced that physical distanc ..read more

Welcome to the world of isolation. You are joining people with chronic illnesses like chronic fatigue and debilitating injuries like brain injury. You are finding out what it’s like to be in my world, where people stay physically away from you, and you’re alone in your home, with maybe a cat or dog to keep you company and not much else — except that because the whole world, literally, is in the same boat, people are reaching out to you and you have the energy and ability and means to reach back. But those of us with brain injury remain isolated within the self-isolation of SARS-CoV-2 ..read more

Opinion by John R. Kasich and Henry Harbin Updated 5:09 PM ET, Mon April 13, 2020 (CNN)Throughout our history, America’s greatest challenges have summoned our greatest strengths, and this battle to defeat the coronavirus pandemic will prove no different. But, as we’ve also seen in history, those on the frontlines of a crisis inevitably face great danger, physically and mentally alike. Sadly, this campaign is already seeing casualties. Across the nation in our hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions sheltering our most vulnerable, we are seeing a great strain showing on our d ..read more

Brookhaven is currently hiring RNs, LPNs, and MHTs. To apply please send resume and cover letter/email to Sylvia at humanresources@brookhavenhospital.com or call Sylvia at 918-438-4257 ..read more

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter (HEALTHDAY) MONDAY, April 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Recovering alcoholic Catherine Collins normally attends five to seven face-to-face program meetings a week. Collins still attends meetings, but now they’re online — and there’s something important that’s missing. “In the real world, you’re in a room full of people who have the exact same feelings. If I said ‘I’m really struggling and I feel like picking up a drink,’ people would understand it,” said Collins, who is 22 years sober and works as business development liaison at the ..read more

The US faces a catastrophic rise in unemployment following the forced shutdown of businesses across the country to stop the spread of Covid-19 – and experts are warning it could trigger a severe mental health crisis. In just two weeks, more than 9.95 million Americans have applied for unemployment – smashing all records. Economists are predicting the unemployment rate could rise as high as 30% as the pandemic sweeps across the country. Those hardest hit are likely to be the poorest, including many people of color, and those who benefited least from the last economic boom. “With a 30% nat ..read more

By Michael Overall Tulsa World Full article: Here If past natural disasters and economic downturns are any guide, Oklahoma should brace itself for a severe mental health crisis to follow closely behind the ongoing COVID-19 shutdown, experts warned the state Wednesday. As many as 18,400 Oklahomans could attempt suicide over the next 12 months under the burdens of stress and depression, according to a report from the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, basing the prediction on suicide patterns that have followed previous disasters and recessions. Serious mental health consequenc ..read more