We aim to remember what we choose to forget
I’m feeling pinchy this morning. The ableds are terrifying me with their dismissal of reality, especially the ableds in public health. Add to that companies only doing Black History Month-adjacent things to check off some tickbox…
No wonder this song is stuck in my head:
Anyway, let’s crack into this week’s threads.
#GiveUsThisDayOurDailyThread
I yelled at Leana Wen yesterday:
I also yelled about a Harvard professor today who thinks we’re ‘ignoring the economy.’
I’m very tired of people getting so much wrong about neurodivergence.
I now have access to MMJ and wrote a little about it:
It’s been a lifesaver, especially when our giant winter storm moved in last night.
Also, for those interested in movies, I could not finish Don’t Look Up. The ableism, antisemitism, and transphobia was… a lot.
Today’s ‘Duh’ Moment
Study finds high levels of depression, anxiety among disabled people during COVID-19 pandemic
People with disabilities are often immunocompromised or have comorbidities that would cause more severe infection from COVID-19, requiring more strict isolation at home to avoid exposure to the virus.
The study, published in Rehabilitation Psychology, examined survey responses from 441 adults between October and December 2020 who self-identified as having a disability. In total, 61% of participants met the criteria for probable major depressive disorder and 50% for probable generalized anxiety disorder.
That's much higher than the pre-pandemic baseline among people with and without disabilities, Bogart said. Previous research in the field has found that about 22% of people with disabilities are diagnosed with depression during their lifetime. According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, in an average year, roughly 7% of all U.S. adults have major depressive disorder and 3% have generalized anxiety disorder.
Stigma was also a major predictor for depression and anxiety, particularly from conversations and policies around medical rationing where disabled people were essentially deemed a low priority for life-saving COVID resources. This translated into greater fear of catching the virus and needing medical care that might not be available, and therefore more social isolation, Bogart said.
I’m not sure I appreciate linking our symptoms to clinical diagnoses when they’re a sign of systemic discrimination and don’t need to be pathologized.
Important Twitter Threads
A Twitter thread from Kenyon Farrow on Blackness, COVID, and public health:
A Twitter thread from Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on Whoopi, race, antisemitism, and the Holocaust:
Pieces From Friends
i tell the ghost of carrie fisher the world is ending from Kate Horowitz
Social Media Safety: How to Protect Yourself Online by Elly Belle
Disability activist Alice Wong is interviewed in A Disabled Activist Speaks Out About Feeling ‘Disposable’ by Rachel Scheier
When the Political Is Professional: Civil Disobedience in Psychology by Anthony Flynn, Sergio Dominguez Jr., Ree Ae Sumner Jordan, and Rachel Dyer
I read this piece a year ago, just as the writing process wrapped up. To see my friends’ hard work come so far as to be published in the APA journal when they’re both still in mid-PhD-dom? Goddamn.
What You Need To Know
The Murder Of Harry And Harriette Moore Was Investigated For Decades, But These KKK Members Were Never Truly Punished For Their Crimes by Kelly Martinez and Karlton Jahmal
What We Misunderstand About Suicide Among Black Americans by Jamie Ducharme and Janell Ross
Moderna starts trial of an omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine by Nicole Wetsman
Kids With COVID-Linked MIS-C Have Long-Term Symptoms by Steven Reinberg
U.S. diabetes deaths top 100,000 for second straight year by Chad Terhune and Robin Respaut
CDC Tells Pharmacies to Give 4th Covid Shots to Immunocompromised Patients by Liz Szabo
Light sensors on wearables struggle with dark skin and obesity by Nicole Wetsman
Highly infectious variant of HIV identified in Netherlands, researchers say
by Brian P. DunleavyIn ‘chemo brain,’ researchers see clues to unravel long Covid’s brain fog by Elizabeth Cooney
Medicare Patients Win the Right to Appeal Gap in Nursing Home Coverage by Susan Jaffe
A Lawsuit Could Accelerate Research On Tear Gas And Menstrual Changes by Nicole Wetsman
Prescription video game company goes public via SPAC by Nicole Wetsman
Government watchdog says key federal health agency is failing on crises by The Associated Press
The Government Accountability Office said “persistent deficiencies” at the Department of Health and Human Services “have hindered the nation’s response" to the pandemic and previous threats.
Your Gas Stove Might Make You (and the Planet) Sick by Cara Murez
If you’re interested in learning more about epidemics, pandemics, and public health, you should follow Your Local Epidemiologist (Dr. Katelyn Jetelina). She has a Substack in addition to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Articles I Enjoyed/Found Interesting This Week
Defining disability justice and celebrating ‘crip-centric liberated zones’ by John O’Brien
This doctor is taking aim at our broken medical system, one story at a time by Sigal Samuel
Learning to Listen to Patients’ Stories by Richard Schiffman
A Billion Years of Time Are Mysteriously Missing. Scientists Think They Know Why. by Becky Ferreira
The forgotten queer and Black foundations that built electronic house music by Unathi Nkhoma
"The Pinnacle": 6 Black Femme Queen Voguers Who Shaped Ballroom History by Noelle Deleon and Wren Sanders
A New Documentary Explores the Legacy of Poly Styrene, Punk Pioneer and Fashion Renegade by Liam Hess
And, if you’re a part of the LGBTQ+ club, remember:
If you’re interested in more trans-centric research and work, make sure to check out the Trans Counseling Advocacy Research and Education (CARE) Collaborative that I’m a part of.
Thanks for reading! If you have feedback or anything you’d like to share, feel free to reach out to me on social media or email (all linked here).
Until next time,
Grayson