2 ms·

Ask HN: Has the pandemic made you think again about mental illness?

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (which presumably I still have), and I think it's had a strange effect on my experience of isolation during the pandemic. When lock-down began, I didn't mind the isolation; on the contrary, lock-down allowed me to indulge my tendency to isolate myself from people. That feeling lasted a few months, but now (after hearing about others' expectations of happiness after the pandemic prompted me to ruminate) I'm more anxious than before lock-down. I'm not receiving mental healthcare now (because I "completed" my previous bouts of mental healthcare, even though I don't think they had much effect). I do have a support network of sorts, but I'm not sure how best to raise my problems. I'll probably seek professional help again, but I suspect activating my support network could transform the success of treatment.

aurizon 6y ago
Since you can now control access to you, you can allow or stop all anxiety - no random stressful intrusions or confrontations. With remote work, you may be fully cured?
- throwaway444444 6y ago
  I think you're on to something important, but it might be a double-edged sword. Assuming you can't indefinitely stop all external causes of anxiety, mightn't there be a danger of becoming dependent on the solitude remote work allows? Or (considering the possibility of maladaptive coping strategies) avoiding desirable social interactions? And even with the judgement and confidence to pursue only more healthy and/or less anxiety-provoking experiences, aren't they typically easier to miss than adverse experiences?
  - aurizon 6y ago
    Yes, the hermit syndrome - one possible end case.
    - throwaway444444 6y ago
      I wonder: 1) what determines who succumbs to the hermit syndrome 2) how to identify it early 3) how easy it is to escape from that route after embarking on it
      - aurizon 6y ago
        Hermits die in caves and found religions...;) A better early assessment in the lower grades would help. Greater understanding of how this departure from the societal norms creates hermitism - it may be an outgrowth of bullying that was attracted by the persons departure from these norms? Better supervision and greater supervision by a hierarchy of older students and teachers might help?

aurizon 6y ago

Since you can now control access to you, you can allow or stop all anxiety - no random stressful intrusions or confrontations. With remote work, you may be fully cured?

throwaway444444 6y ago
I think you're on to something important, but it might be a double-edged sword. Assuming you can't indefinitely stop all external causes of anxiety, mightn't there be a danger of becoming dependent on the solitude remote work allows? Or (considering the possibility of maladaptive coping strategies) avoiding desirable social interactions? And even with the judgement and confidence to pursue only more healthy and/or less anxiety-provoking experiences, aren't they typically easier to miss than adverse experiences?
- aurizon 6y ago
  Yes, the hermit syndrome - one possible end case.
  - throwaway444444 6y ago
    I wonder: 1) what determines who succumbs to the hermit syndrome 2) how to identify it early 3) how easy it is to escape from that route after embarking on it
    - aurizon 6y ago
      Hermits die in caves and found religions...;) A better early assessment in the lower grades would help. Greater understanding of how this departure from the societal norms creates hermitism - it may be an outgrowth of bullying that was attracted by the persons departure from these norms? Better supervision and greater supervision by a hierarchy of older students and teachers might help?