A good and interesting article recently appeared discussing the positive impact the pandemic has had on relationships. Here are the major points;

• During the pandemic, it felt like everything changed for the worse. But one thing got better: our relationships.

• Those who already had strong relationships with responsive partners felt more

• The tremendous effort it took for couples to manage over this past year fortified their bonds.

• Confronting difficulties together can be frustrating for a couple, but the experience can improve their feelings of passion, closeness and commitment. In the pandemic, as couples rose to meet each new challenge.

• For those still looking for a partner, the pandemic experience will change their priorities.

• Rather than approaching dating as a game fun and casual connections, people are going to want a stable, committed and dependable partner, with whom they want to develop a relationship. Going forward, the search for a partner will emphasize quality over quantity, the substantial over the superficial.

To me, certainly the pandemic was very challenging but this new research indicates that it has also made many of our relationships stronger. That’s good.

“The Pandemic Made our Relationships Stronger,” Wall Street Journal (June 26, 2021).

The pandemic has been a time marked by stress, grief and hardship for many individuals and couples. However, some have also experienced a surprising outcome: a sense of resilience. A recent article has discussed this hopeful development for both individuals and couples. Here are some excerpts:

…. Out of the challenges of navigating a disorienting new world came a shift in perspective and priorities. Couples have made decisions and formed healthy habits that could shape their lives for the better.

…. Some people may even experience post-traumatic growth, which could include a deeper appreciation for life, a greater sense of personal strength and new possibilities for their lives.

…. It might seem counterintuitive for a stressful, tragic time in our history to evoke personal growth. Major changes that can cause rethinking or reordering of life. Things as simple as starting a new daily walking habit or picking up a creative hobby such as knitting can help spur the change.

…. Making a more intentional effort to stay in touch with each other, with friends and family proved to be an effective tool for coping with the stress and isolation.  

…. Circumstances can go a long way toward fortifying people — such as safe housing, living wages, supportive relationships, good mental and physical health, living free from discrimination.

To me, the pandemic shined a light on the importance of mental health and cultivating healthy practices  to make people (couples and individuals) more resilient and better prepared to deal with difficult times.  That’s good.

“Pandemic and Resiliency.” Washington Post (June 22, 2021).

     MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE — NEWER AWARENESS.

Naomi Osaka’s recent withdrawal from the French Open because of mental health issues highlights the issue of mental health in the workplace. A good article recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal concerning this larger issue. Certainly spurred on by the Covid virus pandemic. Here are some highlights of that article:

• Ms. Osaka’s openness about her mental-health struggles is a public example of private issues companies are increasingly facing as a young generation more candid about such challenges joins the workforce, employers say.

• Data show a gap between how well employers think they are supporting employees and how supported those employees feel.

• Survey research also indicates that younger workers are more likely than older colleagues to report mental-health struggles

• The Americans with Disabilities Act counts mental illness as a protected disability if it substantially limits a major life activity, like working. In such a case, employers are required to work with employees to find accommodations that may enable them to do their job, such as more frequent breaks or written instructions instead of verbal ones.

• But symptoms of conditions covered by the act (ADA), such as severe anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, can be ambiguous and highly individual, making accommodations a challenging area for companies to navigate.

• Employers have viewed mental health with greater urgency in recent years.  

• You want to keep your high performers, and what we know is people with mental-health conditions can often be your high performers.

• Still, greater awareness about the issue helps companies and workers move forward.

“Mental Health and Work.” Wall Street Journal (June 5th, 2021).

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‘Digital Mental Health‘ and ‘Bot Therapy’ are newest developments in the mental health world stemming from startup innovations.  Applying algorithms to  the exploding need for mental health fueled by the Corona virus pandemic. The use of online therapy with live therapists and now the application of Artificial Intelligence to the development of bots (not using actual people) is a huge development today. This reliance on ‘bot therapy’ allows individuals to exercise self-help online, at anytime, without dealing with actual therapists. Something akin to responding to questions when pulling up online your bank account, credit card or HMO.

The following are some comments excerpted from today’s New York Times extensive discussing of use of bots and algorithms in providing a means for self-help to first time seekers of mental health therapy:

• During the pandemic, about four in 10 adults in the United States reported that they had symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. At the same time, the federal government warns of a critical shortage of therapists and psychiatrists. According to the advocacy group Mental Health America, almost 60 percent of those with mental illness last year did not get treatment.

• Digital mental health has become a multibillion-dollar industry and includes more than 10,000 apps, according to an estimate by the American Psychiatric Association.

• Almost all psychologists and academics agree —There is not enough affordable mental health care for everyone who needs it. But they are divided on solutions: Some say bot therapy can work under the right conditions, while others consider the very concept paradoxical and ineffective.

• The use of cognitive behavioral therapy has a philosophical and practical logic to it. Unlike forms of psychotherapy that probe the root causes of psychological problems, often going back to childhood, C.B.T. seeks to help people identify their distorted ways of thinking and understand how that affects their behavior in negative ways. By changing these self-defeating patterns, therapists hope to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.

• Because cognitive behavioral therapy is structured and skill-oriented, many mental health experts think it can be employed, at least in part, by an algorithm. 

• Bots deliver “digital therapeutics.” It a “pure self-help” program that is not meant for emergencies.

• Like many mental health apps the current, free version of various bots is not subject to strict oversight from the Food and Drug Administration because it falls under the category of “general wellness” product, which receives only F.D.A. guidance.

     Yes, it’s a new world. Yes, technology is impacting, now in real time, the practice of mental health therapy.  Online therapy (both with a therapist or use of a bot) may well be helpful. To me, ‘bot therapy’ may serve as a gateway introduction to therapy generally — to either virtual therapy with a therapist or to therapy with in-person sessions.  And that’s useful. But the implications and effectiveness of virtual therapy generally (both with real people or via a bot) presents many ongoing questions. 

“Tell It to Woebot.” New York Times (June 1, 2021).