Cicero, back in around 45 BC, argued that anxiety is not an actual medical illness? “[M]ental anguish is a choice, something adopted voluntarily”. He believed that mental disorders were caused by misjudgements that make us feel intense emotion. To him, the cure was not medicine, but philosophy – or, in modern terms, self-help. In his own experience with severe depression after the death of his beloved daughter, he came to the conclusion that “we must exert all effort we can muster to push past and become our own healers”. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
