From KUOW by Kim Malcolm and John O’Brien
This week marks six months since Washingtonians were directed to the stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. The changes have affected all of us.
Dr. Kira Mauseth is a practicing clinical psychologist. She sees patients at Snohomish Psychology Associates, teaches at Seattle University, and helps lead the Behavioral Health Strike Team for the Washington State Department of Health.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Ithink the biggest thing for behavioral health, in the context of Covid-19, is really to recognize that nobody is immune to the experience of living through a pandemic. We’re all probably being affected emotionally and behaviorally in ways that we don’t really realize.I think it’s really important to recognize that being in a disaster, and recovering from a disaster, and being part of that cycle, affects how our brains are functioning right now.
It’s affecting everything, on a very small level, on our day to day interactions with our kids and with our families, and with strangers, at the grocery store, and people that we encounter, even on social media. I think it’s really important to recognize that being in a disaster, and recovering from a disaster, and being part of that cycle, affects how our brains are functioning right now. That has an impact on everything.