Andrew Solomon, in his article "Don't Ignore Clinical Mental Illness" points out that people who have existing, long term mental illnesses are especially at risk at having their symptoms severely increased by the pandemic and therefore in need of more therapy and medication. I will discuss the type of stories and patterns of behavior that end up being medicalized and diagnosed as mental illnesses and disorders espcially those stories that endure and those that are reactions to moments of stress and conflict. I will introduce the concept of stories that are "frozen in time" and their relationship to emotions such as anxiety, depression, guilt, shame and humilation. Finally, I will discuss how professionals might help in terms of what I refer to as psycho"therapy."

'Psycho"therapy" and the Stories We live By' in Amazon.com and store.bookbaby.com/book/psychotherapy-and-the-stories-we-live-by