It might be easier to believe that #healthcare workers who have spent their nights, weekends, & holidays in busy ERs and ICUs managing life-threatening emergencies are whining or politically motivated then to believe that they are truly suffering.

Many are
-not sleeping
-angry
-depressed
-feeling abandoned by society

Worse, many feel abandoned by friends and family.

Many are suffering from moral injury from the initial days of the pandemic. This can lead to clinically significant anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Moral injury also leads to suicidal ideation for some. These symptoms are common in #ICU providers (especially #nurses) at BASELINE.

To believe that they are suffering might make it harder to do things that you want to do, because the pandemic has also been hard on you and your family (truth).

And maybe your information stream and your political leanings influence this point of view. Does your media cover this topic? Does your media talk about the frontline #healthcare workers who are wondering how they will make it through the winter?

But, friend, you can believe me, because you know me. Right?

You still follow me on #Facebook despite the discomforting posts. Right?

You can still make a choice to have a party, but the choice will not involve motivated reasoning. Right?

You can still go to a bar right now, but you will do it without pretending the local hospital workers are not scared. Right?

Because you are an independent thinker.

Right?

#COVID19 #midwest #ruralamerica #hospitals #nurses #ICU #MedTwitter @eliowa @jlsalinas7 @choo_ek @DDKrutsinger #hospitalists @iwashyna @DrDaleNeedham @FutureDocs @Terri_Hough @Bob_Wachter @pulm