Over the years, attitudes about counseling as well as counseling itself have changed.  While the stigma connected to counseling may have declined, many misconceptions about it still endure.

In addition, new research has brought significant change to both how we understand and treat emotional problems.

Today, I want to update your understanding and answer some common questions that many folks have about psychotherapy.

Recently,  the release of the audio recording of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interview of Joe Biden exposed, in painful detail, evidence of the president’s cognitive decline.  Biden’s Interview With Hur Confirms What Many Suspected – The New York Times

The tape confirmed what critics of the president had previously alleged.  Likewise, it raised a firestorm and accusations of a cover-up.  Republicans claimed that Democratic leadership conspired to keep his failing mental status from the American people.

As big as this story has been, I believe its real significance lies elsewhere.  Indeed, Joe Biden’s decline shines a spotlight on the larger issue of age-related cognitive decline.

Hopefully, the president’s situation can be a wake-up call for America.  We must start talking about this universal human problem: How to understand and deal with age-related cognitive decline that’s gone too far.

Due to its emotionally painful nature, talking about and confronting cognitive decline is often avoided.  Here are some thoughts concerning this difficult topic.

I’ve been a counselor since 1978 but I have never seen anything like what has been going on over the past few months. People are calling me in the midst of panic, worrying that they are going crazy.

Fortunately, most often, a brief examination of their situation reveals that they are quite sane.  Their panic is the result of being overwhelmed by non-stop media-hyped crises.

Specifically, people are freaking out over the impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs and Elon Musk’s chainsaw cuts.

I’m wondering if my experience as a therapist is a symptom indicative of a larger cultural problem ?

Cultural and Technological Stressors

Apart from the scary content of the news, there are two underlying factors that, taken together, explain why the news causes so much distress. 1) the decline of social connections and 2) the growing impact of distressing news delivered non-stop via smartphones.

Urbanization, characterized by declining religious and social groups, has weakened traditional social structures. Likewise, internet technology has reduced person-to-person connections. When combined, these changes have left us feeling less supported and more anxious. Americans Are Socializing Less—Is It Making Us Unhappy? – Newsweek

As our social supports have diminished, the volume of distressing news has increased. Instead of getting our news from Chet Huntley on the Six O’clock News, smartphones and computers bombard us with information throughout the day and night.

The internet and social media overwhelm people with more information than they can process. While life has always been challenging, changes in society and technology have made coping dramatically more difficult.

To make matters worse, the rhetoric in political and social media discourse has become uncivil and abusive. Profanity-laden political comments and unfiltered social media posts have increased polarization, mistrust, and emotional agitation.

Given these changes, it’s no wonder that, when disturbed by unsettling headlines, folks who have fewer places to turn for support feel more stressed.

Taking everything together, it is not surprising that a lot of people feel more depressed and anxious and less able to cope with everyday stressors.

Increasing Social Connection

With all of this in mind, what can we do ?  Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s important to understand that psychotherapy, in addition to treating psychological disorders, also helps people to cope with difficult life stressors.

Besides effective stress-management techniques, people also need a human connection to manage their emotional distress.  Fortunately, there is a simple way to experience social connection.   While we can’t change culture, it is possible to create brief moments of social connection that can provide a needed lift ..   BEING PRESENT | Pastoral Counseling Syracuse, NY

For example, the next time you’re standing at the produce section at the grocery store, waiting in line at the bank, or checking out at Target, you have an opportunity to engage someone and have a connecting moment.

Finding these moments makes you feel good and is also a gift for the other person. Here are the simple steps you can use to help you feel more connected and help someone else, too.