Researchers have examined the troubling trend of teens self-diagnosing mental illness through social media. 
A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X22000682" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new paper</a> published earlier this month in Comprehensive Psychiatry proposed that &#8220;social contagion&#8221; through prolonged social media use can explain why some teens, mostly adolescent females, self-diagnose their purported rare mental illnesses and personality disorders online. 
&#8220;We believe there is an urgent need for focused empirical research investigation into this concerning phenomenon that is related to the broader research and discourse examining social media influences on mental health,&#8221; said the study&#8217;s lead author, John D. Haltigan, and co-author, Gayathiri Rajkumar, in a recent <a href="https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/social-media-and-the-rise-of-performative" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> for Reality&#8217;s Last Stand.
The paper focused on the uptick in teens presenting with tics with no known biological cause and the resurgence of the extremely rare <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-the-recovered-memory-movement-can-tell-us-about-the-gender-affirmation-movement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">multiple personality disorder</a>, now called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), in which a person claims to harbor multiple distinct personalities. Also mentioned are the prevalence of autism, depression, eating disorders, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/at-least-6-of-students-identify-as-transgender-at-one-california-school-district-data-analysis-finds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gender identity-related</a> conditions on social media. 
&#8220;That rates of teen and adolescent depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation have <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1diMvsMeRphUH7E6D1d_J7R6WbDdgnzFHDHPx9HXzR5o/edit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">risen precipitously</a> since the advent of social media and smartphones is likely no coincidence,&#8221; the authors said.
The paper proposes that social media platforms like TikTok, whose <a href="https://wallaroomedia.com/blog/social-media/tiktok-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">core user base</a> are teen girls, and the popularity of online communities that glamorize mental illness, may act as a &#8220;spread vector&#8221; for adolescents to adopt various disorders as part of their online personas.
&#8220;While posting about personal struggles with mental illness online may be emotionally genuine to some, it is more accurately understood as a behavioral display to fit in and appear unique to others online,&#8221; the authors said.
Since the pandemic in 2020, while many were shuttered indoors relying heavily on social media, neurologists began seeing <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/tics-and-tiktok-can-social-media-trigger-illness-202201182670" target="_blank" rel="noopener">droves</a> of teen girls reporting the sudden onset of physical and verbal tics. Experts believe that teen girls around the world have started reenacting tics after watching popular influencers with Tourette’s syndrome on TikTok. 
Neurologists call them functional tics, or functional tic-like behavior, as they appear to start out of nowhere, and &#8220;functional&#8221; in medicine refers to &#8220;no known physical cause.&#8221; Functional tics differ from Tourettes, a nervous system disorder with a known physical cause, characterized by repetitive, unwanted movements and sounds that usually begins in childhood. Tics can be imitated by watching others with tics, similar to the phenomenon doctors <a href="https://www.henryford.com/blog/2022/03/tiktok-giving-teen-girls-tics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describe</a> of witnessing siblings of children with seizures develop &#8220;functional seizures.&#8221; 
On TikTok, the hashtag #tourettes has 7.6 billion views, #DID has 2.4 billion views, #borderlinepersonalitydisorder has 1.5 billion views, and both #transgender and #autism have 16.9 billion views. 
&#8220;Unfortunately, many content creators posting these videos are not medical professionals, but are instead self-identified patients or mental health advocates who often speak on mental disorders with little to no expertise on the matter,&#8221; the authors said. 
In the Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) portal, popular content creators capture themselves &#8220;switching alters,&#8221; summoning their distinct personalities in a short video format. Historically fewer than 200 cases of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) were documented over many centuries until the popular 1976 TV movie “Sybil” featured a woman who suffered from the affliction. By the late 1980s, one <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/books/the-true-story-behind-sybil-and-her-multiple-personalities-1.4268459" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimate</a> found that more than 40,000 patients, mostly women, had come out of therapy believing they had DID. 
Recently, mental health professionals have seen another <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/abcs-child-psychiatry/202203/the-tiktok-inspired-surge-dissociative-identity-disorder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boom</a> in self-diagnosed DID, which they believe is socially influenced, not organic. The authors argue that these novel mental illnesses have become identity signifiers and are used to build a social media following. 
&#8220;They may incorporate mental illness symptom presentations they are exposed to in online communities to socially assimilate and build social capital within these communities,&#8221; the authors said.
The paper sources the onset of &#8220;mental health content&#8221; to a social media platform that was popular in the 2000s called Tumblr. It &#8220;provided users who typically were seen as outcasts&#8221; with &#8220;a sense of community and belonging,&#8221; the authors said.
In 2012, Tumblr implemented a policy against blogs that promoted eating disorders, self-mutilation, and suicide due to their popularity among teens and young adults. The authors note the attempt to &#8220;de-stigmatize&#8221; and &#8220;normalize&#8221; mental illness may have had the unintended effect of glamorizing it.
&#8220;The continued evolution of this trend underscores an urgent need for increased understanding of the influence of social media on mental health, including its phenotypic clinical presentations and the possibility that increasingly algorithmic social media platforms may serve as a vehicle of transmission for social contagion of self-diagnosed mental illness conditions,&#8221; the paper concluded.

The Social Media Overuse

Social Media Is Influencing Teens To Adopt Mental Illness Identities, Researchers Say

Health

Mental Health

Mental Illness

TikTok

Transgender

U.S.

United States

Many cities that cracked down on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/homelessness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">homelessness</a> have been hit with legal challenges over their new restrictions.
New York City, Dallas, and other cities that tried to aggressively address their homeless problem — and the drug, crime, and public nuisance issues that accompany it — are now <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-cities-get-tough-on-homelessness-legal-battles-follow-11673960273?mod=us_lead_story" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defending</a> their policies in court.
In New York City, civil rights groups are attempting to block Mayor Eric Adams&#8217; initiative to hospitalize homeless people who are severely mentally ill and appear to be a danger to themselves.
“If severe mental illness is causing someone to be unsheltered and a danger to themselves, we have a moral obligation to help them get the treatment and care they need,” Adams <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/11/29/nyc-to-involuntarily-commit-more-mentally-unstable-people/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> when he announced the plan.
In December, several civil rights groups <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-plan-to-involuntarily-hospitalize-some-mentally-ill-homeless-faces-legal-challenge-11670540243?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> a federal judge to block the policy, claiming it is unconstitutional and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
New York&#8217;s policy sometimes involves confiscating homeless people&#8217;s belongings as they are removed from public property and taken to a hospital. The city&#8217;s move comes amid concerns that the city&#8217;s homeless crisis is becoming more visible and spiraling out of control.
Also last month, Dallas was <a href="https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-sued-for-banning-panhandlers-from-standing-on-medians-15486363" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> over its October policy restricting people hanging around road medians, where homeless people often panhandle. City officials said the policy is for public safety because people can get hit by passing cars. However, the homeless people and their advocates who sued the city argued the policy violates their First Amendment rights.
Albuquerque was <a href="https://www.kxan.com/news/national-news/ap-new-mexico-city-sued-for-hounding-harassing-the-homeless/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> last month by homeless people and the ACLU of New Mexico for removing homeless encampments and arresting and fining people living on the street, allegedly violating their civil rights.
Similarly, Phoenix was <a href="https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/aclu-sues-city-of-phoenix-stop-sweeps-homeless-camp/75-232de857-bdf8-411d-9e13-e8250fe89d70" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> last month by the ACLU of Arizona over sweeps of a huge homeless encampment downtown.
“Rather than confront its housing crisis head-on and invest in sustainable solutions to homelessness, the City is terrorizing the very people it should be helping,” the complaint reads.
In San Francisco, which has one of the nation&#8217;s worst homeless and drug crises, homeless people and their advocates sued the city for fining and arresting homeless people as a way to get them out of public spaces. They also complained that the city throws out homeless people&#8217;s tents and other belongings without enough warning.
Recently, the Ninth Circuit federal appeals court has limited what some West Coast cities with severe homeless crises can do to address the problem if they can&#8217;t offer appropriate shelter.
“It is a serious, serious, problem, probably the biggest crisis we’re facing right now, and I think these decisions are at the heart of what has gone wrong here,” attorney Theane Evangelis, who <a href="https://www.gibsondunn.com/lawyer/evangelis-theane/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended</a> an Oregon city&#8217;s homeless policy in the 9th Circuit, told <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-cities-get-tough-on-homelessness-legal-battles-follow-11673960273" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
“They’ve caused paralysis at a time when we need action,” Evangelis said.
A federal judge has temporarily banned San Francisco from taking those actions to combat the homeless issue, citing Ninth Circuit rulings.
Back in 2021, Austin was sued for not doing enough to address the city&#8217;s homeless problem. A group of Austin business owners and others <a href="https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/save-austin-now-business-owners-say-austin-is-failing-to-enforce-camping-ban-in-new-lawsuit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> the city for not enforcing its public property camping ban.

Demonstration Held At NYC’s City Hall Against Mayor Adams’ Plan For Mentally Ill Homeless

Cities That Cracked Down On Homelessness Get Hit With Legal Challenges

Albuquerque

Arizona

Crime

Dallas

Homeless

New Mexico

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New York City

A new pilot study found that psychotherapy – without medical intervention – improved the mental health of autistic adolescents with gender dysphoria.
The <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10803-022-05832-4.pdf?pdf=button" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a>, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, found that guided, peer support group therapy showed positive mental health outcomes for autistic adolescents struggling with gender dysphoria. The study, conducted in the Netherlands, emphasized the importance of mental health treatments, while deprioritizing medical interventions like puberty blocking drugs, cross-sex hormones, and surgery.
&#8220;These findings add to a quickly growing stack of evidence suggesting that it’s the psychotherapy and support that is improving these kids’ well-being, not medicalized transition,&#8221; said Dr. James Cantor, Director of the Toronto Sexuality Centre, and associate professor of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.
The authors of the study chose mental health as their treatment goal, as their aim wasn&#8217;t to &#8220;cure&#8221; gender dysphoria (or autism), but to &#8220;reduce their distress and increase positive feelings about their overall lives.&#8221;
&#8220;In the current study, we looked at psychological well-being and psychological complaints as measures of quality of life,&#8221; the introduction read.
&#8220;In a pilot study, we evaluate the effect of a newly developed peer support group for adolescents with [Autism Spectrum Disorder] and [Gender Dysphoria] on their quality of life,&#8221; the introduction continued. Data was collected from four consecutive cycles of the peer support group that were completed between March 2019 to December 2021.
The researchers contrasted mental health interventions with medical treatments, and emphasized the effectiveness of psychotherapies that are aimed at &#8220;learning to think in more nuanced ways about gender identity,&#8221; and &#8220;identifying and treating other problems.&#8221;
Dr. Cantor&#8217;s <a href="http://www.sexologytoday.org/2016/01/do-trans-kids-stay-trans-when-they-grow_99.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, Sexology Today, is often cited as a resource that documents eleven studies finding that roughly 60–90% of children who identify as transgender, but do not socially or medically transition, will no longer identify as transgender in adulthood. These studies were referenced by the group of researchers, who acknowledged that gender dysphoria may resolve on its own.
&#8220;In a large proportion of children who express their desire for medical gender-affirming care, this seems to disappear during puberty,&#8221; the study read.
Many studies that were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/researcher-debunks-claim-trans-youths-mental-health-improves-with-gender-affirming-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">designed</a> to find out whether medical transition improves mental health could not adequately do so because the patients were simultaneously receiving psychiatric medication, counseling, and had supportive family environments, all of which are factors that are known to independently improve mental health.
Dr. Cantor agreed. &#8220;In the studies suggesting medical transition improves quality of life, the kids were also receiving psychotherapy at the same time,&#8221; he said.
There were some concerning elements to the study, including their inclusion of terms like &#8220;gender identity,&#8221; &#8220;gender journey,&#8221; and &#8220;gender spectrum,&#8221; which lack a scientific basis. Participants were also given free range to change their names and pronouns from &#8220;session to session.&#8221; Small sample sizes were also indicated as a limitation of the study.
The results found that while mental health outcomes improved significantly due to peer support, so did feelings of gender dysphoria.
&#8220;The kids in these support groups reported experiencing gender dysphoria more, even though their mental health was improving in other ways,&#8221; said Dr. Cantor. &#8220;This challenges simple ideas, such as that social minority stress is driving the mental health issues.&#8221;  
It also challenges the &#8220;<a href="https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/pediatric-gender-medicine-and-the" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affirm-or-suicide</a>&#8221; narrative, which implies that medically transitioning adolescents will prevent them from committing suicide. And it adds evidence to the &#8220;social contagion&#8221; theory, that finds peer influence contributes to youth gender dysphoria.
&#8220;But the paradoxical pattern is consistent with the possibility that the reported levels of dysphoria reflect the desire to continue qualifying for and receiving the support provided by these groups,&#8221; said Dr. Cantor.
&#8220;We need to remember this is only a pilot study,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It’s not the final word on anything.&#8221;
The study recognized the importance of taking both autism spectrum disorder and gender dysphoria into account, highlighting some of the important challenges that autistic people face that may lead them to become confused about their sex, including preoccupation, rigid thinking, and a lag in socio-emotional development.
“It is possible that kids who have a tendency to get obsessed or fixated on something may latch on to gender,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/psychologist-do-transgender-children-just-have-amanda-prestigiacomo">said</a> Dr. Kenneth Zucker, a psychologist with 30 years of experience running the largest Canadian childhood gender clinic. 
Dr. Zucker believes that many children identifying as transgender may do so because they are on the autism spectrum. The psychologist credits this confusion to the autistic tendency to fixate or obsess over a “special interest.”
“Just because kids are saying something doesn’t necessarily mean you accept it, or that it’s true, or that it could be in the best interests of the child,” he added.
Children and adolescents on the autism spectrum are disproportionately represented among the large, newly emerging cohort of children claiming to be transgender. Over the past 10 years, there have been at least <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zhanavrangalova/2017/11/15/growing-evidence-for-a-link-between-gender-dysphoria-and-autism-spectrum-disorders/?sh=6e3f4479153e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nine studies</a> connecting Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and transgender identities. Rates of autistic traits in these studies range from five percent to 54% among those with gender dysphoria, significantly higher than among the general population.
Data from the now-shuttered Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the U.K.’s Tavistock Centre found that autistic adolescents were significantly overrepresented in the population of referrals to the clinic. Pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass was commissioned to conduct a <a href="https://cass.independent-review.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Cass-Review-Interim-Report-Final-Web-Accessible.pdfhttps://cass.independent-review.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Cass-Review-Interim-Report-Final-Web-Accessible.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> of the services provided by the National Health Service and investigate why there has been such a huge rise in the number of adolescent biological girls seeking referrals to gender clinics. 
Dr. Cass found that approximately one third of youth referred to GIDS had autism or autistic traits. By comparison, the prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorder during childhood in the UK have been estimated at 1%.
There is a growing international consensus that minors experiencing gender dysphoria should be treated with psychotherapy first, not medical interventions. Health authorities in Sweden, Finland, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/englands-national-health-service-abandons-gender-affirming-model-of-care">U.K.</a> have unanimously concluded after systematic reviews of evidence for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones that the risks and uncertainties outweigh any known benefits. Psychotherapy will now be provided as the first and usually only line of treatment for gender dysphoric youth in these countries.
The Gender Exploratory Therapy Association (<a href="https://genderexploratory.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GETA</a>), a network of mental health professionals, wrote a new clinical guide for adolescents struggling with gender dysphoria. The guidance offers an alternative approach to &#8220;affirming&#8221; a minor&#8217;s chosen trangender identity to explore possible underlying factors that may be causing their dysphoria, including autism.
&nbsp;

Transgender Flag Arts and Crafts

New Study Finds Psychotherapy Improved Mental Health Of Autistic Adolescents With Gender Dysphoria

LGBTQ

Netherlands

Social Issues

As the holidays ramp up, some workers across the United States will take much-needed breaks from the daily tasks of the workplace. However, others might be less inclined to do so. Either way, the vast benefits to taking time away from work — whether short or long — is something all Americans need to consider as the holiday season approaches.
While there’s discussion about the importance of taking short breaks from work, the same benefits can almost certainly be applied to longer spans of time off, as well.
Since studies show sitting in one position most of the day is unhealthy, ‘movement breaks’ are important for physical and emotional well being, as <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/201704/how-do-work-breaks-help-your-brain-5-surprising-answers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported by Psychology Today</a>. Sitting for long periods of time can increase the risk of “heart disease, diabetes, depression, and obesity.”
Taking time away from work in the short term can also help reduce “decision fatigue,” since making lots of back-to-back decisions can get tedious and decrease a person’s ability to think through problems.
Avoiding needed breaks can also lead to less creative breakthroughs, the outlet noted. People who take walks are able to think more creatively than if they remained stationary, according to one <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minding-the-body/201603/become-better-writer-be-frequent-walker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> from Stanford, as noted by Psychology Today.
“Four experiments demonstrate that walking boosts creative ideation in real time and shortly after,” the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24749966/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study noted</a>, adding, “Walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity.”
There’s also a phenomenon called “waking rest,” which helps people to ruminate on what they have learned.
University of Washington Medicine’s <a href="https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/mind/well-being/taking-breaks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Right as Rain publication</a> noted how taking snippets of time off can be good for keeping up with mental and physical health.
“Many people don’t often have a choice in how much rest is available to them. The way society is set up, we treat rest as a privilege, not a right,” Julia Kocian, a social worker and UW Medicine Graduate Medical Education mental health counselor, said.
Sleep has long been <a href="https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/healthy-living/mental-health-and-relationships/get-enough-sleep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">associated</a> with greater health benefits, and getting the required amount of sleep is beneficial for adults and <a href="https://www.parents.com/health/healthy-happy-kids/the-7-reasons-your-kid-needs-sleep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">children</a>. However, benefits can also be found from simply taking the much-needed time to rest.
“What we’re learning is some of the same consolidation activities that happen in our brains when we’re asleep also occur when we rest,” Samantha Artherholt, a psychologist and clinical associate professor in the UW School of Medicine Department of Rehabilitation, noted.
“I view rest as intentionally slowing down or stepping away from an activity, while taking a break can be more active, like going on a walk or stretching,” Artherholt said. “The goal of any sort of rest or break is it should feel relaxing. You should feel refreshed and better after the break than you did before.”
People’s brains produce different types of waves depending on what they&#8217;re doing. When <a href="https://mybraindr.com/4-types-of-brainwaves-and-how-they-impact-your-mental-health/#:~:text=Delta%20Brainwaves:%20This%20brainwave%20is,at%20rest%20or%20deeply%20asleep." target="_blank" rel="noopener">someone is relaxing</a>, experiencing deep meditation, or asleep, the brain produces delta brainwaves, which are needed for renewal and recovery, according to MyBrainDR, which treats people who are depressed or suffering from insomnia and other issues.
If a person does not feel the ability to concentrate on specific jobs, the site noted, it might be because he or she is not feeling the right type of brainwaves for the job he or she needs to do. 
Kocian discussed the importance of getting into different brain patterns.
“The idea is we need to spend time in different brain states. When we engage in a variety of activities that require more and less focus, our brain can spend time in the different states, which helps it function and allows us to be creative, to problem-solve and to store information,” Kocian said.
Americans tend to work exceedingly hard and sometimes don’t even take long breaks.
Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2021/05/23/why-taking-vacation-time-could-save-your-life/?sh=27dc314624de" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on a recent study that discovered 26% of participants had never taken two weeks of leave at the same time. Workers also changed their vacations since the pandemic hit, but the fact that so many had never taken a prolonged vacation is telling and concerning.
Avoiding taking breaks can lead to long term health problems and complications can even be fatal.
The outlet also noted that the World Health Organization <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57139434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released a study</a> revealing that in 2016, 745,000 people died from heart disease and stroke because of long days spent working. 
The study discovered that putting in at least 55 hours per week was connected with a 35% higher likelihood of stroke, as well as a 17% higher chance of passing away from heart disease when contrasted with a 35 to 40 hour workweek.
The trend is not true for every demographic, and it revealed that men who were middle-aged or above comprised almost 75% of the people who died because of the long working hours.
The pandemic also impacted the way people around the world do their jobs and working from home might have had a worsening effect on the ability to take time away from work. The WHO research did not include the pandemic time period, but with more people working from home and suffering from economic hardship, WHO authorities said these two factors might have upped the risks connected with working long days, per the BBC.
&#8220;We have some evidence that shows that when countries go into national lockdown, the number of hours worked increase by about 10%,&#8221; WHO technical officer <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57139434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frank Pega said, per the BBC.</a>
Working remotely might also increase the likelihood of working more than employees are necessarily expected to. The Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom discovered that those who sometimes worked at their houses during 2020 were working on average six hours per week more — hours that were not counted as overtime, the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57139434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Those who never worked from home were working 3.6 hours per week of unpaid overtime, on average.
Since 2011, employees who never work at their houses on average have carried out more paid overtime; but people who work at home worked more unpaid overtime. 
“Homeworkers were more likely to work in the evenings compared with those who worked away from home in September 2020,” the report added. 
While the benefits of taking time off should be remembered throughout the year, the holidays are a key time to take that needed break in order to return to work with the necessary stamina and creativity to tackle the year ahead.

Office

Working For A Living: Here’s Why Time Away From The Office May Be Just What The Doctor Ordered

Readers Pass

Remote Work

Higher amounts of screen time might be <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article269904192.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">connected</a> to an <a href="https://www.thenational.wales/news/23186826.screen-time-linked-increased-odds-preteens-developing-ocd---study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> risk of developing obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to a new study.
The study, <a href="https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(22)00722-4/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> on Monday in the Journal of Adolescent Health, included around 9,200 children between the ages of nine and ten who reported how long they <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/mental-health/3769040-screen-time-linked-to-ocd-in-youth-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">use</a> screens. The different uses involved video game playing, watching videos, watching movies or shows, texting, chatting with people over video, and using social media sites.
Two years after they discussed the time they spend on each activity, scientists asked their parents about diagnoses of OCD, as well as symptoms of OCD. The researchers found that every additional hour of watching videos and playing video games was connected “with a subsequent OCD diagnosis.”
The study reported that every additional hour of playing video games was connected with a 13% higher risk of future OCD, and every additional hour of watching videos was connected with 11% more risk. When they followed up after two years, the researchers found that 4.4% of the cohort had developed new-onset OCD from baseline. In addition, 6.6% &#8220;met diagnostic criteria for OCD.&#8221;
OCD is <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defined</a> by the National Institute of Mental Health as “a common, chronic, and long-lasting disorder” where someone “has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts” “and/or behaviors” that someone “feels the urge to repeat over and over.”
According to the <a href="https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder-In-Children-And-Adolescents-060.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry</a>, OCD typically starts in late teen years and when someone is in their early adult years. It occurs in 1 in 200 kids and teens. Between 1% and 3% of kids and teens have OCD, according to <a href="https://evolvetreatment.com/parent-guides/ocd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evolve Treatment Centers</a>.
“Although screen time can have important benefits such as education and increased socialization, parents should be aware of the potential risks, especially to mental health,” Dr. Jason Nagata, who led the study, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11529041/Every-hour-child-spends-playing-video-games-day-raises-risk-OCD-13-study-claims.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Children who spend excessive time playing video games report feeling the need to play more and more and being unable to stop despite trying.”
“Intrusive thoughts about video game content could develop into obsessions or compulsions,” Nagata added. “Screen addictions are associated with compulsivity and loss of behavioral control, which are core symptoms of OCD.”
The algorithmic model and ads on sites like YouTube could create an environment “for compulsive viewing of homogenous content,” the study noted.
Video chat, social media use, and texting were not as commonly used in the group of children who were in the study.
While the research does not necessarily show a causal link, the association is one that could provide further insight into the effects of screen time. The purpose of the study was “to determine the prospective associations between baseline screen time and obsessive-compulsive disorder” after two years in a national group of kids ages nine to ten. Family history was incorporated as a covariate.
In the study, scientists noted that research done in the future should look at what connects video game playing and video watching to the development of OCD.
“Families can develop a media use plan which could include screen-free times including before bedtime,” Nagata said.
The study noted that mental health issues and the use of screens among teens have gone up in the past few years, brought on by the pandemic.
According to <a href="https://www.physiciansweekly.com/covid-19-pandemic-and-increased-screen-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Physician’s Weekly</a>, 89% of participants in a self-reporting study said they were in front of screens more often when the lockdown happened. Younger people said they had more “symptoms of digital eye strain,” and eyestrain and headaches were the most frequent types of strain, according to the publication.
Another study <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2785686" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> in JAMA Pediatrics last year showed that adolescent use of screens in the early days of the pandemic was around twice as much than it was before the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the estimates &#8220;from the same cohort at baseline&#8221; were 3.8 hours per day, but some variables could explain the differences, the study noted. It found that adolescent screen time was 7.7 hours per day early in the COVID pandemic.

Close up of  boy holding game controller

Study Finds More Screen Time Associated With Future OCD In Preteens

More Screen Time Associated With Future OCD, Journal of Adolescent Health Study Shows

COVID

Medical

Pandemic

“<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/television">Blue’s Clues</a>” host Steve Burns was known for being an enthusiastic character who connected with kids, but now the 49-year-old actor says he was struggling with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mental-health">depression</a> while filming the show.
Burns hosted the long-running children’s series on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">Nickelodeon</a> from 1996 until 2002. However, the actor said in a recent interview with <a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/features/steve-burns-blues-clues-death-rumors-depression-1235433500/">Variety</a> that his upbeat demeanor during the time was all an act. 
&#8220;I didn’t know it yet, but I was the happiest depressed person in North America,&#8221; the former host told the publication. &#8220;I was struggling with severe clinical depression the whole time I was on that show. It was my job to be utterly and completely full of joy and wonder at all times, and that became impossible.&#8221;
&#8220;I was always able to dig and find something that felt authentic to me that was good enough to be on the show, but after years and years of going to the well without replenishing it, there was a cost,&#8221; he continued.
The animated series aired on Nickelodeon and became a huge success, even earning an Emmy nomination in 2001. It featured Steve solving puzzles alongside his dog Blue and relating with kids on their level.
But then Burns, who was just as important to fans as the blue cartoon dog, announced he was leaving for college and that his younger brother would take over hosting responsibilities.
&#8220;My strategy had been, ‘Hey, you got a great thing going, so just fight it!’ Turns out, you don’t fight depression; you collect it,&#8221; the actor told Variety. &#8220;After I left &#8216;Blue’s Clues,&#8217; there was a long period of healing. It wasn’t until the death of my father that I really started to take things seriously, and my life became so much more manageable.&#8221;
&#8220;It made me think about things I hadn’t thought about, like legacy and the value of the things we’ve left behind,&#8221; he went on. &#8220;It forced me to reevaluate and take much more seriously my mental health. And New York City never was much good for my mental health.&#8221;
Burns recorded a video message in 2021 in honor of the show’s 25th anniversary. He’s also going to feature in the movie &#8220;Blue’s Big City Adventure,&#8221; which starts streaming on Paramount+ Friday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
So about that time Steve went off to college… <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BluesClues25?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BluesClues25</a> <a href="https://t.co/O8NOM2eRjy">pic.twitter.com/O8NOM2eRjy</a>
&mdash; Nick Jr. (@nickjr) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickjr/status/1435332689532440579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Meanwhile, “Blue&#8217;s Clues” got a makeover and a new host, but the latest version has come with some controversy. Instead of focusing on innocent content for preschoolers, the new version “Blue’s Clues &amp; You” is infused with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/childrens-show-blues-clues-features-pride-parade-cartoon-drag-queen-children-explaining-pride-flags">leftist ideology</a> aimed at children. 
A sing-a-long posted on their YouTube page in May 2021 featured an LGBT pride parade to celebrate Pride Month. Gay, non-binary, and transgender animals all march along while a drag queen sings, “Love is love is love, you see, and everyone should love proudly and we’ll all go marching in the big parade!” 
Disclosure: The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids">announced plans</a> for kids entertainment content.

Nickelodeon’s 5th Annual ‘Big Help-A-Thon’

‘Happiest Depressed Person’: ‘Blues Clues’ Host Steve Burns Said He Struggled With Mental Health During Filming

'Happiest Depressed Person': 'Blues Clues' Host Steve Burns Said He Struggled With Mental Health During Filming 

Entertainment

A new study revealed the rise in children going to the hospital for suicidal thoughts, which began to go up before the COVID pandemic and lockdowns. 
The Pediatrics journal <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2022-056793/189943/Trends-in-Suicidal-Ideation-Related-Emergency?autologincheck=redirected?nfToken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> the findings on Monday, which used information from Illinois hospitals Northwestern University and the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The analysts looked at visits to the emergency department for suicidal ideation from January 2016 to 2021 for young people between the ages of 5 to 19 years old. 
From 2016-2017 to 2019-2021, the visits went up 59%. Visits where suicidal ideation was the primary diagnosis also correspondingly went up from 34.6% to 44.3%.
While the study shows that such visits went up in Illinois in 2019, the pandemic also appears to have played a role. Hospitalizations rose 57% between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020.
The children were 84% less likely to be admitted to the hospital if suicidal ideation was their main diagnosis, and had a higher likelihood of being hospitalized if they had other mental health indicators. 
“It just really highlights how mental health concerns were really a problem before the pandemic. I mean, we saw this huge increase in [emergency department] visits for kids of all ages, honestly, in 2019, and it’s very concerning,” study co-author Dr. Audrey Brewer said, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/14/health/suicide-er-visits-kids/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>. “We saw more kids than we typically do that we … wouldn’t necessarily have thought would have problems about suicidal ideation. We saw 5-year-olds. To see them presenting to emergency departments for mental health or for suicide-ideation-related visits is very concerning.”
&#8220;This is like smoke,&#8221; senior author Joe Feinglass <a href="https://www.q13fox.com/news/us-children-er-visits-suicidal-thoughts-increasing-study-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> about the data. &#8220;And there’s definitely a fire, but we don’t yet know and are not yet addressing what is causing the fire.&#8221;
Brewer said lots of the children who were put in the hospital for suicidal thoughts also struggled with other mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety and substance use. She said guardians should be aware of certain indicators of suicidal thoughts, such as if a child is struggling at school or starts to become isolated.
“They may act out or have problems sleeping. Irritability and being more withdrawn and isolating themselves are a lot of things that we oftentimes will think about,” Brewer said. “It’s important for parents to feel empowered to really sit back and listen to their kids and talk to them. Really try to relate and understand what is going on with them and help promote positive relationships.”
“We really need to develop more of a strategy to help support all kinds in different ways and really focus on some of those traumas and social influences of health,” Brewer added. “We need to make sure more children will have safe places to grow and thrive.”
Although the study was done in Illinois, specialists reportedly said this isn’t confined to one area in particular. 
“Over the last nine years, where we would see about anywhere from one to two patients a day that were having a behavioral health crisis, now we’re seeing 20-plus a day,” Dr. Nicholas Holmes, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, said. He was not involved in the study.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.

Monitor on finger of Caucasian girl in hospital

Study: Youth Hospital Visits For Suicidal Thoughts Rose 59% Since 2016

Pediatrics Study: Youth Hospital Visits For Suicidal Thoughts Rose 59% Since 2016-2017 

Health Care

Suicide

Former Disney Channel star <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/only-murders-cast-members-roast-each-other-on-emmys-stage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Selena Gomez</a> reveals a number of scary and painful moments in her upcoming AppleTV+ documentary &#8220;My Mind &amp; Me&#8221; — including a mental breakdown during her 2016 &#8220;Revival&#8221; tour that left her feeling as though she wanted to die.
Gomez’s former assistant Theresa <a href="https://pagesix.com/2022/11/03/selena-gomez-said-she-didnt-want-to-be-alive-during-breakdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a> the situation in a straight-to-camera segment for the documentary, saying, &#8220;At one point she’s like, ‘I don’t want to be alive right now. I don’t want to live.’ And I’m like, ‘Wait, what?&#8217; It was one of those moments where you look in her eyes and there’s nothing there. It was just pitch black. It’s so scary.&#8221;
&#8220;You’re like, &#8216;F*** this. This needs to end. We need to go home,’” Theresa continued, noting that they did <a href="https://www.vogue.com.au/celebrity/news/selena-gomez-has-cancelled-her-revival-tour-due-to-her-mental-health/news-story/85726509f7fab43a95bbdf12cfaf95d1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut the tour short</a> after the &#8220;Wizards of Waverly Place&#8221; alum had already performed 55 of the scheduled dates.
The singer&#8217;s friend Raquelle added that Gomez, 30, had been hearing voices in her head that just got &#8220;louder and louder&#8221; until she couldn&#8217;t stand it any longer.
&#8220;I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off,&#8221; Gomez told <a href="http://www.people.com/article/selena-gomez-time-off-anxiety-panic-attacks-lupus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a> at the time. &#8220;As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways. I’ve discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges.&#8221;
Gomez entered a mental health facility for treatment — a move that she initially pushed back against — and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. &#8220;I didn’t want to go to a mental health hospital. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to be trapped in myself in my mind anymore,&#8221; she explained. &#8220;I thought, &#8216;My life is over.&#8217; I thought, &#8216;This is how I’m going to be forever.’”
Gomez also opened up about her <a href="https://pagesix.com/2022/11/03/selena-gomez-breaks-down-crying-over-worsening-lupus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ongoing struggle</a> with lupus, an autoimmune disorder that she has been battling for years.
After her initial diagnosis in 2014, the &#8220;Only Murders In The Building&#8221; star went through chemotherapy to treat the disease — but her absence from the spotlight led some to speculate that she was actually in treatment for substance abuse.
&#8220;I wanted to so badly say, &#8216;You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re a–holes,’” Gomez revealed. &#8220;I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.&#8221;
She recounted another flare-up of the disease in 2020 that left her in so much pain that she would wake up hurting every day. &#8220;Now it just hurts. Like, in the morning when I wake up, I immediately start crying because it hurts, everything.&#8221;
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.

2022 AFI Fest – “Selena Gomez: My Mind And Me” Opening Night World Premiere – Arrivals

‘I Didn’t Want To Be Alive’: Former Disney Star Says Psychotic Break Left Her Suicidal

Former Disney Star Selena Gomez Says Psychotic Break Left Her Suicidal

Celebrities

Music Industry

Selena Gomez

Ever since Joe Biden announced he was running for president (he did it by video before holing up in his basement for most of the campaign), the legacy media has had his back, defending his endless gaffes, both small and large.
But the legacy media truly outdid themselves this past weekend, turning a blind eye to the soon-to-be 80-year-old totally zoning out in the middle of a television interview &#8212; to the point where the interviewer had to say, &#8220;Mr. President?&#8221; to snap him out of his reverie.
In one of his rare interviews, Biden sat down with MSNBC&#8217;s Jonathan Capehart to talk 2024 ambitions. Capehart asked about recent polling that finds most Americans say Biden shouldn&#8217;t run again because of his age.
&#8220;The only reason to be involved in public life is: Can you make life better for other people,&#8221; the president said.
Capehart then asked Biden if he is going to run.
&#8220;I have not made that formal decision but it&#8217;s my intention, my intention to &#8212; and we have time to make that decision,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;Dr. Biden is for it?&#8221; Capehart asked, referring to first lady Jill Biden, who is not a medical doctor but holds an Ed.D., an education degree.
Biden fell silent and appeared to take a long trip in his mind, prompting Capehart to try to snap him out of it. &#8220;Mr. President?&#8221; he said as Biden sat there stone-faced. Amid signs that Biden might be returning from his trip, Capehart said, &#8220;Ope,&#8221; as in, &#8220;Oh, there you are.&#8221;
Yup, Biden was back &#8212; sort of. &#8220;Dr. Biden thinks that, uh, my wife thinks that, uh&#8230;&#8221; he said, followed by another long pause. &#8220;&#8230; that I, uh, that, that we&#8217;re, that we&#8217;re doing something very important and that I shouldn’t walk away from it.&#8221;
Huh?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BIDEN: &quot;It&#39;s my intention to run again.&quot;
Q: &quot;Dr. Biden is for it?&quot;
BIDEN: *silence*
Q: &quot;Mr. President?&quot;
BIDEN: &quot;Dr. Biden thinks that uh, my wife thinks that uh, that I uh, that, that we&#39;re, that we&#39;re doing something very important.&quot;
🤔 <a href="https://t.co/G4GGD32zG2">pic.twitter.com/G4GGD32zG2</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1583601424968994816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The legacy media ignored the whole scene &#8212; even though if the former president had done it, hoo boy, it&#8217;d be wall-to-wall coverage for weeks. But one lawmaker ripped Biden, saying he&#8217;s clearly not competent.
&#8220;This is really sad, but he reminds me of a Madame Tussauds wax figure,&#8221; Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-not-competent-president-appearing-zone-msnbc-interview-rep-claudia-tenney">said</a> on Fox News. &#8220;He comes out, and they turn him on, and he delivers talking points that are presented to him by his shadow government, the staff behind him.&#8221;
&#8220;He&#8217;s really showing that he&#8217;s not competent to do this most important job in our nation. And I really, I joined on a letter with Congressman [Ronny] Jackson about making him subject to a cognitive test … this is serious stuff. We&#8217;ve got enemies around the world. You&#8217;ve been interviewing tremendous people about China, about what&#8217;s happening in the war in Europe, which is unprecedented,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to start looking into whether Joe Biden is actually capable of being the president. I think he&#8217;s not. I think we should consider all of these avenues,&#8221; Tenney said.
Thirty-seven GOP lawmakers joined Rep. Jackson (R-TX) in signing the letter. &#8220;My colleagues and I are again asking President Biden to immediately undergo a formal cognitive screening exam, such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA),&#8221; Jackson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-urge-biden-to-take-cognitive-test-say-mental-decline-has-become-more-apparent">told</a> Fox News Digital in an email.
“As a former physician to three Presidents of the United States, I know what it takes mentally and physically to execute the duties of Commander-in-Chief and Head of State,” Jackson said. “Joe Biden has continually proven to me and to the world that something isn’t right. The American people deserve to have absolute confidence in their President’s cognitive ability.”
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

US-POLITICS-BIDEN

Is Biden Completely Zoning Out In The Middle Of An Interview Really OK?

 Is President Joe Biden Completely Zoning Out In The Middle Of An Interview Really OK?

Joe Biden

Ronny Jackson

President Joe Biden (D) responded to questions about his age and fitness for office during an interview that aired Sunday morning by saying that he could &#8220;drop dead tomorrow.&#8221;
Biden made the remarks during an MSNBC interview with Jonathan Capehart when he was asked what he would say to convince voters to stick with him if he were to run again in 2024.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyone&#8217;s age, including mine. I think that&#8217;s totally legitimate,&#8221; Biden said. &#8220;I think the best way to make a judgment is to, to, you know, watch me, you know, am I slowing up? Am I, don&#8217;t have the same pace?&#8221;
&#8220;You know, I, could be, I&#8217;m a great respecter of fate,&#8221; Biden continued. &#8220;I could get a disease tomorrow, I could, you know, drop dead tomorrow. But I, you know, in terms of my energy level, in terms of how much I&#8217;m able to do, I think people should look and say, &#8216;is he, is he still have the same passion for what he&#8217;s doing? And if they think I do, and I can do it, then that&#8217;s fine.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;I think it&#39;s a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyone&#39;s age, including mine,&quot; says Biden.
&quot;Watch me. You know, am I slowing up? Am I don&#39;t have the same pace?&#8230;I could get a disease tomorrow, I could, you know, drop dead tomorrow.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/o7jDVE5WVV">pic.twitter.com/o7jDVE5WVV</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1584212983672340480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>JONATHAN CAPEHART, MSNBC HOST: So, let&#8217;s say Trump doesn&#8217;t run again, convince aunt Gloria, that she should stick with you.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Well, I think aunt Gloria should take a look, I think it&#8217;s a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyone&#8217;s age, including mine. I think that&#8217;s totally legitimate. I think the best way to make a judgment is to, to, you know, watch me, you know, am I slowing up? Am I don&#8217;t have the same pace? You know, uh, and that old joke, you know, uh, um, everybody talks about the, you know, the new 70 is 50, all that stuff. You know, I, could be, I&#8217;m a great respecter of fate. I could get a disease tomorrow, I could, you know, drop dead tomorrow. But I, you know, in terms of my energy level, in terms of how much I&#8217;m able to do, I think people should look and say, &#8216;is he, is he still have the same passion for what he&#8217;s doing? And if I think do, and I can do it, then that&#8217;s fine. If they don&#8217;t, then they should vote against me, not against me, they should encourage me not to go. But, that&#8217;s not how I feel, I can&#8217;t even say the age I&#8217;m gonna be. I can&#8217;t even get it out of my mind.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-on-his-mental-fitness-for-office-the-proof-of-the-pudding-is-in-the-eating">Biden On His Mental Fitness For Office: ‘The Proof Of The Pudding Is In The Eating’</a>

President Biden Speaks On Student Debt Relief At Delaware State University

Biden On His Fitness For Office: ‘I Could Drop Dead Tomorrow’

Biden On His Fitness For Office: 'I Could Drop Dead Tomorrow'

MSNBC

In 1984, when <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ronald-reagan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Ronald Reagan</a> was running for re-election, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liberal media</a> took aim at him for his age: He was already the oldest president ever to hold the office.
After a debate with Democrat Walter Mondale (who would go on to lose 49 states), Reagan was assailed for having &#8220;lost his stamina.&#8221; The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/11/us/reagan-criticizes-comments-on-age.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">derided</a> &#8220;signs of deafness in Mr. Reagan&#8217;s right ear&#8221; (well, he had been shot a few years before at point-blank range with an exploding &#8220;devastator&#8221; bullet that ended up less than an inch from his heart, so&#8230;.)
And he was just 73.
President Joe Biden is a whole &#8216;nother animal. The guy turns 80 next month, and &#8212; unlike Reagan at 73 &#8212; Biden has an endless string of verbal and mental gaffes that point to a man in the twilight of his life (some are mild, others are downright dangerous).
Still, making it to 80 is a milestone. Time for a big party, right?
Wrong. With the way things are going for Joe, the last thing the White House wants to do is make a scene over the oldest president ever elected.
&#8220;It will be a birthday like no other in White House history,&#8221; the liberal Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/11/bidens-about-to-turn-80-dont-expect-a-blowout-birthday-bash-00061090">wrote</a> on Tuesday. &#8220;But those inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. are not keen on having a blow-out celebration.&#8221;
&#8220;President Joe Biden will turn 80 years old next month, becoming the first commander-in-chief to become an octogenarian while in office. The Nov. 20 birthday will come two weeks after the midterms and will likely intensify scrutiny of Biden’s health and speculation as to whether he will seek another term,&#8221; the site said.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Two Minutes of Joe Biden Wandering Around Looking Lost" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HZ88bfMyXU8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The story comes after a bizarre incident. Last Wednesday, Biden &#8212; a self-described &#8220;gaffe machine&#8221; &#8212; delivered a speech at the White House and, as he often does, gave a bunch of shout-outs, including one for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wheres-jackie-biden-asks-where-dead-congresswoman-is-at-white-house-conference">Rep. Jackie Walorski</a> (R-IN).
The problem: Walorski is dead. She died, along with three others, in a head-on car crash on August 3.
In his shout-outs, Biden said: &#8220;Jackie, are you here? Where&#8217;s Jackie? She must not be here.&#8221;
It was quite clear that Biden had forgotten that Walorski had died. But that didn&#8217;t keep the White House from launching a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karine-jean-pierre-repeatedly-grilled-over-her-lame-response-to-biden-looking-for-deceased-congresswoman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nonsensical explanation</a> for what Biden had said.
Politico said Biden is aware of criticism over his age. &#8220;His age has always been a sensitive topic among his closest allies and planning is underway as to how to best navigate the occasion,&#8221; the site said.
The Issues &amp; Insights/TIPP <a href="https://issuesinsights.com/2022/10/10/64-of-voters-concerned-over-bidens-mental-health-ii-tipp-poll/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> of 1,376 adults released Monday showed 64% of Americans are either &#8220;very concerned&#8221; or &#8220;somewhat concerned,&#8221; a 5-point jump from its last poll in August.
But the percentage of Democrats now concerned about Biden&#8217;s mental lapses leaped 13 points in two months.  &#8220;Virtually all of October’s gain came from Democrats, who went from just 39% expressing &#8216;concern&#8217; over Biden’s mental health in August, a high number in itself, to 52% in the latest poll,&#8221; the pollsters wrote.
&#8220;Is Biden’s mental infirmity a danger to this country? Is it time for the president, who turns 80 next month, to be tested by competent medical experts and have the results openly released to allay public fears?&#8221; said the pollsters.
In the end, Politico predicted it would all be a low-key affair.
&#8220;Biden tends to celebrate his birthday with his family. A year ago, he spent the day, a Saturday, at his Wilmington, Del., home except when he ventured out to church. This year, it will come as much of his family will already be in Washington to celebrate the White House wedding of his granddaughter Naomi the day before.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

US-POLITICS-BIDEN-WEATHER

‘Gaffe Machine’ Biden Turns 80 Next Month, But Won’t Peacock For Milestone

'Gaffe Machine' President Joe Biden Turns 80 Next Month, But Won't Peacock For Milestone

birthday

Finally, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-party">Democrats</a> are starting to get it.
After yet another mental gaffe by President Joe Biden, a new poll has found a majority of Democrats are at least &#8220;concerned&#8221; about his mental health.
The Issues &amp; Insights/TIPP <a href="https://issuesinsights.com/2022/10/10/64-of-voters-concerned-over-bidens-mental-health-ii-tipp-poll/">survey</a> of 1,376 adults released Monday showed 64% of Americans are either &#8220;very concerned&#8221; or &#8220;somewhat concerned,&#8221; a 5-point jump from its last poll in August.
But the percentage of Democrats now concerned about Biden&#8217;s mental lapses leaped 13 points in two months.  &#8220;Virtually all of October’s gain came from Democrats, who went from just 39% expressing &#8216;concern&#8217; over Biden’s mental health in August, a high number in itself, to 52% in the latest poll,&#8221; the pollsters wrote.
&#8220;Is Biden’s mental infirmity a danger to this country? Is it time for the president, who turns 80 next month, to be tested by competent medical experts and have the results openly released to allay public fears?&#8221; said the pollsters.
They also pointed out numerous recent gaffes by Biden.
“Recent video snippets show Biden wandering off stage, apparently lost, after speaking briefly; forgetting the name of the Declaration of Independence, the nation’s founding document; not remembering that a congresswoman he was honoring at a ceremony was in fact dead, asking Where’s Jackie (Walorski)?’; invoking the possibility of nuclear ‘Armageddon’ after Vladimir Putin’s military suffered setbacks in Ukraine; and so on.”
On September 28, Biden delivered a speech at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in Washington, D.C. He recognized those involved in the effort, including Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN).
In his shout-outs, Biden said: “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? She must not be here.”
She wasn’t there because Walorski is dead. She died, along with three others, in a head-on car crash on August 3.
Biden, 79, had clearly forgotten that Walorski had died, even though on the day of her death, the White House released a statement from the president mourning her.
“Jill and I are shocked and saddened by the death of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski of Indiana along with two members of her staff in a car accident today in Indiana,” Biden said at the time. He also ordered the U.S. flag at the White House to be lowered for two days.
What made the whole mess worse is that the White House decided to lie about Biden&#8217;s confusion, implying that he knew Walorski was dead but that she was simply &#8220;top of mind.&#8221;
“So, of course, she was on his mind. She was of top of mind for the President,&#8221; Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/09/28/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-september-28-2022/">told</a> reporters the next day. &#8220;He looks — very much looks forward to discussing her remarkable legacy of public service with them when he sees her family this coming Friday.”
Reporters lashed out at Jean-Pierre, who simply repeated her scripted lies. But Fox News&#8217; Peter Doocy delivered a zinger, telling the flack: “Karine, I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day, but I’m not looking around for him anywhere.”
Biden would eventually apologize to Walorski’s family when he met with them for a bill signing in the Oval Office two days later.
Maybe he should apologize to all Americans for being president.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

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Well, Duh: Majority Of Democrats Now ‘Concerned’ About Biden’s Mental Health, Poll Finds

Well, Duh: Majority Of Democrats Now 'Concerned' About President Joe Biden's Mental Health, Poll Finds

Jackie Walorski

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