Daily Media Digest June 17, 2020

IWK smartphone study shows the effect of social isolation on mental health
youriwk
“A study out of the IWK Health Centre and Dalhousie’s Faculty of Computer Science hopes that by observing how people use their cell phones they will learn how the population is reacting to feelings of social isolation during the pandemic. Those observations will help to design a tool that helps to engage users and promote behaviours that counteract negative effects of social isolation.”
TAGS: social isolation, mental health, COVID-19

CAMH survey shows pandemic affecting mental health, but anxiety levels may be easing
CBC.ca
“Research by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health indicates rise in reports of loneliness, depression, alcohol consumption during COVID-19 …”
TAGS: COVID-19, pandemic, mental health, anxiety

Putting COVID-19 diagnostic tests to the “test” – how do they hold up?
YorkU
“Many of the tests were developed early in the outbreak when the virus was first identified and sequenced. The researchers say it is important to re-evaluate them periodically to ensure they still work.”
TAGS: COVID-19, diagnostic testing, medical technology

Maintaining social connections during and post pandemic is good for your health
Manitoulin Expositor
“Kate Walker-Corbiere, crisis intake worker for Health Sciences North’s Mental Health and Addictions outreach site on Manitoulin Island, has seen an …”
TAGS: social connections, mental health, public health, COVID-19

Supporting men’s mental health uplifts all of us
iPolitics
“As a society, we have a set of norms we’ve agreed upon, both tacitly and overtly, that signal what it means to be a ‘real man.’ It’s time to blow them out of the water and make a fresh start, lest we continue to perpetuate a damaging cycle that doesn’t just harm men and boys, but also the women who love them.”
TAGS: mental health, men’s health, COVID-19

Loneliness can directly impair immune system, increase risk of death: study
CTV News
“Directly or indirectly, this feeling has many wide-ranging consequences for our psychological well-being as well as our physical health, even our …”
TAGS: immune response, mental health, social health

Study shows first evidence that a drug can improve survival from COVID-19
CBC.ca
“Dr. Todd Lee, a physician at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal who researches infectious diseases, also says the differences in mortality …”
TAGS: innovative treatments, COVID-19, pandemic