How We Talk About Mental Health Challenges

To the Editor:

Re “Stop Pathologizing Ordinary Life,” by Clay Routledge (Opinion guest essay, July 29):

The essay suggests that greater attention to mental health may be making us more psychologically vulnerable. I would argue that it exposes a different problem: We haven’t done enough to help people distinguish between the ordinary challenges of being human and the early signs of a serious mental health condition.

Just as learning about physical health helps people recognize when symptoms warrant medical evaluation, learning about mental health helps people distinguish typical emotional experiences from more concerning signs and symptoms. Feeling anxious, sad or stressed now and then is part of everyday life; feeling persistent symptoms that get in the way of everyday life is not.

Exercise, purpose, meaningful relationships and community all strengthen mental health. But they shouldn’t be presented as substitutes for recognizing early signs of mental health conditions such as major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and PTSD.

The reality is that millions of Americans are experiencing mental health challenges, and how we talk about it can influence whether someone reaches out for help.

The goal of mental health education is not to encourage self-diagnosis. It’s to help people better understand their experiences and recognize when everyday challenges may be evolving into something that deserves attention.

Christine M. Crawford Arlington, Va. The writer, a psychiatrist, is the chief medical officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

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Stop Trump’s Arch

To the Editor:

Re “Trump’s Arch Could Alter the Fabric of Washington” (The Upshot, Aug. 5):

The proposal for a bombastic, useless arch in Washington is simply appalling. Inserting this massive chunk of vanity into one of the most considered urban designs in our history is a huge affront to the people of the United States.

After a lifetime of preservation work in New York City, I, as well as my colleagues, know that the desecration of a viewscape is as damaging as the blow of a sledgehammer to important urban spaces and landmarks — spaces and monuments that mean so much to so many.

This needs to stop.

Daniel Allen Gloucester, Mass. The writer, an architect, is a former board president of the Historic Districts Council of New York.

A Retreat on Vaccines

To the Editor:

Re “Dozens of States Tried to Roll Back Vaccine Policies. How Did It Go?” (news article, July 30):

With sadness and dismay, I continue to follow the Trump administration’s unconscionable crusade to roll back long-established and successful vaccine policies, emboldening many states to act.

President Trump and his advisers seem determined to take us back to a time when countless children and adults succumbed to the ravages of contagious diseases. Proven science has given us the miracle of vaccines that bestow immunity against these life-threatening diseases.

The current administration is anti-science and has vigorously engaged in misinformation and falsifications concerning the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. We are rapidly returning to a pre-science era when ignorance and quackery held sway.

It is shocking to think that thousands of children and adults will suffer and even die as a result. A public outcry is needed to persuade those in power to change course and once again be guided by good science.

Stephan J. Levitan New York The writer is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Mr. Trump, We Canadians Aren’t ‘Nasty’

To the Editor:

Re “After Trump Calls Canadians ‘Nasty,’ Mark Carney Says the Word Fits Trade Talks” (news article, nytimes.com, Aug. 6):

Can you imagine if a leader of a foreign country referred to Americans as “nasty”? Picture the outrage, the anger, the indignation among the American public.

Well, that’s the word your president used to refer to Canadians recently. Repeatedly.

Any wonder why many of us Canadians don’t feel like visiting the United States? I spent time in 35 states before this man was elected and met some of the nicest, most generous people there. I haven’t been back since.

Pierre Home-Douglas Dorval, Quebec