A few weeks back, our very stable genius was reveling during a jaw-dropping interview on TV how smart or normal he was, how a year or so ago he had heard and repeated back during a simpleton's cognitive test the simple phrase "person, woman, man, tv, camera;" and how amazed the doctors were that he could repeat back this trite five-word word salad, that basically constitutes two descriptive adjectival groups, humans and photographic devices a few minutes later. I received a simple "psychological" test yesterday after responding to an appointment to have my annual flu shot at the local Kaiser facility.
The nurse explained that in these times of isolation imposed by the COVID-19 crisis, there was concern afoot that there were many in the general population that were "depressed" because of or during it, and would I mind responding to two questions handwritten on a sheet of paper she left with me while she went off to prepare my extra-special dose of flu vaccine, because I was over 65. The questions were: I wake up and don't feel like doing anything at all---; and I feel out or sorts or despondent or depressed or hopeless---; and the answer to each query came from these four possibilities: 0) never or not at all; 1) occasionally; 2) several days each week; or 3) all the time.
When she returned, and before she jabbed my arm with the special cocktail she prepared (my arm aches today!), I said the supposed general feeling of ennui or perhaps hopelessness in our society only half related to the devastating, deadly pandemic, the other half of the current chaotic conditions afflicting our lives would addressed on November 3d, and she smiled, either knowingly or sympathetically. For question one, the answer was three, and for question two the answer was one.
She said in a sympathetic voice, "I think you should speak with your doctor about these feelings." So there you have it, I'm apparently either depressed or suicidal, as shown by this simplistic simpleton's test, during these depressing times that started on November 8, 2016 and have steadily and then increasingly only gotten much worse.
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