“It’s the End of the World as We Know It: Should We Feel Fine?,” a platform presented by Kate Lovelady, Leader of the St. Louis Ethical Society is now available on our podcast page.

For Earth Day, Kate Lovelady explores some of the psychological aspects of living in an age of both environmental crisis and great technological possibility. As ethical agents, how can we avoid the traps of despair and complacency to create motivation for ourselves and others? As a humanist community, how can we both enjoy life and be realistic about threats to the environment we rely on?

Also see Kate’s related blog post, It’s the End of the World as We Know It: Should We Feel Fine? Platform Notes.

“Private Insurance-Induced Stress Disorder,” a platform presented by Dr. Carol Paris is now available on our podcast page.

Dr. Carol Paris, a busy Maryland psychiatrist known on Washington’s Capital Hill as a spirited advocate for single payer health care, will give the 2012 Annual Health Care address. Dr. Paris’ topic is Private Insurance-Induced Stress Disorder or PIISD, a condition she sees daily in her practice.

Dr. Paris was one of 13 health care professionals who were arrested in 2009 for insisting that single payer be included in the U.S. Senate hearings to debate the health care reform bill.

“It was amazingly easy to adapt the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) criteria to describe the symptoms in trying to deal with the bureaucracy of private health insurance or to cope with being sick and uninsured,” Dr. Paris said.

“Each day I see patients whose financial stress and fragmented health care is causing them mental and physical problems,” she said.

To help change our health care system, she often travels to Washington’s Capitol building to brief Congressional staff members. She’s also well-known for talks in her home state of Maryland, and travels to other states under the auspices of the Physicians for a National Health Plan.