Symptoms, Stories, and Seeing Differently

Intro Note

I've made a habit of asking better questions during intake (and throughout therapy), especially when something doesn’t quite sit right. It’s easy to think, this is trauma, this is anxiety, this is depression. But what if it’s something else?

I once worked with a child diagnosed with bipolar disorder who wasn’t improving. Eventually, doctors discovered she had Hashimoto’s disease. That moment stuck with me. Since then, I’ve learned to listen differently—to slow down and stay curious.

This month, I’ve been thinking about what suffering looks like when we misread it. Women with undiagnosed dyslexia, clients with BDD labeled as vain, patients treated for depression, while a hidden illness quietly worsens. They’re reminders. The stories we tell ourselves about symptoms shape what we treat—and what we miss.

Resource I’m Sharing

When Mental Health Symptoms Are Actually Medical
This is an older article I saved and returned to again and again. I’m sharing it with you because I think it’s valuable. The NYT reports on patients diagnosed with anxiety or depression who later discovered underlying medical conditions: thyroid issues, POTS, or endometriosis, to name a few. The takeaway? Slow down, listen differently, and think physiologically, especially when standard treatment fails. (NYT, 2024)

Policy

Dyslexia Screening Law Passes in Colorado
A hopeful turn: Colorado has passed legislation mandating dyslexia screening for early learners. This matters. I’ve sat with women who still feel the sting of every red pen, every eye-roll from a teacher who mistook dyslexia for laziness. Early identification isn’t just educational—it’s emotional. (Chalkbeat, 2025)

Article worth Reading

Why People Resist Fixing Income Inequality

This fascinating article caught my eye. I said to my husband the other day, someone ought to write a sci-fi novel about a government taken over by a group that eliminates income inequality. Fixies: starving children, healthcare, homelessness, etc. Of course, we know all those things are connected to social problems like crime, drug use, and mental health struggles.

We may assume that people who oppose such policies that we stand for are just inherently bad. However, in reality, psychological mechanisms such as zero-sum thinking and the myth of meritocracy can create confusion and resistance.

Podcast Pick

Unmasking Body Dysmorphic Disorder
This Psych Central episode explores how people with BDD suffer deeply over how they look, suffering that’s often misunderstood. A good reminder of how pain can hide behind clinical labels. (Psych Central, 2024)

Training Resource

CEUs on a Budget
ADAA offers low-cost and free CEUs, making them great for therapists on a budget. This one on social anxiety and chronic pain is worth a look. (ADAA Webinar)

Words That Stayed With Me/ Research

“The consequences of ignoring the health of women are real and deadly.”

This NEJM article warns us that funding cuts and political shifts are threatening decades of women's health research. This isn’t just about policy it’s about lives. The issue of women’s reproductive health is ever-present in my office. The stark reality of the anxiety and fear is something I see women wrestle with daily.

Is this something you're seeing too?

Reflection:

What does it mean to support women’s mental health as a therapist in a world where their bodily autonomy is under threat?

Link here (NEJM, 2025)

Books!

I'm reading The Emperor of Gladness, a novel that explores grief and the ways we conceal pain. Ocean Vuong describes it as the story of Hai, a 19-year-old rescued from the brink of suicide by Grazina, an older woman with dementia. As their lives intertwine, the book explores the concept of chosen family and the healing process.

Tell me what you are reading?

(Video)

Current Events:

Protestors and National Guardsmen, face to face, connecting. Not yelling, not fighting—just seeing each other. In a time of division, it struck me as human, and deeply needed. (Facebook Video)

Closing Thought

( I took this picture by the way. Isn’t it great!)

”Symptoms” don’t live in a vacuum. They live in bodies, histories, classrooms, and economic systems.

This is a throwback to the original newsletter format I started years ago for my Charlotte community called the Micro and the Macro.

I hope to continue writing in this format occasionally when I have time. Do you like this one? If so, comment and share.

Take care of yourselves,
Kristen