Many diseases share the same symptoms, causing people to get confused and either undermine or overwhelm themselves with worries. With the current flu season on the rise, people in the United States are being very careful about their health and are taking necessary precautions to make sure they do not catch any more respiratory illnesses. Often these diseases show symptoms like coughing and wheezing, nothing that warrants anything more than a general doctor’s visit, sometimes people even think it it is a simple cold, but it could be something worse!

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report on 28 February, last Friday on Respiratory Virus Activity Levels reported a moderate number of people are seeking medical help for respiratory illnesses. The flu is sending many people to the emergency room, RSV Respiratory syncytial virus has been sending many people to the ER along with COVID-19.

While flu test results are slightly less positive than last week, COVID-19 and RSV test results are about the same. In our community's wastewater, the flu virus is still very high, COVID-19 is moderate, and RSV is low. Looking forward, we expect COVID-19 emergency room visits to stay low. While flu visits are still high, they should start to go down soon.

So, even though it might feel like winter is ending, these viruses are still active, and we need to be careful. They are not going away quickly and can still spread easily. Here are some symptoms that should be treated with urgency right now.

Severe Dehydration

When you're really sick, you might not feel like eating or drinking. This can lead to dehydration, which is when your body doesn't have enough water. If your pee is dark yellow, or you feel dizzy, you might be dehydrated. If you pass out, get confused, or your heart beats really fast, you need to go to the hospital right away. Healthcare professionals can give you fluids through a needle to help you feel better. Being dehydrated is very dangerous, and it is important to take it seriously.

Breathing Difficulties

If you're having trouble breathing, or if you're breathing really fast, that's a big sign. It could mean that you have pneumonia or that your body isn't getting enough oxygen. Shortness of breath is always a reason to go to the emergency room. Your body is telling you that something is seriously wrong. It is very important to seek help right away. Do not wait it out at home.

Low Oxygen Levels

If your lips or fingers start to turn blue, that means you're not getting enough oxygen. Also, if you're so tired that you can barely get out of bed, that's another sign that you need to go to the hospital. These are serious symptoms that mean your body needs help right away.

Who’s Most at Risk for Severe Symptoms?

Some people are more likely to get very sick from these viruses. Pregnant people, little kids, and older adults are at higher risk. Also, people who have health problems like heart or lung disease, or people with weak immune systems, are more likely to have serious problems. Older adults are often hospitalized with the flu, COVID, and RSV. These groups need to be extra careful to avoid getting sick. It is very important that these groups get vaccinated.

RSV is especially dangerous for babies and young children. It's one of the main reasons why young kids end up in the hospital. This virus can make it very hard for them to breathe. It is very important to protect young children from this virus, especially in the first few years of their lives.

Mental health struggles among young children and teens are most likely to get overlooked due to many reasons. That is one of the glaring problems that prompted 16-year-old Imaan Zara Khan to write and direct Unspoken, a movie that follows four teenagers from different social, cultural, and economic backgrounds who navigate their mental health struggles.

Imaan told HealthandMe, "We constantly tell young people to speak up, but what happens when they don’t have the words for what they’re feeling? And even when they do, there’s the fear of being judged, misunderstood or simply not taken seriously. The social visibility cost is simply too high. So, they choose silence instead. I wanted to explore that silence, because sometimes the biggest barrier to seeking help comes long before someone actually asks for it."

The Ministry of Education, Government of India, recently reviewed the draft school mental health policy to foster students' mental wellbeing. The landmark move aims at ensuring adequate resources to protect students' mental well-being by strengthening school systems. Scaling up proven best practices to promote student mental health and psychosocial well-being is one of the primary objectives of the policy.

On World Mental Health Day, we review the government's initiative to comprehend its importance and urgency amid expanding mental health crisis in India's young population.

School Mental Health Policy Aims To Reshape Mental Care For Young Children

Also read: Childhood Fitness Linked To Lower Risk Of Depression In Adulthood: 30-Year Study

The policy entails several key measures to reshape mental healthcare in educational institutions. From identifying early signs of academic stress to proactive screening, it says that schools must routine mental wellness checkups into their academic calendars.

Nandita Bhatla, Vice President and Country Director, WorldBeing India, an international non-profit that works towards integrating mental health wellbeing programs into education systems, told HealthandMe, "India has done well to break the silence. Yet the loss of young lives to suicide tells us that too many children still feel they have nowhere to turn, and that listening cannot wait for a crisis."

She added, "The harder, more important work is making care a routine part of a school day, owned and led by governments, and not dependent on a single programme or a single champion. Schools are the lived reality of millions of our children. When they become spaces to build resilient, hopeful individuals and not mere academic achievers, we know we are on the right path."

The draft also stresses upon building an inclusive and supportive school culture built on a strong foundation of empathy, care, and mutual trust.

The policy also moves away from emergency crisis management. Instead, it aims to create robust, long-term support systems that could help children thrive and stay motivated towards building their future.

Imaan said mental health problems should not be treated as emergencies. She said, "Just as we build physical health through everyday habits, schools should be building emotional resilience, coping skills and mental-health literacy from an early age. But equally important is having a clear, transparent, end-to-end framework that everyone, whether it’s a student, teacher or parent, can understand and navigate."

Also read: Over 2 Hours of Daily Screen Time Linked to Depression, Obesity In Young People: Lancet

Turning Teachers Into Mentors

The policy also focuses on training teachers to be primary mentors for students who could interact with them every day and recognise early signs of conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression. According to the policy, teachers will be trained to identify changes in behaviours and academic burnout.

This does not mean that teachers will replace professional counselors. Additionally, this effort also urges parents to monitor domestic environments.

The policy also plans to channel traditional Indian Knowledge Systems to promote mental wellness among students. It urges schools to integrate mindfulness practices into everyday student activities.

It promotes that these ancient practices can equip students to handle academic pressure, especially during stressful board examinations. The updated curriculum will now support both cognitive growth and development and psychological well-being.

Artificial intelligence is changing the way people work. Tasks that once required hours of effort can now be completed in minutes; therefore, organizations are increasingly using AI tools to improve productivity, reduce costs, and streamline operations. These changes have brought both excitement and fear along with them. That is, will my skills still matter in the future?

The fear of becoming irrelevant in an AI-driven workplace is becoming a source of anxiety for employees across industries. Beyond concerns about job security, many are struggling with the pressure to learn new technologies, keep up with changing expectations and prove their value in an environment where machines are becoming increasingly capable.

The Pressure To Prove Oneself

Workplace anxiety surrounding AI does not always stem from the possibility of losing a job. Sometimes, it comes from the feeling that one must constantly do more to remain employable.

Employees who have spent years developing expertise in a particular field may find it unsettling to see AI tools perform parts of their work in seconds. Writers, designers, analysts, customer service professionals and even experienced managers are being encouraged to adapt to new technologies, often while managing their existing responsibilities.

For some, this creates a persistent sense of falling behind. Learning new tools becomes less about professional growth and more about avoiding obsolescence. The pressure can be particularly challenging when employees are uncertain about which skills will remain valuable or how quickly their roles might change.

Professionals’ Fear Of Uncertainty Affects Mental Health

Prolonged uncertainty about one's career can affect emotional well-being. Employees may experience stress, irritability, difficulty concentrating, disrupted sleep or a loss of confidence in their abilities. Some may begin comparing their productivity with AI-generated outputs, overlooking the judgement, experience and context they bring to their work.

There is also the pressure to demonstrate constant productivity. When technology makes it possible to complete tasks faster, employees may feel expected to produce more within the same working hours. What initially appears to be a tool for reducing workloads can, in some workplaces, create an expectation of doing more with less time.

Over time, this pressure can contribute to exhaustion and burnout, particularly when employees have little control over how new technologies are introduced or how their performance is measured.

However, not everyone experiences AI in the same way. Some employees welcome the opportunity to learn, experiment and move away from repetitive tasks. The impact often depends on individual circumstances, workplace culture, access to training and the level of uncertainty surrounding employment.

The Importance Of A Supportive Workplace

Employers have an important role to play in reducing unnecessary anxiety during technological transitions. Introducing AI without explaining its purpose can leave employees filling information gaps with their own fears.

Clear communication about how AI will affect specific roles, what changes employees can expect and which skills they should develop can help reduce uncertainty. Training should be accessible and practical, allowing employees to learn without feeling that they must master every new tool immediately.

Managers should also recognize that productivity is not the only measure of an employee's contribution. Critical thinking, creativity, communication, ethical judgement and the ability to understand people remain important aspects of professional work.

Creating opportunities for employees to ask questions, express concerns and participate in decisions about AI adoption can help build trust. Organisations should also pay attention to signs of excessive workload, disengagement and burnout rather than assuming that employees will automatically adapt.

Finding A Healthier Relationship With AI

For employees, it may help to approach AI as a skill to develop rather than a competition to win. Identifying the tools relevant to one's role, learning at a manageable pace and strengthening skills that complement technology can make change feel less overwhelming.

It is equally important to recognize that professional worth cannot be measured solely by speed or the number of tasks completed. Experience, sound judgement, empathy and accountability continue to shape meaningful work. If anxiety begins to interfere with sleep, daily functioning or relationships, seeking support from a mental health professional may be helpful.

AI will continue to change the workplace, but the transition does not have to come at the cost of employee well-being. Organizations that combine technological progress with honest communication, meaningful training and respect for their workforce are more likely to create environments in which people can adapt with confidence.

Ultimately, the question is not simply whether employees can keep pace with AI. It is whether workplaces can evolve in ways that allow people to feel secure, valued and capable of growing alongside it.

(By Shilpi Saraswat, Clinical Psychologist, Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru)

Effective management of thyroid cancer varies greatly depending on the patient and how the cancer behaves. Even two people with the same type of thyroid cancer might have a very different treatment regimen.

This is because many other factors influence the treatment choice more than the type of cancer. These include factors like the size of the lump, where it is situated, whether it has spread to nearby lymph nodes, whether it's grown beyond the thyroid gland, and the chance of it coming back. A person's age and general health also affect the decision on treatment.

How Early Detection Can Expand Treatment Options

This is where early detection plays an important role. When thyroid cancer is spotted at a very early stage, when it is small and considered to be low-risk, aggressive treatment or extensive surgery might not even be required. In selected, low-risk patients, treatment can involve careful monitoring over time with ultrasound and regular check-ups. Treatment might then be considered if the cancer appears to grow or change.

Therefore, if caught early, thyroid cancer might not only result in changes to how the condition is medically managed, but can potentially minimise the impact on a patient’s life. If a cancer is picked up before it's grown or spread, there could be more treatment options available and, in some situations, less invasive options could be suitable. This would typically mean less invasiveness, a quicker recovery and less stress or expense.

Also read: The Neck Lump Most People Dismiss: When Should You Worry About Thyroid Cancer?

Does Every Thyroid Cancer Patient Need Surgery?

However, while this sounds positive, early detection of thyroid cancer does not mean that all such cancers should or can be treated without surgery. And when surgery is needed, its extent depends on what's happening for each patient. Some patients might have to have just a portion of the thyroid removed, while others may have the entire gland out. In cases where there's concern of the cancer spreading to lymph nodes, treatment might address that area too.

The treatment of thyroid cancer is also not necessarily finished once surgery has been completed. Based on how the cancer is behaving and the surgical findings, some patients may or may not require radioactive iodine; for instance, it is not applied to every person diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Those with small, low-risk cancers might be adequately managed with surgery and regular surveillance.

The information identified following surgical removal can refine the strategy for managing thyroid cancer. Reviewing the extracted cancer tissue might give a better insight into what can and can’t be seen on prior ultrasounds. Ultrasound scans and subsequent tests can show whether additional treatment is needed, or if ongoing monitoring is sufficient.

Also read: After 70% of His Tongue Was Removed For Cancer, Lawyer Regains Speech & Returns To Court

Why More Treatment Is Not Always Better

This explains that ‘more treatment is not necessarily better treatment’. Aggressive treatments like extensive surgery or additional treatments may not provide benefit if not indicated and, at the same time, contribute to additional stress and costs and might delay a patient’s full recovery.

The overall aim of thyroid cancer care in the future should be about ensuring that treatment plans are individually tailored to the patient and behaviour of the cancer, for example, to provide good control of cancer without intervention when treatment isn’t warranted. This reiterates the importance of awareness and seeking timely evaluation.

Symptoms That Should Prompt Medical Evaluation

A lump on the neck, change in the voice, difficulty swallowing and/or persisting problems that may include pain could be caused by various diseases, and not all of these lumps necessarily result in cancer but require prompt medical evaluation and testing.

For some patients, monitoring may be recommended, whereas for others surgery may be essential. Therefore, making the decision about therapy should be based on the thoroughness of the evaluation.

A diagnosis provides a classification of what it is; however, it is a comprehensive evaluation including the ability to test it very specifically and to monitor it accurately, which shows how the cancer might behave and what the right choices for therapy are at the right time for a person with thyroid cancer, and to limit unnecessary treatment.