Depression, senior care insurance, pharmacy benefit managers, government

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Regarding the story “Love, Loss and Ketamine” from June 9: First, I would like to express my sincere condolences to former Star Tribune columnist Jon Tevlin on the loss of his wife and best friend. Second, I wish to commend his courage in exposing and voicing the all-encompassing emotional drain of depression and hopelessness. Third, I want to say thank you for shining a light on a possible way out of the darkness and a return to hope in someone’s life.

All the best to you, Jon, and everyone facing similar darkness.

Robert Backberg, St Cloud

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Jon Tevlin’s poignant account of his experience with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) resonated deeply. As a psychiatrist, I have witnessed the profound benefits that KAP can provide for those struggling with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and grief. It has proven to be one of the most effective tools in my practice.

Tevlin’s story highlights the potential of ketamine-assisted therapy, especially when conventional treatments fall short. His courage to openly share his personal journey helps destigmatize these innovative approaches and may inspire others to explore alternative paths to healing.

While KAP requires careful scrutiny for safety, it represents a promising development in mental health care that is worth exploring with an open and evidence-based mindset to help people recover. I commend Tevlin and the Star Tribune for contributing to this important dialogue and raising awareness about additional options like KAP for those who have not improved through traditional psychiatric offerings.

Erica Burger, Ferryville, Wis.

The writer is an integrative psychiatrist at Driftless Integrative Psychiatry.

LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE

I knew we wouldn’t be able to fight

Thirty-one years ago, my husband and I predicted that by the time we needed long-term care insurance, we’d be too old to fight for it with a recalcitrant insurance company (“Care Insurance for the elderly in crisis”, June 9). I remain confident.

This is another example of American big business breaking the law and hurting people for profit. From Big Medicine to Big Pharma to Big Farming, we can’t trust the businesses we’ve come to rely on. And while we try, it’s almost impossible to go back to local vendors and establishments for all our needs. Lack of customer-facing business ethics is one of the many crises of the 21st century.

Elaine Frankowski, Minneapolis

IMMIGRANT WORKERS

Put some DFL muscle on this one

Regarding “They kept this Minnesota slaughterhouse open. Then it was torn down, abandoning the guest workers” (StarTribune.com, June 13): One would hope that the Democrats who currently control Minnesota would care to do something about ensure that these legal immigrant and temporary workers (with H-2B visas) receive W-2s and other official documents in addition to being paid their final wages.

The statement of a few corporate spokespeople really isn’t enough, and the DFL needs to realize that.

GOVERNMENT

The Perils of the ‘Anti-Establishment’

The devil is always in the details. Our anti-establishment friends in the Republican Party are not wrong in their disgust and anger with the way our government is currently working — or not working (“Anti-establishment GOP scores victory,” June 9). I suspect that very few Americans think that our government, at least at the federal and state levels, is working properly. The question is why? Is it because of corrupt political parties? Is it caused by the excessive influence of big money? Is it the result of a Constitution that in some ways may no longer serve the purpose of a large, diverse, modern society? Or are they simply the wrong people in office for too long? A combination of all? Without answers to these questions, it’s a fool’s errand to try to solve anything.

However, one thing I am sure of is that we need to find smart people who are committed to working together to solve problems. Suggesting well-intentioned but inappropriate people will only make it worse. We need people who are focused on the problems of the country, not their party. We don’t need people holding extreme positions in any direction or a conspiracy mentality muddying the waters.

I have sympathy for those who are tired of the same old, same old in government. However, I have no sympathy for those who want to impose solutions that may be far worse than the problems they seek to solve. (Not even people who send letters in support of the insurgents.)

Vote wisely; our freedom is at stake.

D. Roger Pederson, Minneapolis

DONALD TRUMP

Have you heard it lately?

Why is the media giving former President Donald Trump a pass for his latest crazy, nonsensical, nonsensical and very false rants? On Sunday at a rally in Las Vegas, he told a story about a sunken electric boat being attacked by sharks as the reason he won’t allow battery-powered trucks to be manufactured on his watch. It sounded like a drug-induced hallucination or the ravings of a madman. During his long protestations at the rally, he often swears, misses or fails to finish pronouncing word endings, replaces parts of words with other words that sound the same, and stops mid-word, seeming not to is able to complete a thought. Trump blames remote controllers for his mistakes, but that excuse was never proven. What rings true is that if President Joe Biden were caught on tape addressing an audience and saying even a fraction of the outlandish things Trump says at his rallies, it would be front-page headline news for next month. , and the Republicans would demand that he undergo a psychological evaluation immediately!

Michael Farnsworth, Minneapolis

SUMMER

Windows closed, music on

The timing is different in a summer car versus a winter car. Summer has open windows to the world. We can hang our hands outside, tapping to the beat and smelling the green grass being cut, doughnuts, fried chicken, hot asphalt. Listening to people talking, arguing, laughing. Seeing the faces of happy dogs, having random thoughts about the person singing while we wait on the ramp.

What is a singing voice but the pure expression of a person? There you are, brave one, letting us hear something that comes from within you, shaped by your body structure, your personality, your mood. Wow! Sing.

And really, who thought of putting music in cars? You’re driving alone through tree-lined roads through the balmy evening air in a light mood, a little sad, or just plain tired. Then comes this song. Nat King Cole. You sigh, becoming part of a peaceful dream.

Or you’re in a group of friends in a car and a song comes on and someone starts singing; soon everyone is singing, shouting, laughing at each other and at the song. You can literally feel happy. Music in cars.

Let’s take this sweet, short summer. Let those fingers of the wind ruffle our hair. Inhale the smell of french fries and consider drinking some. Notice the sullen lady walking her dog and the little girl in shorts and a T-shirt slowly retreating down the street. Let’s open the windows and sing.

Margot Storti-Marron, Maple Grove