Clearing the Fog

‘An essential guide’ (Dr Mark Hyman, author of Young Forever) to navigating life with the cognitive and mental health impairments that often accompany Long Covid.

Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, the shocking mortality figures obscured the fact that death is not the only adverse outcome associated with the virus. Today, as many as 30 to 50 percent of Covid-19 survivors still experience symptoms long after their acute illness has passed, with problems especially prominent in the areas of cognitive and mental health.

For long haulers, this struggle with Long Covid has irrevocably changed their lives. Many have lost their ability to work, attend school, or look after their children. They often feel misunderstood and dismissed by others. Their once-full lives are now filled only with doctors’ appointments that seem more and more futile.

In Clearing the Fog, neuropsychologist Dr. James C. Jackson offers people suffering from Long Covid and their families a roadmap to help them manage their ‘new normal’. Focussing on cognitive impairment and mental health issues, he shows readers:

- the ways they can manifest and disrupt

- suggestions for how and when to seek professional evaluations

- science-based treatment options and strategies

- information on navigating health care systems and disability insurance

- validation and hope as patients wrestle with their new diagnosis

In addition, Dr Jackson shares his own experience with chronic illness , relating to long haulers with vulnerability and compassion. Through moving stories, as well as hands-on guidance, Clearing the Fog will help long haulers understand their current situation while offering multiple ways to address it, make sense of it, and move through it with the goal of thriving instead of merely surviving.

Author Biography

Dr. James ‘Jim’ Jackson is an internationally renowned expert on the effects of illness and long Covid on cognitive functioning. A licensed psychologist and a pioneer in the investigation of Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS), he is a research professor of Medicine and Psychiatry and the Director of Behavioural Health at the ICU Recovery Centre at Vanderbilt. He also serves as the Director of Long-Term Outcomes at the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship (CIBS) Centre.

Dr Jackson received his post-doctoral training in the treatment of brain injuries at the world-famous Oliver Zangwill Center in Ely, England.