Amber Cote
Amber Cote Biography
Amber Cote is a student at McGill University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. Her aspirations include researching the abnormalities in the brain’s circuitry
observed in Visual Snow Syndrome and various mental illnesses. She hopes to contribute to the
development of more effective treatments for such disorders.
Amber experienced her Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS) onset in early 2019, accompanied by
debilitating levels of health anxiety, later diagnosed as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). VSS first
showed itself as a “static” over her visual field, later progressing to ocular migraines, palinopsia
(afterimages), and floaters. This brought on a bout of panicked searching for an explanation, which
led her to discover the Visual Snow Initiative (VSI) in late 2019.
Being the only person that she knew with VSS was isolating, so it was a relief to know that there was
a community providing resources for those with VSS. Now having learnt to better manage her VSS
and GAD symptoms, she finds that connecting with others has been the greatest help in her mental
wellness journey.
Significant life changes entailed a great deal of stress that was helped immensely when she
adopted her best feline friend, Maurice. His charming and loving personality has had a significant impact on Amber’s life, being a great source of companionship, sense of responsibility, and laughter.
