The Mental Health Toll from the Coronavirus Could Rival that of the Disease Itself

The Mental Health Toll from the Coronavirus Could Rival that of the Disease Itself

Posted on May 29, 2020

Mental health experts are bracing for what Tom Insel calls a "mental health tsunami." They're anticipating a steep rise in the diseases of isolation—suicides, opioid abuse, domestic violence and depression—that will unfold over the next few months and could stretch on for years. So far, there's been little action where it is needed most: providing funding to address the mental health challenges brought on by the pandemic. "People have been speaking up about the mental health effects of this emergency, but we have yet to see real concrete actions to shore up our mental health system," says Angela Kimball, national director of advocacy and public policy for NAMI. "Any shortfall is likely to hit the poorest the hardest." Instead, patients have inundated crisis services lines.