NAMI HelpLine

Ken Duckworth Discusses Mental Health and Addiction Vulnerabilities

Posted on April 24, 2020

Chris Cuomo Prime Time Show

Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI discusses mental health and addiction vulnerabilities during the pandemic. View the videoclip on Twitter.

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‘A high-risk perfect storm’: loneliness and financial despair take toll on US mental health

Posted on April 24, 2020

The Guardian

With no end in sight, the mental health consequences of COVID-19 are starting to manifest. The country’s weak mental health system may not be able to meet rising demand. Even before the pandemic, half of adults with mental illness did not receive treatment, according to NAMI which has seen calls to its helpline rise by 40% during the pandemic. “The mental health curve is going to have a long tail,” said Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI. “When life finally returns to normal, the following year will not be a good one for mental health.”

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Ken Duckworth interviewed for a segment on Mental Health and COVID-19

Posted on April 23, 2020

CNN Chris Cuomo Prime Time Show

Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI discusses the mental health impact of the pandemic and vulnerabilities that are increasing anxiety and depression. When should you reach out for help and what resources are available?

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‘Grandma’ and ‘Grandpa’ among top words trending in crisis text line grief conversations

Posted on April 20, 2020

Yahoo! News

Reports that one month into the quarantine, the kinds of mental health crises people are experiencing are changing and evolving as the pandemic wears on. “I think everybody has started to realize that we're in a chronic reality as opposed to an acute reality,” says Dr. Ken Duckworth, chief medical officer of NAMI and an assistant clinical professor at Harvard University Medical School. “I think we're just getting into a new normal of this, which is going to be ongoing.” 

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Experimental Drug Shows Promise for Schizophrenia

Posted on April 16, 2020

HealthDay

An experimental drug may ease schizophrenia symptoms, without the side effects of existing medications, an early clinical trial suggests. Over one month, the drug helped manage a range of symptoms -- from delusions and hallucinations, to flattened emotions and social withdrawal. The drug, dubbed SEP-363856, also appeared to avoid the side effects common with standard antipsychotic medications. Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI said, "I'm glad to see they're investing in a drug with a new mechanism of action. And I'm cautiously optimistic about it." 

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Instagram Connects Users To Mental Health Resources Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Posted on April 15, 2020

CBS News Bay Area: CA

Video segment of CBSN Bay Area's Kenny Choi talks with Ken Duckworth, MD with NAMI and Carolyn Merrell, Global Head of Policy Programs at Instagram. They talk about what the social media site connecting users to resources from experts during this challenging time.

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Can Instagram Ease the Pain of Social Distancing?

Posted on April 8, 2020

Refinery29

We have more time on our hands and we're eager to connect with people through video conferencing and social media. Instagram knows this, and the platform has partnered with NAMI for a week of sharing resources. They’re asking experts and influencers to offer advice on how they’re taking care of themselves during COVID-19.  “This pandemic affects everyone and I mean everyone,” Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO at NAMI says. “At NAMI we say 'you are not alone,' and it has never been more true than now."

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Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19

Posted on April 8, 2020

Bloomberg Businessweek YouTube Town Hall

On Wednesday, Joel Weber, Businessweek editor-in-chief, and Cynthia Koons, Bloomberg reporter, hosted a virtual town hall that aired live on YouTube and Facebook. The first segment focused on the increased need for telemedicine with the Chief Medical Officers from both Talkspace and Brightside. The second segment featured Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO, NAMI and Dr. Christine Moutier, CMO, AFSP and focused on the larger issues around mental health and access to care. The third segment included everyone and they answered questions from the audience.

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Unemployment, isolation: COVID-19’s mental health impact

Posted on April 7, 2020

ABC News

The current pandemic is not just a medical tragedy. Even when the medical threat has disappeared, psychiatrists say people across the globe will battle psychological scars for years. Dr. Ken Duckworth, chief medical officer of NAMI told ABC News that rates of suicide aren't always closely tied with viral pandemics or high rates of unemployment: "In the past few years we have seen a rise in suicide despite economic prosperity." Duckworth said the pandemic seems to be fanning the flames, with NAMI seeing an increase in calls related to anxiety and depression over COVID-19. 

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As coronavirus spreads, mentally ill Americans are left scrambling for options

Posted on April 7, 2020

Yahoo! News

The rapid spread of the coronavirus has dramatically affected the one in five Americans who deal with mental health in any given year, as well as those who work tirelessly to keep those individuals well. Already, NAMI, the largest grassroots mental health organization in the country, has increased staffing on its helpline to from 10 to 40 volunteers in order to keep up with increased demand, said Dr. Ken Duckworth, the group’s chief medical officer. “The volume is substantially up. People are anxious, and people are looking for support.”

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NAMI HelpLine is available M-F, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Call 800-950-6264,
text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).