Posted on May 6, 2021
Bloomberg Law
Davis was already prone to suicidal thoughts as someone with bipolar disorder. Then he got the coronavirus in April 2020. Lingering effects have left him with anxiety and a depression he calls “pretty damn awful.” A research study reported in Lancet Psychiatry found a third of Covid-19 survivors were diagnosed with a neurological or psychiatric condition in the six months after being infected; 17.4% had an anxiety disorder. Even if survivors like Davis are able to push past the stigma that’s long caused people to shy away from mental health treatment, finding a provider that’s covered by insurance and still accepting new patients can seem insurmountable. “You might have an insurance card, but actually finding a provider in-network is extraordinarily hard even for people with quote-unquote good insurance,” said Jennifer Snow, director of public policy at NAMI. Most large plans have some mental health coverage, ”but even with the increased coverage we still find actually getting care is a problem for many people,” Snow said. “Many times people are forced to get care out-of-network, which can make care unaffordable.”
READ MOREPosted on May 6, 2021
Buzzfeed News
Mental health influencers are flourishing; platforms like Instagram and Twitter make their resources accessible and shareable, catnip for people who find therapy overwhelming, alienating, or financially out of reach. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, mental health care should always take one’s culture into account. “Our culture, beliefs, sexual identity, values, race and language all affect how we perceive and experience mental health conditions,” reads a statement on its website. “It is therefore essential for culture and identity to be a part of the conversation as we discuss both mental health and mental health care.”
READ MOREPosted on May 4, 2021
Men’s Health
People in recovery will tell you that addiction isn’t just about neurochemical dependency, or intoxicating substances, or thrill-seeking behaviors. Addiction is also connected to control, security, and self-worth — all of which took a massive beating during the pandemic. Addiction trends accelerated during Covid-19 as stress levels increased and support networks crumbled. When Men’s Health polled 1,111 people, 75% of respondents said they are close to someone struggling with addiction and 40% reported an increase in cravings for addictive substances or behaviors. One reason: They didn’t have other people around to keep them feeling connected, grounded, and upbeat, says Ken Duckworth, M.D., CMO of NAMI. The fraying of connectivity can trigger addictive behaviors — alcohol, painkillers, drugs, porn, gambling — and relapse for those in recovery. There’s also still a stigma attached to addiction, which means people often suffer in isolation.
READ MOREPosted on May 4, 2021
Men’s Health
This journey is rarely a straight path, and it's a road rarely walked alone. When we set out to understand the state of addiction and recovery as the world navigates a deadly pandemic that has made social connection and self-control exceedingly difficult, and also survey 1,111 people to better understand the bigger picture when it comes to people's attitudes and perspectives regarding addiction. Seven percent of people surveyed wished someone would intervene in their addictive behaviors. If no one does, try Community Reinforcement Approach and Family Training. “It’s using relationships for good,” says Ken Duckworth, M.D., CMO of NAMI. “It’s designed for people who love you.” Mental-health services are not on pause during the pandemic, from online counseling to virtual 12-step meetings. In fact, “some people would say that AA on Zoom is better because you can actually see one person at a time and you’re not as distracted,” Dr. Duckworth says.
READ MOREPosted on April 30, 2021
Everyday Health
Systemic racism and hostile racial environments are nothing new in the United States, but 2020 and 2021 to date have marked a significant milestone in awareness and lack of tolerance for it. Ironically, while this upheaval has created the potential for change, it has also put a strain on the mental health of many Black Americans, whose stress may be increased by continued media reports of violence and police brutality. “Racism is a public health crisis,” says Daniel H. Gillison Jr., NAMI CEO. In fact, a growing body of research shows that experiencing racism increases the risk for anxiety, ulcers, insomnia, mood swings, and emotional and social withdrawal.
READ MOREPosted on April 29, 2021
Harlem World Magazine
Mayor de Blasio and First Lady McCray today announced Mental Health for All, a new comprehensive plan to deliver universal access to mental health support to all New Yorkers. The plan builds on the work of ThriveNYC and other City agencies and lays out a path to ensure that mental health is a permanent part of City government’s response. The Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health will ensure that this commitment remains a lasting part of City government. “The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) applauds the creation of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Mental Health Innovation,” said Daniel H. Gillison Jr, NAMI CEO. “The City is making mental health issues a priority, which shows a lasting commitment to provide mental health for all. The time is now for leaders at all levels — community, state and federal government — to follow the precedent set by New York City to ensure that mental health is front and center in COVID-19 recovery efforts to make it easier for people to find the help they need so no one feels alone in their struggle.”
READ MOREPosted on April 27, 2021
Depresh Mode Podcast
Look, we’re all going to be messed up for a while from COVID. Some of us a lot, some of us a little. But it’s trauma. It’s an event more powerful than the brain can handle and that means mental health repercussions down the road. So let’s talk about what might happen. Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI, provides insight into how trauma works.
READ MOREPosted on April 27, 2021
Men’s Health
Bipolar disorder affects about 6 million American adults, and it usually shows up in the late teens or early 20s. Medications, including the mood stabilizer lithium, can even out the highs and lows. Antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants may also be prescribed; cognitive behavioral therapy has been found to be helpful in reducing the severity of symptoms. Having a support system is extremely important, too. When you’re scheduling something with a friend who is struggling, “give him the choice to participate or not,” says Katrina Gay of NAMI. Understand that if he does come with you, he may have to leave early, and that it might be really hard for him to make any long-term commitments.
READ MOREPosted on April 22, 2021
Indianapolis Star
Dr. Christine Crawford, Associate Medical Director for NAMI, previously told IndyStar that dealing with the emotional stress and trauma that comes with being Black in America is like wearing a sticky suit. From the smallest microaggression to the most overt racism, everything remains and takes its toll. “Something as common as, ‘oh, you speak pretty well for a Black person.’ These kinds of subtle comments over time, they add up. They stick to you. They start to weigh you down and you have this burden,” Crawford said. “Seeing someone on TV that looks like you being shot in the back multiple times by police in front of their children in the car, that also stays with you." Crawford adds that people begin carrying that burden at an early age. She says children of color can experience vicarious racism that affects their worldview when people in their lives or people who resemble them are victimized. “When a racist incident happens to someone that the child knows whether that's a parent or someone else in the family, it's almost for that child as though they themselves have experienced that race-related trauma,” she said. “They imagine themselves in the place of that person that was victimized.” Crawford said these emotions can lead to young children being overly worried, irritable, on-edge or clingy the more they hear stories about racism affecting people that they know, or people who resemble them. "It's shaping how they view the world and it can erode our sense of worth," Crawford said.
READ MOREPosted on April 14, 2021
Associated Press
A leading mental health expert has a book deal his publisher is calling an “authoritative yet compassionate guide to managing mental health challenges” anticipated because of the pandemic. Dr. Ken Duckworth’s “You Are Not Alone” is scheduled for the Fall 2022. “My dream is to write the practical ‘how to’ Guide my family and I needed,” Duckworth, CMO of NAMI, said in a statement Wednesday. “This book leverages a core NAMI value in lessons from people’s lived experience. The Guide also integrates that experience with up-to-date, practical answers to commonly asked questions from experts.” Duckworth’s book, which draws in part upon his own childhood and his father having bipolar disorder, is the first announced release by Zando, an independent publisher founded last year by former Crown executive Molly Stern.
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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).