Posted on August 13, 2020
CNN
The Covid-19 crisis has brought with it a mental health crisis in the U.S., and new CDC data shows just how broad the pandemic's impact on mental health might be. The survey found that almost 41% of respondents are struggling with mental health issues stemming from the pandemic. When it comes to the new study, "this is a virtual real-time biopsy of the American mental health experience. So I appreciate you can criticize this study for being internet-based. You can criticize this study for not having formal diagnostic interviews. But you can conclusively say the adults are not alright in America," said Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI, who was not involved in the study. "We are in August and this is a biopsy of almost 6,000 people from June," he said. "There's a mental health crisis resulting from this pandemic." Looking ahead, Duckworth said that he would be interested to see follow-up data on what some people who otherwise would be at high risk for mental health consequences of the pandemic -- such as essential workers or caregivers -- are doing to not experience certain mental health symptoms compared with their peers who have reported symptoms. Duckworth also added that the new findings align with previous studies, which found symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders increased considerably in the U.S. between April and June compared with the same period last year -- and call volumes to NAMI have gone up, he said. "If you're a state policy director, if you're a mental health commissioner, if you run a health plan, you need to know this information. There's a whole subset of people -- caregivers, people with pre-existing conditions, people of color, essential workers -- these people are going to need mental health support," Duckworth said.
READ MOREPosted on August 13, 2020
The Guardian
A failure to reinstate enhanced federal unemployment benefits and eviction moratoriums could contribute to a wave of despair, drug overdoses and suicides among Americans, amid mounting fears about the long-term toll of the pandemic. Protective factors include access to mental health services, family and community support, and strong religious or spiritual beliefs that discourage suicide. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that some Covid-19 survivors may experience mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD as part of a myriad of long-term consequences. At least 35 states have reported a rise in fatal opioid overdoses during the pandemic, with powerful synthetic drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine increasingly implicated. “This [opioid] epidemic caused 70,000 deaths last year, and it’s far from over,” said Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI.
READ MOREPosted on August 12, 2020
CNN
Many people may be experiencing increased anxiety during the pandemic, which experts say can be compounded by the sense of isolation that can come with social distancing. That's why it's important for people who are vulnerable to increased anxiety to have access mental health care. "It's also really important to remember that one in five Americans had a diagnosed mental health condition before the pandemic," said Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI. Those people still need access to mental health care, he said. Duckworth also stressed the importance of telehealth services and phone sessions for people without internet access. "Pain shared is pain halved," Duckworth said.
READ MOREPosted on August 8, 2020
USA Today
Prevalence of depression among college students increased since the pandemic closed campuses this spring compared with fall 2019, according to a Healthy Minds Network survey of 18,000 college students. And of the nearly 42% of students who sought mental health care during the pandemic, 60% said it was either much more or somewhat more difficult to access care. Teens need mental health support in quarantine, just as others do, said Jennifer Rothman, NAMI senior manager of youth and young adult initiatives. Call volume at NAMI's HelpLine is up 65% compared with last year, she said, averaging more than 200 calls a day. Most calls ask for support with anxiety. Teenage requests are similar, Rothman said, "and especially with COVID-19, and the social isolation, the change in structure and day-to-day activities and routines, we're seeing an increase in some of these symptoms" of anxiety and depression.
READ MOREPosted on August 4, 2020
Distraction with Dr. Ned Hallowell Podcast
Mental illness is so prevalent in the U.S. that we now have a reduced life expectancy as a result of 2 specific causes, and the pandemic is only making things worse. Dr. Ken Duckworth, the CMO for NAMI, joins Dr. Hallowell to talk about how his organization helps those with bipolar disorder, PTSD, OCD, schizophrenia, depression, thoughts of suicide, and other conditions.
READ MOREPosted on July 31, 2020
Fortune
It’s always been a challenge for the health care system that much of what affects a person’s health happens outside the doctor’s office—and beyond the reach of even the most attentive physician. Those hard-to-manage factors are many, from behavioral ones to socially-determined ones (like whether there’s access to healthy food or a safe home) to matters of mental health. Adrienne Kennedy, a board member of NAMI, explained the organization was very intentional about representation for that reason. “We have young people speaking out about the emergence of their own mental health issues. We want to make sure they are culturally competent," she said. “It’s so important to have the lived experience voices involved in the mix," she said. “What people will offer once they get engaged—this trust factor is so important.”
READ MOREPosted on July 31, 2020
Yahoo! News
The Latinx community is often discouraged from seeking mental health care due to cultural norms, social pressures and lack of access to bilingual resources and providers, but it is crucial to dismantle these barriers to heal. Latinx members typically do not seek treatment for their mental health because they fear judgment, Monica Villalta, national director of inclusion and diversity officer at NAMI, tells Yahoo Life. “A huge factor is the stigma – it is not only our own self-silencing, but it’s also that when we go to the systems of care offering mental health services, we don’t feel welcome.” Villalta adds that three generations of her family were silent on important matters, adding that it took years of exposure to a new culture to “understand that I can speak about these things and share my story.”
READ MOREPosted on July 30, 2020
Healthline
A variety of COVID-19 support groups have emerged to help those who have had, or been affected by, the virus. Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, national director of research and quality assurance at NAMI, said support groups give people encouragement as well as valuable insights not available from healthcare providers. “With the scope and reach that COVID-19 is having on our society, it is only logical that support groups would be seen as a valuable resource for people who have experienced its effects firsthand,” Brister told Healthline. More people are reporting experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety now than this time last year, or even 6 months ago. That can be from having COVID-19, being exposed to the virus, or simply living through a pandemic. “The experience of a mass trauma… learning to navigate an environment with uncontrolled exposure to an airborne pathogen with no known vaccine or cure is stress-inducing,” Brister said.
READ MOREPosted on July 29, 2020
STAT
In the wake of nationwide demonstrations against police brutality, there has been a surge in interest in making sure mental health providers, not law enforcement, are the ones to respond to a psychiatric crisis. Dozens of cities across the country have what are known as mobile crisis units, which deploy trained professionals to respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis with compassion and clinical expertise. Now, with their work thrust into the spotlight, mobile crisis teams have been flooded with calls from other communities hoping to replicate their models. “I think the timing, the mood of the country is right to take some significant steps,” said Angela Kimball, the national director of advocacy and public policy at NAMI. There’s a need to build an infrastructure that can respond to people in crisis and get them the help that might be needed.
READ MOREPosted on July 24, 2020
Today.com
Bipolar disorder is broadly defined as a cycle of manic and depressive episodes, but there are actually three different types of bipolar disorder. According to Dr. Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI, bipolar I disorder is characterized by manic episodes lasting at least a week, or manic symptoms that often require immediate hospital care. The episodes of mania are typically followed by a period of depression. Duckworth said that since bipolar disorder is relatively cyclical, episodes may be triggered by similar things, such as time changes or changes in the seasons. "(Bipolar disorder) is a recurring wave that keeps coming at you," he said. "It might come 20 times in a lifetime, it might come 10 times or three times ... There's no simple answers." Duckworth said that for the most part, the best way to treat bipolar disorder is through a combination of a mood stabilizer, psychotherapy and community support connections. "There is no cure, but people can live successful lives with bipolar disorder," he said.
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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).