Posted on April 30, 2020
Business Insider
Mental health clinics are switching to phone visits and struggling to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic, just as more people need help. However, Angela Kimball, national director for advocacy and public policy at NAMI, said the federal government still hasn't made clear to states that Medicaid and other insurers should pay for mental health visits done over the phone. "This administration needs to remove each and every barrier to telehealth, because if we don't do that then we are not leveraging the current capacity that we've got."
READ MOREPosted 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.
READ MOREPosted 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.”
READ MOREPosted 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?
READ MOREPosted 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.”
READ MOREPosted 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."
READ MOREPosted 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.
READ MOREPosted 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."
READ MOREPosted 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.
READ MOREPosted 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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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).
