by Megan Korn, Recruiter and Human Resources Leader

Thinking about a career in the mental health field?

If you’re motivated by helping others, becoming a mental health professional could be your calling. As a mental health professional, you step in to help people overcome their life challenges. You can be a source of hope by providing guidance and strategies that enable others to clear obstacles, achieve their goals, and believe in themselves. You can change lives for the better.

In terms of career potential, the field offers many career paths, including social worker, counselor, psychiatrist and psychologist. Better yet, the job prospects are exceptionally promising. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the job growth outlook for substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors and for social workers is well above average.

However, careers in the mental health field are not for everyone. If you’re exploring what mental health career is right for you, you should first ask if this field is a good match. You can start by looking at some of the soft skills that are called into play every day.

Soft skills are the non-technical skills that are needed for success in the workplace. All careers require a mastery of some soft skills, like time management and meeting your commitments. In some fields, soft skills complement technical skills. But in the mental health field, the soft skills can be just as important as the technical skills—if not more so. They also play a major role in your career satisfaction.

Before pursuing a career in this field, ask yourself these six questions.

Teamwork and relationship building are foundational to mental healthcare. Working with clients is a given. But depending on your career path, you may also coordinate with other healthcare providers—such as physicians, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers—as well as partner agencies, such as housing and employment. No matter which path you take, the ability to communicate clearly, to follow up, to take the lead and to manage complex details are all skills you’ll frequently lean on.

Compassion and empathy are keystones to achieving results in this field. Even if you don’t have personal experience with what a client is going through, you need to be able to listen and offer guidance. Patience and perseverance go hand-in-hand with this. People do not change overnight. You will need to work with them over the long haul to address their needs. While the small victories are tremendously rewarding, this is not a field for those who need instant gratification or who are easily discouraged by setbacks.

] If you are interested in this field, you likely enjoy solving problems. In terms of working with clients, problem solving requires active listening, critical observation, critical thinking and coordination with others. To develop effective strategies and treatment plans, you’ll need to listen to what your clients are telling you—and pay attention to what they are leaving out.

Helping people be their best selves is only one component to working with clients. Behind the scenes, a lot of record keeping and follow up takes place. Depending on your caseload, you could be maintaining files for dozens of clients. This requires a high degree of organization and planning, as well as the ability to be self-directed.

Professional detachment is a must in this field. Your clients may engage in behaviors or make decisions that you do not agree with on a moral level. You may be challenged by different perspectives. However, you need to reserve judgment and meet your clients where they are to help them. Likewise, you need to set healthy emotional boundaries between your personal and professional lives—in both the physical and digital worlds.

No matter what career path you choose, no two days are alike. Mental health providers often need to adjust on the go. You may need to work weekends and evenings. You may need to be on call. You will always need to adapt your approach to your clients and their needs. While this is a positive for those who thrive on change, it can also be cause for stress and even burnout. Stress management is a key tool that mental health professionals need to master.

We may be a bit biased, but we believe a career spent helping others is a virtuous undertaking. And the field is in critical need of qualified, compassionate providers.

If you think the mental health field is right for you, the next best step is to thoroughly research the career paths that most resonate with you. Questions to ask yourself include:
What kind of populations do you want to work with?
What type of setting do you want to work in?
How much time are you willing to invest in post-secondary education?
What type of schedule do you want to establish?
What is your desired salary?
What are the licensure requirements in your state?

Most careers in this field require at least a bachelor’s degree and a license. Your career goals may also require you to pursue a master’s degree or higher. Learning everything you can about where an academic program can take you before you apply is the best use of your time and money.

Have questions about your career or interested in joining our team? I’m always happy to talk with prospective therapists. Contact me at 888-830-0347.

Megan Korn is Compass Point’s Recruiter and Human Resources Leader. Megan has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She started her career as a nurse in medical surgery and oncology, before shifting to a career in healthcare recruiting. When she’s not recruiting and supporting specialized providers for our team, Megan enjoys the great outdoors, time with her family and taking her dog for walks.

by Kalpana Parekh, MSW, LISW-s

Millions of Americans made resolutions on New Year’s Eve to do better and achieve more in 2021. Within the next 30 days or so, most of those resolutions will be abandoned. Studies suggest that 80 percent of people who set resolutions on Dec. 31 fall back on old habits by mid-February.

If you’re in that 80 percent, don’t lose heart. Our collective struggle with keeping New Year’s resolutions suggest the problem may lie elsewhere—like with the tradition itself.

We set New Year’s resolutions because it’s a natural point for a fresh start. But achieving a life goal is not as easy as turning the page on a calendar.

“Resolution” is a strong, demanding word. For resolution, we need passion, clarity and inspiration. Yet often, our New Year’s resolutions are too big or vague. We expect change now. And we don’t give ourselves rewards along the way.

Successful goals require planning, process and patience. When we don’t have the right supports and mindset in place, we get frustrated and give up. And then we do it again the next year without understanding why our New Year’s resolutions fail in the first place.

If you find your resolutions are getting wobbly, don’t give up. You can still adapt your approach. Here are seven research-based strategies for setting and keeping goals—no matter what time of year you make them:

• Limit Your Resolutions. Instead of deciding to tackle every unhealthy habit or life goal, focus your time and energy on one or two. Start with small, achievable goals. Don’t tempt failure by burdening yourself with unrealistic expectations.
• Write it Down. Write down your goals and why they are important to you. It makes the process formal and makes you accountable to yourself. It will also help you connect your resolution to what you want to achieve in your life.
• Set SMART Goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. For example, rather than resolving to exercise more, you can set a goal of working out three mornings a week for 30 minutes each session. Putting a plan behind your goals provides clarity and makes it easier to track your progress.
• Find Creative Ways to Stay Inspired. Hang pictures that represent your goals or use sticky notes to keep them front and center. Choose a word that will help you get in the right mindset and make it your mantra. My word for 2021 is “turtle.” A turtle breathes only eight times in one minute. I’m working to breathe slowly and become more mindful about my surroundings before making any decisions. This inspires me to be my best self. When I am my best self, I will be better able to achieve my goals.
  
• Share Your Intentions With Others. When you share your goal or inspirational word, it becomes a proclamation of intended success. Your friends and family can better support you if they know what you want to achieve. It can also help you connect with like-minded people.
• Adapt as Needed. If you slip up, don’t give up. You will have good days and bad days. Don’t let a bad day be reason to quit on your goal. If you consistently find you are not meeting your milestones, try to understand why and change your approach as needed.
• Take Time for Review. Reflect on your progress throughout the year. Take pride in your successes and fine-tune your plan as needed. At the end of the year, determine what worked and what didn’t work.

Create a Vision for Your Best Life

Experiencing the best of your life doesn’t happen by accident. It takes reflection and planning. It also helps to connect your goals to your purpose, rather than just an outcome.

For example, instead of resolving to achieve a specific weight, you can set a target of being healthier. From there, you can develop a plan that incorporates smaller goals, like exercising 30 minutes a day and cooking healthy meals four days a week. Within a few weeks, these goals will become healthy habits—and those healthy habits will become a lifestyle.

Thinking about your goals in this way will make them more sustainable. It will also help you maintain balance. Instead of getting frustrated and quitting or doubling down in an unhealthy way, you can focus on gradual progress.

Above all, be kind to yourself. Developing a new habit takes time. It requires both mental and physical effort. Celebrate the wins as they come, and have grace with yourself if you stray from your goal.

If you’re feeling stuck, consider meeting with a therapist. Compass Point’s clinical experts can provide guidance and support to overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. Get started by calling or requesting an appointment online. It could be the first step to unlocking your potential.

by Alexandria Fields, MSW, LISW-S, DBTC

Have you reached your limit on work/life stress? Do you lack motivation and energy to get through your to-do list? Feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? You’re not alone. Many of us have had to manage massive upheaval in our work lives in the past year.

However, if the physical and emotional barrier of going to work is starting to feel overwhelming, you may be suffering from job-related burnout. Unsurprisingly, therapists and other mental health providers are seeing an increased incidence of burnout right now, including among our own ranks.

Job-related burnout can have a serious toll on your physical and emotional health, but there is hope. In most cases, burnout is relatively easy to treat.

Burnout is most often caused by ongoing stress from being overscheduled or overworked. It can also result from a disconnect between workload and compensation—that is, when the financial reward doesn’t make up for the hours or effort you’re putting in.

The signs of burnout include:

• Exhaustion: People who suffer from burnout often feel drained, tired, listless or hollowed out. Even simple tasks can become a source of dread and cause for tearfulness.
• Decreased Motivation: Burnout sufferers tend to lack the energy and interest to tackle their work. In addition, positive emotions—such as pride and happiness—often give way to negative emotions such as irritability, anxiety, loneliness and sadness. As a result, productivity can drop.
• Withdrawal: People with burnout often withdraw from optional events and meetings. Irritability, conflicts with co-workers and feelings of cynicism or disillusionment with their work are also common symptoms of burnout.
• Physical Health Problems: It’s not unusual for sufferers of burnout to report chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines and other physical issues.
  

Burnout tends to occur more often in “helper” professions, such as therapists, social workers, teachers, and doctors and nurses. People who work long hours are also at a higher risk of burnout.

However, burnout can affect anyone. That is especially true this year, when we’ve seen sources of chronic stress multiply across the spectrum. COVID-19, job and financial insecurity and the 2020 election have created a background of constant negative messages. On top of that, many people have had to navigate a sharp learning curve with working from home alongside remote schooling. And for those in people-oriented professions—such as healthcare, teaching and therapy—spending more time interacting online than in person can be a cause of strain.

It’s no wonder that feelings of being overworked and stretched thin are so prevalent this year.

Now for the good news: Burnout is not forever. You likely don’t need to take an extended sabbatical or jump ship on your career. In most cases, sufferers can find relief by taking intentional time to focus on self-care. Schedule time off. Take up or recommit to a hobby. Join a club or engage in sports. Go for a walk, visit a museum, or try meditation. Set aside a regular time for exercising. Decrease time on devices outside of the workday.

This may sound easier said than done. It’s hard to make time to step away when you already don’t have enough hours in the day.

If that’s the case for you, then take smaller steps. Instead of taking a day off, schedule a longer lunch once or twice a week. If you aren’t taking a lunch at all, then start making time for a mid-day break. Ask for help with your workload. Commit to shutting down your laptop and disengaging from email at a set time each night. Carve out a few hours for yourself on the weekend to do something you enjoy. Make time to talk with people who love and support you.

Above all, have grace with yourself. It’s OK to not be able to “do it all.” There is no shame in asking for help, either with managing your workload or working through your feelings. It’s OK to give yourself permission to take time to focus on your health.

If you still have trouble seeing a way forward, then consider scheduling time with a therapist. Compass Point’s good-fit model will connect you with a therapist who specializes in what you’re going through. Many of our therapists offer tele-therapy, which is a very convenient option if you feel pressed for time. Scheduling that first appointment can be a big step forward to rediscovering joy in your work and your life.

by Jodi Stevens, CPA

Thinking about becoming your own boss? One of the advantages to going out on your own is that there are no one-size-fits-all requirements to self-employment. You can open a private practice. You can work as an independent contractor (also called a 1099) with a company like Compass Point. You can create a constellation of “gig” opportunities, such as teaching, writing or coaching.

In short, you have greater independence to focus your talents on work that brings you joy. You may even discover that you can increase your income.

But asking if you should go out on your own is only half the question. You also need to determine if you can—that is, if you are financially ready. When you are an employee, you meet with clients and receive a check. When you open your own practice or become an independent contractor, your income is less stable. You need to have enough cash on hand for start-up costs. It takes time to ramp up a client base. And you still need to cover your day-to-day requirements, like housing, food and transportation.

By taking the time to get your finances in order before you make the leap, you’ll be more likely to land on both feet. Get started with these four tips:

When you work for someone else as a W-2 employee, you can take things like a furnished office, technology infrastructure and health benefits for granted. When you open your own practice or become an independent contractor, the burden is on you to source and pay for these essentials. To avoid financial surprises, spend time identifying and putting numbers to your start-up expenses, which could include:

• Health benefits
  
• Office space
• Furnishings and office supplies
• Technology and software (including for charting and accounting)
• Credentialing
• Marketing/networking

As you build your financial plan, keep in mind that many of these expenses are not one-time costs. As you build out your plan, make sure to include other costs that crop up throughout the year, such as continuing education.

When you work for yourself, you can set your own schedule. But before you commit to short workdays and long weekends, make sure your business plan can support your lifestyle.

If you haven’t already, establish your personal budget. You’ll need to factor in your requirements—such as housing, food and utilities—as well as your wants—such as eating out or taking a vacation. Remember that you’ll also need to set aside cash for unexpected expenses as well as for long-term goals, like college funds and retirement.

Then, combine this data with your projected business expenses and compare against your desired rate and schedule. If the two don’t align, you’ll need to start making adjustments.

When you are a salaried employee, you get paid the same whether you’re in the middle of a busy season or stuck in a slow stretch. You also receive paid time off to cover vacations or sick days. You may even get paid for holidays.

When you go out on your own—whether as an independent contractor or by opening your own practice—you can earn a higher billable rate. But if business is slow, your income shows it. In addition, if you decide to open your own practice, “therapist” is just one of many hats you’ll wear. You’ll also need to set aside time for marketing, scheduling, billing and collections, bookkeeping and credentialing. All of this will eat into your billable hours.

In short, you’ll need to be ready for unplanned downtime. That requires setting aside enough cash during upswings to have a cushion for temporary downturns or time away from the office.

Taxes are one of the most common stumbling blocks for the newly self-employed. While this topic alone could generate volumes, one of the most common points of confusion is quarterly estimated taxes. You will be responsible for paying estimated taxes four times a year. In addition, you will also be required to report and pay 15.3 percent in Social Security and Medicare taxes, as opposed to the 7.65 percent you pay as a W-2 employee.

The good news? Independent contractors and small businesses are not required to pay taxes to the state of Ohio on income less than $250,000. In addition, you may qualify for an array of deductions, including for a home office, mileage and health insurance.

Your best bet is to retain an accountant you trust before you go out on your own to ensure you understand your tax liability. An accountant can also help you prepare quarterly payments and annual returns and ensure you are in compliance with all applicable tax laws.

If you’re ready to be your own boss but the business side gives you pause, consider becoming an independent contractor. As a contractor, you can partner with a company that will take care of the backend services so you can focus on your clients.

For example, Compass Point handles everything from marketing to scheduling to billing for its contractors. You’ll have access to furnished office space in nearly a dozen locations as well as a digital platform for remote counseling. Compass Point even takes care of credentialing.

As a Compass Point therapist, you can set your own schedule. You’ll have access to client leads as well as a team of compassionate professionals with whom you can collaborate. You can also gain peace of mind knowing that when you take time off, someone is answering the phone in your absence. And with Compass Point’s good-fit model, you’ll be matched with clients who are the right fit for your area of focus.

As a Compass Point therapist, you’ll still be required to report your own taxes. But the professionals at resource partner Stevens & Associates will be available to provide guidance on taxes and accounting.

Interested in learning more about working with Compass Point? Visit our hiring page to learn more.

by Kassandra David, MSW, LISW and Mary Tanner, MSW, LISW

Long nights, gloomy weather and chilly temperatures are upon us. At this time of year, it’s not unusual to feel less energetic or downright unmotivated. But for the estimated 10 million Americans who suffer from seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, the change in season can trigger a depression that runs deeper than a seasonal funk. While SAD can strike during the
spring and summer, it most often occurs during fall and winter. Regardless of the season, SAD is not something that you need to “tough out.” Treatment is available.

SAD is a type of depression that should not be confused with the wintertime blues. The winter blues can leave you feeling down; SAD, on the other hand, can be debilitating. Symptoms of SAD to watch out for during fall and winter include:

For those who suffer from depression or anxiety, SAD can feel like a double whammy. This year, the coronavirus is only amplifying those symptoms. By limiting the activities and connections that we usually rely on to get through these dark months, COVID-19 has elevated feelings of isolation and anxiety. The coronavirus pandemic is also taking away our sense of control over our surroundings. But for those who are suffering from SAD, there are still plenty of ways to
find respite.

One of the most common misconceptions about SAD is that nothing can be done. While it’s true that we can’t control the weather or make the days longer by sheer will, it is within our power to manage our symptoms. Here are nine steps you can take on your own to start feeling
better:

1. Maintain (and Grow!) Your Social Connections. COVID-19 is
   limiting in-person gatherings, but there are still many ways to
   connect with family and friends. Pick up the phone, schedule a Zoom
   session, get together safely outside or send a note or greeting card.
   Research shows that when you send a letter of gratitude to
   someone, it elevates your mood, makes the recipient feel good and
   strengthens the relationship
   
2. Treat Yourself. Make time to do the things that bring you joy,
   whether it’s listening to music, baking or cooking, meditating,
   reading or even coloring.
   
3. Be Creative. Sometimes breaking out of tired routines can shift us
   to a more positive mindset. This is a great time to create new
   traditions, take up a hobby or revisit that list of things you’ve always
   wanted to do. Paint a picture, try your hand at knitting, build a
   birdhouse or take an online class on cake decorating—the
   possibilities are endless.
   
4. Exercise. This can be hard to do when you lack energy, but a little
   bit of activity every day can make a world of difference. If you do not
   feel safe going to a fitness club or studio right now, there are many
   online resources you can use for at-home workouts or yoga sessions
   
5. Get Outside. When the sun is out and the temperatures are
   tolerable, give yourself permission to go for a walk, hike or run. Just
   being out in the sun can lift your mood, and the Vitamin D you gain
   from the sunlight is good for your health
   
6. Use Mindfulness. Mindfulness is about being in the moment by
   using such tactics as visualization, positive affirmation and calming
   music. A search for mindfulness activities online will provide plenty
   of strategies you can use.
   
7. Watch What You Eat and Drink. Eat healthy foods, cut back on
   the carbs, drink plenty of fluids and abstain from alcohol and drugs.
   If you need help to get through the season without partaking in
   drugs and alcohol, a professional can help you.
   
8. Engage in Positive Psychology. We are wired to focus on our
   problems—it’s evolutionary. Positive psychology seeks to shift that
   mindset by focusing on activities and habits that make you happy.
   Searching for positive psychology online will reveal a trove of
   resources to help you.
   
9. Try Light Therapy. Light therapy involves sitting in front of a light
   therapy box that emits very bright light for 20 minutes or more a
   day. Improvements may occur within two weeks of treatment, but
   you need to stick with it for the whole season.
   

Sometimes taking steps on your own is not enough to alleviate SAD. That’s OK. It’s not a sign of weakness to seek help for SAD or any other mental health issue. The important thing to remember is that you don’t need to suffer.

If you continue to struggle, then reach out to your physician, a counselor, a social worker or a psychologist for help. It is their job to listen, support you and help you find the resources you need to cope.

If you don’t feel secure visiting a therapist in person during the pandemic, then consider tele-therapy. It is safe, effective and convenient. There are many tele-therapists at Compass Point who are accepting new patients now. Compass Point also offers an online scheduling system
for new clients so that you can be matched with a best-fit clinician and schedule an
appointment at your convenience.

Kasandra “Kassey” David, MSW, LISW
Kassey is a licensed independent social worker. She holds a master’s
degree in Social Work from the University of Toledo. Her treatment
philosophy is informed by many disciplines both within and outside of
standard treatment models. She keeps motivational interviewing, the
strengths-based perspective, systems theory, reality therapy and solution-
focused therapy in her counseling toolbox. Contact us to see if Kassey is
accepting new patients.

Mary Tanner, MSW, LISW
Mary is a licensed independent social worker. She has a bachelor’s degree
in Sociology and a master’s degree in Education from Xavier University.
She also has a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Iowa.

She provides a safe, relaxed space for individuals, couples and families to
comfortably work on the goals they set for themselves. She will help you
clarify your goals and determine how to use your strengths and
therapeutic interventions to achieve them. Contact us to see if Mary is
currently accepting new clients

The end of the year is almost here. If you have met your insurance deductible and out-of-pocket maximum for 2020, the cost of healthcare services could be reduced by up to 80 percent. That’s a big incentive to follow through on making that first counseling appointment—or to squeeze in a few more before January 1.

Not sure if you’ve met your deductible? The best way to find out is by contacting your insurance provider. If the thought of calling your insurance company is cause for anxiety, you’re not alone. Figuring out your insurance plan can sometimes feel like trying to learn another language.

But the more you know about your plan benefits, the more you can take advantage of them. After all, your insurance plan is there to keep you healthy and well. Make sure that it works for you by following these four steps before calling your insurance company:

Compass Point is now offering an online scheduling system for new clients, people who are not yet in the Compass Point system and have not seen a Compass Point Provider, to be matched with the best fit clinician, and schedule their appointment online.

You deserve to have someone to talk to who can help you learn to manage your personal
challenges. But it can’t be just anyone. To ensure you make progress, you need the right person. That’s why we do our best to provide the best fit, the first time. Because a good fit can make all the difference in helping you feel better.

This list was compiled by child counselor Mariah Goodwin, MA,LPC.

Americans are reporting high levels of emotional distress from the coronavirus pandemic -- levels that some experts warn may lead to a national mental health crisis.

“Our society is definitely in a collective state of trauma,” said Jonathan Porteus, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist who oversees the crisis and suicide hotline in Sacramento, CA. Unlike posttraumatic stress disorder, which surfaces after a trauma has ended, the country is only starting to grapple with the pandemic’s psychological fallout, he said.

“We do see an emerging potential crisis,” said Karestan Koenen, PhD, a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, during an online forum this week.

Another recent report, released Friday from the Well Being Trust, said the pandemic could lead to 75,000 additional “deaths of despair” from drug and alcohol misuse and suicide due to unemployment, social isolation, and fears about the virus.
A recent poll of more than 3,100 WebMD readers found that 26% said they felt a sense of trauma from COVID-19.

Koenen, who has studied other major disasters, sees problematic differences this time, including how long-lasting the pandemic may become and how it has affected the whole world.

“We know that social support is so important to buffer the effects of disasters, to help pull people out of disasters, and here, we see that because of physical distancing … we’re sort of robbed of some of that social support, so that’s extra-challenging.

“In terms of this specific situation, we’re really treading new ground.”

Mental Health’s First Responders
At the nation’s crisis and suicide hotlines, counselors are seeing the first waves of emotional distress. Callers have flooded the phone lines to talk about health fears, job losses, relationship strains, and lonely days spent in isolation.

Calls to the Sacramento crisis line increased 40% from February to March, according to Porteus, the CEO of WellSpace Health, which operates the hotline. In a year-to-year comparison, April’s call volume was 58% greater than in April 2019, he said.

Lauren Ochs, MA, a counselor who takes crisis calls in St. Louis, MO, has also talked to many more people since the pandemic started, averaging 25-35 calls during her 8-hour shifts, she said. “About 80% to 85% at least mention COVID. That might not be their primary problem, but some way, somehow, they’re affected by it.”

Calls also have risen significantly at the San Diego Access and Crisis Line in California, said Program Manager Heather Aston.

“We’ve seen an increase in more anxiety-driven calls,” Aston said. Some people are worried about COVID-like symptoms. “They want to know where can they go to get safely tested.” Others are concerned about family members. One woman called for advice on how to help a sister who had stopped eating and drinking and was having paranoid thoughts about COVID-19, Aston said.

Long-Term Effects
In a recent opinion piece published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, warned of an upcoming wave of mental disorders because of coronavirus.
He noted that “large-scale disasters, whether traumatic (the World Trade Center attacks or mass shootings), natural (hurricanes), or environmental (Deepwater Horizon oil spill), are almost always accompanied by increases in depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, a broad range of other mental and behavioral disorders, domestic violence, and child abuse."

The COVID-19 pandemic would likely produce a similar “overflow of mental illness,” he said.
He cited examples:

• 5% of people affected by Hurricane Ike in 2008 met the criteria for major depressive disorder in the month after the hurricane.
• 1 in 10 adults in New York City showed signs of major depressive disorder in the month following the 9/11 attacks.
• Nearly 25% of New Yorkers reported using more alcohol after the attacks.
• Communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill showed signs of depression and anxiety.
• The earlier SARS epidemic was linked with increases in PTSD, stress, and psychological distress in patients and health care workers.

The mental health effects can happen immediately and last over time, he wrote.

The pandemic also comes at a time when people already struggled to get mental health care, often due to cost, lack of access, and a shortage of providers. As people who had been getting help before stay-at-home orders found their care interrupted, some providers have begun to offer telehealth services.

Charles Jones, the CEO of MDLive, a large telehealth provider, told MedCity News that his company has seen increased demand for behavioral health services from patients who are stressed out about health or work issues. Cigna, one of the largest providers of mental health services, launched a toll-free, 24-hour help line for the public to speak to behavioral health specialists.

Profound Effects
From isolation to anxiety to excess drinking, coronavirus has touched almost every area of life, said Lan Nguyen, a suicide and crisis services program manager for the hotline in Santa Clara County in Northern California.

For many callers, community shutdowns have bred a deep sense of isolation, he said. “People complain that they are stuck in the house all day. They don’t know what to do.”

On the home front, relationships can be strained, Porteus said. “Families are kind of a tinderbox, especially in confined areas.” Children may now face a greater risk of abuse, especially since they can no longer find respite at school. “There are a lot of family dynamics that are not healthy, and now kids have to be in them full-time,” he said.

The same goes for victims of domestic violence, according to Porteus. “People can’t get out of their homes, so they’re more enmeshed with the perpetrators than ever before.”

The St. Louis hotline has heard from many struggling health care workers and others, Ochs said. “I recently talked with an eighth-grade teacher who was in a lot of emotional distress about the school year ending early,” Ochs said. “I don’t think any teacher was really prepared for the school year to just stop.” Not only was he grieving the abrupt loss of his students, but he had little chance to say good-bye. “He was a teacher in a high-poverty area, so it’s hard to reach out to [his students]. It’s hard to Zoom with them, it’s hard to make contact with them.”

Those who have lost jobs or been furloughed have called about financial worries, according to Nguyen.

Besides the financial impact, losing a job can be emotionally devastating, Porteus said. “Our identity is really hit and sometimes, it feels catastrophic. Many of the people who are calling don’t know who they’ve become. They’ve lost what they feel is everything, and they’ve also lost their social context.”

Recently, the San Diego hotline helped one older man who had called in about losing his job as a chef, Aston said. “He had roughly $20 in his checking account and he was suicidal.”

Intense stressors like job loss and fears for one’s life and health can contribute to substance abuse. The Sacramento hotline also has gotten more calls from people struggling with alcohol or substance problems, Porteus said. Overall, alcohol sales have gone up nationwide, and now, some restaurants will deliver alcohol with takeout food orders.
“One thing [counselors] are noticing, especially with older adults, is ‘Yeah, I’m drinking. Why not? I’m not going anywhere. I don’t have to drive. I don’t have all the normal constraints while I’m around people,’” Porteus said.

Future Efforts
At a time when coronavirus efforts have battered many state budgets, it could be difficult to fund future mental health services. But some experts are looking ahead.
In his JAMA article, Galea wrote: “Scaling up treatment in the midst of crisis will take creative thinking.” He suggested training lay people to provide psychological first aid, as well as “helping teach the lay public to check in with one another and provide support. Even small signs that someone cares could make a difference in the early stages of social isolation.”
He also advocated for more telemedicine mental health visits.
In its report, the Well Being Trust urged policy makers to consider three areas to combat mental health issues:

• Addressing unemployment
• Making it easier to get mental health care
• Integrating mental health care with primary care

“If the country continues to ignore the collateral damage -- specifically our nation’s mental health -- we will not come out of this stronger,” said Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD, chief strategy officer at Well Being Trust.

Finding Resilience
Even if an epidemic of mental illness is looming, counselors say that people are resilient and can strive to protect their emotional well-being.
Experts offered these tips:

• Try to eat and sleep well.
• Try to stay socially connected, even if you can’t see others in person.
• Limit news and social media.

Developing one’s own psychological tools helps, too. Given “the state of ambiguity and helplessness and fear,” Porteus said, “the best thing we can do is figure out how to tolerate the distress.”

When people are in crisis, he said, it’s helpful to go online to learn about “distress tolerance” skills, which involve accepting that some problems are beyond one’s control. Instead of becoming mired in feelings of unfairness and anger, people can learn healthier ways of thinking and coping when they can’t escape painful situations.
For those who have lost jobs, he suggests looking up interest inventories -- questionnaires that ask you to rate your enjoyment and interest in a wide variety of activities -- to explore career options. “You can figure out the kinds of things that you’re good at and start getting a sense of what your next steps might be."
Taking constructive steps can help to counteract a downward spiral, he said.
“People look at the pandemic and they tend to be drawn to the negative. If we can help shift people to look at the positive, it really helps because we know that neurons that fire together wire together,” Aston said. “We’re going to be able to see the positive more quickly.”


Shared from WebMD

Katherine Kam wrote this story while participating in the USC Center for Health Journalism‘s 2020 California Fellowship.
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD on May 08, 2020