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Davis Journal

Mental illness on the rise coming out of the pandemic

Jun 24, 2021 04:05PM ● By Becky Ginos

SALT LAKE CITY—As the pandemic nears to an end, doctors are seeing a rise in long-lasting effects for many people – especially in mental illness.

“There’s been a psychological effect,” said Dr. Mark Foote, Intermountain Healthcare senior medical director of behavioral health. “It changed our lives and kept us locked in our house. Now that we’re coming out of it we see the same side effects as any disaster. There’s been a wave of stress and anxiety as the pandemic ends.”

Rob Wesemann, executive director of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) said individuals lost their support systems. “They had limited access to therapists. NAMI went through a big shift holding virtual therapy groups. I don’t know anyone who likes change.”

“We feel that distress that’s out in the community,” said Foote. “We’re seeing more calls to outpatient clinics and patients talking to their doctors about mental health topics. We have been talking about an umbrella service for a long time. During the pandemic we saw an opportunity where people could call and have someone they could talk with. As the year went on we turned to behavioral health where one call does it all.”

Patients can get hooked up with services, he said. “A lot of people don’t know what to do. If you didn’t know who to call, you had to suffer in silence. Now they can call and talk to somebody to get the services they need. If they have an issue we want them to call now before it becomes a crisis.”

“Our role is in mental health,” said Wesemann. “We’re grass roots. That has grown in advocacy, education and providing support groups for people living with mental health issues and their families.”

People feel very alone, he said. “They don’t think anyone else is experiencing it. One in five individuals are diagnosed with a mental health condition. We help a lot of folks out there that don’t know where to start.”

Wesemann said during the pandemic NAMI transferred all of its offerings to an online platform. “We worried that the lack of personal connection would be off putting. But now we can reach patients in rural areas so they don’t have to drive for miles. Parents in Minnesota and families here could join together.”

NAMI takes an overall approach to mental health in the community, he said. “We focus on what we’re good at. We want to make sure we’re reaching the people who are experiencing severe mental health issues.”

“Stigma is our toughest issue,” said Foote. “It’s a hard sell to talk about it. We’re working in primary care clinics to make mental health a normal part of a screening and discussion with your doctor. It’s part of our human condition. It’s ongoing work, it’s hard work, but it’s work we can do.”

“I haven’t had a conversation with anyone who hasn’t had a connection with mental health,” said Wesemann. “It’s been an unusual year. You are not alone. Now what do we do to emerge from this? The crisis is over, now what do we do?”

“As we see an end to the pandemic, a lot of people have been holding in a lot of stress,” Foote said. “Starting with yourself, limit screen time, break the isolation that has been a part of our lives. Get back into rhythms and hobbies. Reach out to others or a professional and talk about it. The sooner you get after it, the sooner you will get control. We will get through this.”

The expanded Behavioral Health Navigation Line that anyone can reach is 833-442-2211.