Mental illness is another pandemic we should heed

May is National Mental Health month. Normally, WellSpan Philhaven sponsors community events such as mental health walks or educational events to help the community understand the importance of mental wellness and how to access help if they need it.

These are not normal times.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted almost every aspect of our lives, including Mental Health Month. Because of social distancing, walks and classes are on hold for now.

Still, the pandemic has made it even more important to shed light on the importance of mental health. There is literally no aspect of our lives that has not been impacted by COVID-19: our finances, our jobs, our family life, our children’s schooling.

We are worried about paying our bills as jobs have disappeared or changed. We are worried about our health as we sanitize every surface and cover our faces with masks. We are worried about when life will ever return to normal, whatever that will mean.

All of this is going on while we are sequestered and separated from our natural support systems.

We are all feeling stressed, sad, afraid and anxious. We need support for our mental health now more than ever.

But anxiety and depression are, sadly, nothing new. In fact, mental illness could be considered its own pandemic.

As of Friday evening, more than 95,000 people in the U.S. had died from COVID-19. By comparison, in 2018, 48,344 people died as a result of suicide and 67,367 died due to addictions. These numbers have grown every year since the year 2000. About 20% of all Americans — or about 47 million people — experience some form of mental illness each year. The mental illness pandemic continues year after year.

What can we do to “flatten the curve” of the mental illness pandemic?

Here are a few suggestions:

— We need to make ongoing investments in the mental health system.

Funds to support providers during the pandemic response are greatly appreciated, but equally important is ongoing support for access to care and development of an improved mental health system.

— We need to improve mental health regulations and funding models to support an integrated model of care.

We need to drive integration of mental health services into the fabric of health care wherever it takes place. We need to improve our focus on improving the social determinants of health — such as income, education, jobs, food security and access to housing — in our communities.

— We need to take steps to improve the number of qualified mental health professionals.

There is an increasing shortage of qualified staff, which already is impacting the mental wellness of our communities.

— We need to continue to normalize mental health in our communities.

Asking for help when experiencing a mental illness should be as easy and as accepted and as when you experience the common cold. We need to educate and equip our communities to understand and accept mental illness as a normal part of life.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, WellSpan Philhaven is celebrating Mental Health Month in a different way. But we still are working with our communities to help improve mental wellness and resilience.

We also are offering a wide variety of free resources on our website (wellspanphilhaven.org) to specifically help with the increased anxiety and stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have continued to virtually provide services in our more than 60 programs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing our clients, providing therapy and medication management, offering family support services and doing other essential work through Zoom and video visits.

In this time of tremendous change and disruption to our lives, please remember that help is there for you and your family. Reach out for assistance to find help in managing your anxiety and improving your mental wellness during Mental Health Month and throughout the year.

Let's all do our part to flatten the curve of COVID-19 and mental illness. We are all in this together.

If you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the Crisis Intervention 24-hour hotline at 717-394-2631, or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255.

Phil Hess is a senior vice president of WellSpan Health and president of WellSpan Philhaven.

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Crédito: PHIL HESS | Special to LNP | LancasterOnline