Anxiety about the coronavirus pandemic and an inability to pay bills are among factors driving more Texans to seek crisis mental health services, state and private organizations say.
On March 31, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission launched a hotline specifically for those struggling with depression or other mental health issues related to the pandemic. By Tuesday, commission spokeswoman Danielle Pestrikoff said, workers had answered nearly 1,300 calls, the majority from people seeking emotional support.
The department’s mental health and substance use resources Web page has seen a nearly 500% increase in traffic since the start of April, Pestrikoff said. The federal Disaster Distress Helpline has noted a similar increase in calls, as reported by CNN and others.
“For the general public, the mental health effects of COVID-19 are as important to address as are the physical health effects,” said Bonnie Cook, executive director of the nonprofit Mental Health America of Greater Dallas.
Since the end of January, Cook said, her organization has experienced skyrocketing demand for its online screening tools that point people to specific resources based on whether they are suffering from anxiety, depression, substance abuse or other issues.
The total number of screenings from Jan. 30 to the end of March was nearly double the total for the previous two months. The number of those screenings completed by people concerned about anxiety was up 71%.
Cook said information from the screenings suggests that many people are not merely seeking reassurance from a doctor. “Instead they represent hundreds of people whose lives and sense of well-being are being severely impacted by concerns about the virus.”
The anxiety goes beyond the dread of getting sick or losing a loved one to the coronavirus. Quarantining to limit the spread of the virus may cause or aggravate mental health issues, said Athena Trentin, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of North Texas.
“One of the most common signs to watch for when you suspect someone is suffering from a mental illness is self-isolation, which can exacerbate other symptoms such as anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation," Trentin said. “This is our most significant concern while everyone has been instructed to stay in their homes.”
Although her organization tends to receive fewer crisis calls than businesses that provide mental health counseling, Trentin said, the group logged more requests for help in the last month than in the previous 30 days.
Trentin anticipates that doctors, nurses, grocery store workers and others who are required to interact frequently with others may experience higher rates of post traumatic stress. Ballooning unemployment and financial stress are likely to increase anxiety and depression for the foreseeable future, she said.
The phone number for the state health commission’s “COVID-19 mental health support line,” which is staffed around the clock, is 833-986-1919. The hotline connects callers to counseling that is confidential and free, the commission says.
Additional resources can be found at the state mental health and substance abuse website.
