START OF THE PANDEMIC.
THESE NUMBERS ARE ONLY GETTING
WORSE AS EACH PASSING WEEK GOES
BY.
>> YOU SAY MENTAL HEALTH
AMERICA’S MANTRA IS WE HAVE TO
ACT BEFORE STAGE FOUR.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> MENTAL ILLNESSES ARE THE ONLY
CHRONIC CONDITIONS THAT AS A
MATTER OF PUBLIC POLICY,
APPLYING DANGER TO SELF-OR
OTHERS AS A STANDARD, WE HAVE
WAITED UNTIL STAGE FOUR TO
TREAT.
THAT’S NOW HOW WE TREAT CANCER,
HEART DISEASE OR ANY OTHER
CHRONIC CONDITION.
THE WAY WE SHOULD STREET IS ACT
BEFORE STAGE FOUR.
WE SHOULD DO IT THROUGH EARLY
IDENTIFICATION AND EARLY
INTERVENTION.
WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY
SADLY IN FRONT OF THE US THIS
YEAR TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR
THE POPULATION AS A WHOLE.
>>> YOU SAY HEALTH CARE WORKERS
ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE.
TELL US ABOUT THE UNIQUE
CHALLENGES THEY ARE FACING.
>> THEY NOT ONLY HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT THEIR OWN HEALTH AND
SAFETY AND WELL-BEING.
THEY’RE ALSO WORRYING ABOUT THE
PEOPLE THEY ARE EXPOSING, THEIR
FAMILY MEMBERS, LOVED ONES AND
OTHER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY,
AND THEY HAVE TO BE CONCERNED
ABOUT THE FACT THAT SADLY
THEY’RE LOSING SO MANY PEOPLE
WHO WERE HEALTHY A WEEK OR TWO
EARLIER, WHO ARE NOW NOT
HEALTHY.
THEY’RE LIVING WITH THAT.
FOR THEM THE CHALLENGES ARE
SPECIAL.
THEY FACE ALL THE CHALLENGES
THAT THE REST OF US DO THAT AS
FRONTLINE WORKERS THEY AND OTHER
SERVICE INDUSTRY PEOPLE AND
OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS ARE
ESPECIALLY AFFECTED BY THIS.
>> PEOPLE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND
WHAT IT’S LIKE HEAR ABOUT
ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION, AND THEY
SAY, YOU KNOW, HAVE A GLASS OF
WATER, CHEER UP, BUT GIVE US THE
FACTS.
IT IS ESTIMATE ESTIMATED THAT IF
UNEMPLOYMENT REACHES THE GREAT
DEPRESSION LEVELS, THAT WOULD BE
25%, WE COULD SEE SUE SIDES IN
THIS COUNTRY INCREASE BY 18,000,
OVERDOSE DEATHS GO UP BY MORE
THAN 22,000.
>> YEAH, IF YOU LOOK RIGHT NOW
WE AVERAGE 45 TO 50,000 DEATHS
BY SUICIDE ON ANY GIVEN YEAR,
AND SADLY THAT NUMBER HAS NOT
GONE DOWN, LARGELY BECAUSE WE
WAIT TOO LONG.
WE WAIT UNTIL PEOPLE ARE
THINKING ABOUT SUICIDE.
IN APRIL ALONE AND OUR SCREENING
PROGRAM, 7,000 PEOPLE TOLD US
THEY WERE BYING ABOUT SUICIDE ON
MORE THAN HALF THE DAYS.
THE PROBLEM IS WE HAVEN’T EVEN
SEEN THE EFFECT OF THE BAD
ECONOMY YESTERDAY.
THEY’RE WORRYING ABOUT COVID-19,
PAST TRAUMA COMING BACK, THE
GRIEVING AND THE FINANCIAL
ISSUES ARE GOING TO BE COMING
ALONG IN THE SUMMER AS THE
NUMBERS EVERY DEATHS INCREASE,
AND THROUGH THE SUMMER AND THE
FALL, AS PEOPLE’S FINANCIAL
WORRYING INTENSIFY, AND THEN
WE’RE GOING TO SEE A WAVE BUILT
ON TOP OF A WAVE OF SERIOUS
MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS.
ANYBODY WHO THINKING THE
DEPRESSION WILL GO AWAY, THE
ANXIETY WILL GO AWAY, IT’S
MAGICAL THINKING.
WE HAVE TO INTERVENE NOW.
WE HAVE TO INTERVENE
AGGRESSIVELY.
>> SO WHAT DO WE DO?
WHAT RESOURCE ARE AVAILABLE NOW
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE FEELING ANY
OR ALL OF THE ABOVE?
>> WELL, 100% OF US ARE FEELING
WORRIED, AND THE PROBLEM IS THAT
FOR MANY OF US, THAT WORRY IS
TRANSITIONING TO ANXIETY, TO
DEPRESSION, EVEN FOR PEOPLE WE
SEEING IN OUR SCREENINGS
PROBLEM, PSYCHOSIS FOR SOME
PEOPLE.
I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE THE
GUESSWORK OUT OF WHAT IS GOING
ON.
TAKE A MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING.
THEY’RE WIDELY AVAILABLE.
YOU CAN GET AN IMMEDIATE RESULT,
SO YOU CAN TAKE THE GUESSWORK
OUT OF WHAT IS GOING ON.
IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO ANY
EXTENT WITH THE ISOLATION, THE,
THE WORRIES, THE ANXIETY, THE
DEPRESSION, ANY OF THAT, WE
OFFER, AND SO DO MANY OTHERS,
RESOURCES FREE OF CHARGE THAT
ARE AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE WHILE IN
THEIR OWN HOMES, TO BE ABLE TO
USE ONLINE TO HELP THEMSELVES
NOT ONLY FEEL BETTER THEMSELVES,
BUT ALSO TO ENGAGE WITH OTHER
PEOPLE TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE
HELPING OTHERS AND OTHERS ARE
HELPING THEM.
>> PAUL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING TO US.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU
DO.
>>> FOR YOU AT HOME, IF YOU
WOULD LIKE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO AT MENTAL HEALTH, YOU CAN
TO AT MENTAL HEALTH, YOU CAN
GIVE MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA’S
WEBSITE AT MHASCREENING.ORG.
I THINK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME
WITH ALL THOSE FAMILIES, BUT
KNOW THAT HELP IS AVAILABLE