In 2017, 47,000 Americans died by suicide and 17.3 million adults suffered at least one major depressive episode. When I see statistics like those, my mind floods with a flurry of thoughts all at once:
September is National Recovery Month and is an observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible.
Mental health and substance use disorders affect all communities nationwide, with commitment and support, those impacted can embark on a journey of improved health and overall wellness. The focus of National Recovery Month this September is to celebrate all people that make the journey of recovery possible by embracing the 2021 theme, “Recovery is For Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community.” National Recovery Month spreads the message that people can and do recover every day.
Mental health and substance use disorders affect people from all walks of life and all age groups. These illnesses are common, recurrent, and often serious, but they are treatable, and many people do recover. Mental disorders involve changes in thinking, mood, and/or behavior. These disorders can affect how individuals relate to others and make choices. Reaching a level that can be formally diagnosed often depends on a reduction in a person’s ability to function because of the disorder. For example:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
According to the National Center for PTSD, a program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about seven or eight of every 100 people will experience PTSD in their lifetime. Women are more likely than men to develop PTSD. Certain aspects of the traumatic event and some biological factors (such as genes) may make some people more likely to develop PTSD.
Even though PTSD treatments work, many people who have PTSD do not get the help they need. June is PTSD Awareness Month. The goal of PTSD Awareness Month is to spread the word that effective PTSD treatments are available.
The term “long haulers” has started being used to describe people who have not fully recovered from COVID-19 weeks or even months after first experiencing symptoms. Some long haulers experience continuous symptoms for weeks or months, while others feel better for weeks, then relapse with old or new symptoms. The most common lingering symptoms are fatigue, body aches, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, inability to exercise, headache, and difficulty sleeping.
A new Northwestern Medicine study published this week in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology analyzed 100 non-hospitalized COVID-19 long haulers and discovered 85% of patients experienced four or more neurologic symptoms which impacted their quality of life, and in some patients, their cognitive abilities. The study included 100 non-hospitalized COVID-19 long haulers from 21 different states who were seen in-person or via telehealth from May to November 2020.
The long haulers suffered persistent neurological issues, including brain fog, headaches, numbness/ tingling, disorders of taste and smell, and various myalgias. Additionally, 85% reported experiencing chronic fatigue. Among the long haulers who were in the study 47% also reported struggling with anxiety, stress, depression, and sadness. As a result, many patients experienced decreased quality of life and about half the patients in the study missed more than 10 days of work.
Almost one year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is clear that the effects of COVID-19 go beyond the numbers of cases and deaths.
How many people are struggling under the stresses of the pandemic? Is mental health suffering as Americans try to manage isolation, worries about jobs, and a constant stream of anxiety-producing headlines? Are they putting their future health at risk by delaying trips to the doctor or avoiding the emergency room when needed?
The Household Pulse Survey is an experimental survey designed to help answer these questions by capturing data in new ways. This survey is a cooperative effort between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Census Bureau, and several other government agencies to provide critical, up-to date information about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. population. The Household Pulse Survey is different from other surveys conducted by the Census Bureau since it was designed to be a short-turnaround instrument that provides valuable data to aid in the pandemic recovery.
September 6 – 12, 2020 is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) annual National Suicide Prevention Week. This year’s message is: #KeepGoing. AFSP reminds us all that there are simple things we can each do in order to protect and safeguard our mental health, and that together, we can make a difference on the mental health of our community and those around us. . . and…together we can #KeepGoing!
As someone who overcame years of contemplating suicide as an option, and as who has lost too many people to suicide to name herein, suicide prevention is personal to me –as I am sure it is to many of you reading this. So, please do what feels right to you this National Suicide Prevention Week –get involved in ways that nourish your Self and soul. ~ And, please, most importantly: if you are struggling with ideas of taking your life or completing suicide…please do not follow-through. I know how it feels like the only option. But I am here to tell you that I will never regret not following through on the thoughts. There is hope for you – hope for your brighter days ahead and for a life free from thinking that the world would be better off without you. Indeed, you are very necessary. Get help today if you need help -you deserve it.
During this week of advocacy, education, story sharing, remembrance and more, AFSP encourages us to:
Two decisions this week emphasize the importance of submitting treating physician and patient statements in support of an ERISA administrative appeal. For ERISA health cases involving medical necessity denials, an appeal which gets to the heart of why treatment was medically necessary is crucial and can actually determine the course of the lawsuit.
In Katherine P. v. Humana Health Plan, Inc., No. 19-50276, __F.3d__, 2020 WL 2479687 (5th Cir. May 14, 2020), the Fifth Circuit revived life into a claim by a young woman seeking mental health benefits for partial hospitalization treatment. Katherine received partial hospitalization treatment in 2012 for multiple mental health disorders including an eating disorder. Humana paid for the first 12 days of partial hospitalization treatment and then denied benefits, claiming such treatment was no longer medically necessary based on two Mihalik Criteria.
The Fifth Circuit found that judgment for Humana was improper because the administrative record showed a genuine dispute as to whether Katherine satisfied one of the Mihalik Criteria, ED.PM.4.2.
Even though most of us are still sheltering in place in an attempt to lessen the immediate spread and most severe health consequences of COVID-19, it is not too soon to start considering possible long-term health impacts that may arise in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Because the virus affects many organs and systems within the body – from the lungs and cardiovascular system to the liver, kidneys and likely the brain – it now appears likely that at least some patients will suffer long-term physical symptoms. These long-term and even permanent problems may result from the virus itself, the body’s own immune response or even medical interventions, especially respirators, or a combination of all these factors. But whatever the cause, doctors are already seeing heart damage, kidney and liver damage and, unsurprisingly, lung scarring and damage in a number of COVID-19 patients who are no longer actively infected.
And these are still early days. Some patients present during the illness with serious neurologic problems such as strokes and encephalitis, as well as other more mild neurologic symptoms such as dizziness, headache and loss of smell. There have been reports of some patients suffering from Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an auto-immune disease where the immune system responds to an infection by mistakenly attacking the body’s own nerve cells. It seems possible that at least some of these patients may continue to suffer neurologic and autoimmune issues, and related pain, fatigue and cognitive difficulties for at least some time.
Millions of people are affected by mental illness each year. While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. As the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases affects our entire country, so too will the need for access to mental health treatment and awareness of mental health issues. So far, older adults, along with those who have underlying health conditions, have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak, with many developing severe, life threatening illnesses. Another group that is expected to be acutely affected by the pandemic include those who have severe mental illness.
Mental illness is a real and treatable set of conditions that includes major depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia, among dozens of others. These disorders are serious enough to significantly impact a person’s daily life functioning, whether at school, work or in their relationships with others.
Mental health issues often coincide with a unique set of challenges that make it difficult for people to access even the most necessities, such as food, medications, stable housing, and healthcare. Combined, all these factors put people with severe mental illness at a much higher risk for contracting and transmitting the new coronavirus and dealing with COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted the lives of millions of Americans in many ways and has taken its toll physically and mentally on millions of Americans across the country. But for people who suffer from mental health issues, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a new wave of panic, chaos, stress, and uncertainty.
More than 2 million Americans are estimated to be affected by obsessive compulsive disorder (“OCD”), according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Nearly 7 million people in the U.S. are affected by generalized anxiety disorder and about 6 million people in the U.S. are affected by panic disorder. Fear and anxiety about COVID-19 can be overwhelming and cause stress in both adults and children.
Stress during COVID-19 might include:
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