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How to find mental health support when you need it

Now more than ever people might need support for mental health conditions. The experts share that resources are still there.
/ Source: TODAY

The news is overwhelming: After a surge that dominated late summer, the U.S. surpassed 700,000 COVID-19 deaths. An increase of wildfires across the globe increased climate anxiety for some and some schools have experienced a more chaotic academic year compared to last year. That's not the only reason parents are stressed — teen suicides have continued to increase.

For people living with a mental health condition, this time has brought greater uncertainty. The strain is impacting more and more people. A Women in the Workplace survey found that 42% of women and 35% of men are more burned out this year than last.

Yet, with the delta variant still prevalent in much of the country, it is a difficult time to get help. You might be wondering: What is teletherapy? What does one do in a crisis now? What happens if people can’t see their friends and family? These feelings should be expected and experts want people to reach out for help when needed.

“People want to get support during this very tumultuous time,” Dr. Ken Duckworth, chief medical officer at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), told TODAY. “Everybody is vulnerable to (COVID-19). There's no population that is immune to this. It’s important to keep in mind that we're all in this together and you're not alone.”

New technology allows therapy, medication to happen at home

There have been a number of rapid changes that allow both therapists and psychiatrists to provide care to patients from a distance. That change? Teletherapy or telemedicine, where a provider consults with a patient via a video chat service.

“Medicare, for the first time, announced people could do teletherapy, telemedicine from home. That's pretty new. It never happened before,” Duckworth said. “You’re not getting second-rate care. Teletherapy is the same effectiveness as in-person.”

Leah Blain and her staff have been providing teletherapy to patients at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia prior to the COVID-19 spread. She said that teletherapy has an added benefit: greater patient compliance.

“We think that it allows people to consistently stay in care,” Blain, the clinical director of the clinic, told TODAY. “That's one of the best predictors of treatment outcomes for mental health concerns, sticking with it.”

For people who do not have video capabilities, therapists and psychiatrists can conduct sessions over the phone. While it might feel weird at first, everyone is adjusting to the new normal.

“They have one day that is awkward,” Duckworth explained. “And then they’re ready to go.”

Where to find crisis care

Finding crisis mental health care can feel especially challenging right now. Often people experiencing mental health crisis can visit the emergency room and might feel wary of going now.

People should still visit emergency rooms during an emergency. Blain encourages people to go to mental health hospitals, if possible, or reach out to mobile crisis centers. But the experts agree that calling support lines are a great option.

“If the idea is that you’re not able to leave your home, the national crisis text line is the best resource," Duckworth said.

There are a variety of hotlines people can reach out to, including:

  • Texting HOME to 741741 for 24/7 support from the Crisis Text line.
  • Calling the NAMI helpline at 800-950-6264, which is staffed by volunteers who have mental health conditions.
  • Reaching out to warm lines, which also provide peer support on a local level. The state phone numbers can be found here.
  • Calling the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
  • Using the Disaster Distress helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or texting TalkWithUs at 66745.

Alcoholics Anonymous’ General Service Office recommends that AA clients attend digital meetings. People can find their closest group here.

Innovative solutions to mental health in trying times

When Ariela Safira’s friend attempted suicide, she helped her navigate the mental health system. Safira was surprised to learn how challenging it was. So, she started Real, to make it easier. People can join digital group salons — group therapy led by a trained mental health professional — one-on-one talk therapy and events.

“Mental health care is so much more than one-on-one therapy. There are many different opportunities,” she said.

Julius Boatwright is also using social media to reach people in need of mental health. The CEO and founder of Steel Smiling — a Pittsburgh-based organization that connects people of color to mental health resources through advocacy, awareness and education — heard from many that they needed resources more than ever.

“Most of us, if not all of us, have some sense of ongoing uncertainty and anxiety and stress and dread,” he told TODAY. “We need, as individuals and as a society, for people to acknowledge the magnitude and the weight of this.”

Through the Black Mental Health Fund Referral Program, Steel Smiling is connecting Black people to culturally competent therapists to help them grapple with their mental health needs.

“This is the perfect opportunity to prioritize mental health,” he said. “Everyone can now coalesce around this issue. It is a call to action to every person who has power or influence that they have to be talking about mental health right now.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article referred to the National Alliance on Mental Illness as the National Alliance on Mental Health.

This story was updated in October 2021.