Understaffing Worries In Georgia Psych Units; Mainers Have ‘Climate Anxiety’

Georgia Health News: Understaffed State Psychiatric Units Leave Patients In Limbo
Many patients dealing with mental health crises are having to wait several days in an ER until a bed becomes available at one of Georgia’s five state psychiatric hospitals, as public facilities nationwide feel the pinch of the pandemic. “We’re in crisis mode,’’ said Dr. John Sy, an emergency medicine physician in Savannah. “Two weeks ago, we were probably holding eight to 10 patients. Some of them had been there for days. ”The shortage of beds in Georgia’s state psychiatric facilities reflects a national trend linked to staffing deficits that are cramping services in the public mental health system. The bed capacity problem, which has existed for years, has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating backlogs of poor or uninsured patients as well as people in jails who are awaiting placement in state facilities. (Miller, 11/1)

Bangor Daily News: Therapists Are Treating More Mainers For ‘Climate Anxiety’
The impacts of climate change, as humans have experienced so far, can be terrifying — warming waters, multiplying wildfires, intensifying hurricanes and, in general, the transformation of the world as we once knew it. So terrifying that for some, these fears can become overwhelming. In a state where most people have some connection to the natural world, Maine therapists are seeing more clients reporting experiencing “climate anxiety,” a sense of foreboding about the future related to climate change. A 2020 poll conducted by the American Psychological Association showed that Americans who agree climate change is probably or definitely affecting mental health increased from 47 percent in 2019 to 68 percent in 2020. (Schipani, 11/1)

Billings Gazette: MT Students Report Highest-Ever Depression Rates, Sustainable Solutions Elusive
A recent survey found 41% of Montana high school students — the highest rate ever documented — self-reported symptoms of depression over the last year, and roughly 1 in 10 reported a suicide attempt in the past 12 months. While state officials and mental health experts are alarmed at the findings, sustainable solutions remain elusive in Montana. And while the global suffering from COVID-19 over the last year and a half may have played a role in recent numbers, the assembly of factors in a single student's life that may develop into depression and anxiety are too complex to pin mental health struggles on the pandemic alone, the state suicide prevention officer said in a recent interview. (Larson, 10/31)

KHN: California Law Aims To Strengthen Access To Mental Health Services
The number of people with symptoms of depression and anxiety has nearly quadrupled during the covid pandemic, which has made it even more maddeningly difficult to get timely mental health care, even if you have good insurance. A California law signed Oct. 8 by Gov. Gavin Newsom could help. It requires that mental health and substance abuse patients be offered return appointments no more than 10 days after a previous session, unless their provider OKs less frequent visits. (Wolfson, 11/1)

And Axios takes a deeper dive into mental health issues with this 7-part series —

Axios: Mental Health Problems Have Become America's Shadow Epidemic 
America’s mental health crisis began long before the coronavirus pandemic did, but a year and a half of loss, stress, isolation and treatment disruption has only increased the number of Americans struggling with their mental health. As demand rises well beyond pre-pandemic levels, the system is facing burned-out providers and staffing shortages, and even more people who need care aren’t getting it. (Owens, 10/30)

Axios: Anxiety And Depression Symptoms Vary By Age And Race 
Young adults and people of color are disproportionately reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to CDC data. The portion of U.S. adults reporting these symptoms has hovered around 30% since this spring — a drop from the more than 40% of adults reporting symptoms last winter. In 2019, only 11% of adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, per the CDC. (Owens, 10/30)

Axios: Children Are Having More Mental Health Crises During The Pandemic
The number of children struggling with mental health issues has skyrocketed amid the pandemic, and the crisis isn't abating as life returns to normal. Many children won't just bounce back to normal on their own, experts say, and will need additional care and support in their homes, schools and broader communities. (Owens, 10/30)

Axios: The Mental Health System Is Buckling Under Pandemic Demand 
There's been a drastic increase in the number of Americans who need mental health care, putting even more stress on a system that was already strained by the significantly lower pre-pandemic demand. In a competition for scarce resources, the most vulnerable people — particularly those who don't have access to care or can't afford it — are most likely to lose out. (Owens, 10/30)

Axios: America's Substance Use Crisis Has Spiraled During The Pandemic
The forced isolation, disruption to treatment and resource demands created by the pandemic have set America back in its efforts to end the opioid epidemic. It's not just opioids. The use of other substances, particularly alcohol, increased over the last year and a half, and experts say this may lead to more people struggling with addiction. "Addiction is a disease of isolation," said Caleb Alexander, a professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins. (Owens, 10/30)

Axios: Tech Is Going All-In On Mental Health, And That's Mostly A Good Thing 
More and more, our mental health care is being delivered using tech solutions like smartphone apps, AI-powered chatbots and wearables — especially since the start of the pandemic. Technology has its flaws, but experts say it has been critical in addressing some of the obstacles in access to mental health care: too few providers and too little insurance coverage. (Reed, 10/30)

Axios: Nature Is A Healing Solution To Pandemic Mental Health Stress 
Getting outside is good for us — especially in a pandemic. Nature's benefits for mental health and well-being are part of the human experience and have been studied for decades. But the COVID-19 pandemic is a real-time experiment in studying exactly how green spaces can help us in difficult times. The pandemic pushed many people toward screens for work and socializing. But that increased screen time also then made people break away to nature, says MaryCarol Hunter, who studies the effect of nature on mental wellbeing at the University of Michigan. (Snyder, 10/30)