Mental Health issues you need to look out for during the Coronavirus quarantine!

These days are tough on everyone. The world has not experienced this much change in a long time. People everywhere have had to start living their lives in a very different way and change at times brings stress and even depression. Some people have lost their jobs, some have lost their loved ones and some have lost it all. In the middle of all this are mental health patients that already had a lot of stress and depression in their lives. Those of us who have loved one who have mental health problems must step up and look out for certain things so that we can make sure that the lives lost are not from those who had mental health issues and could have been cared for.

If you have a family member or a loved one who is affected by a mental health issue, make sure they are communicating with others. Isolation may be good for social distancing however; mental health patients need to have communication. Make sure someone or you are constantly checking in on anyone with Major Depression, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder or any form of dementia. Make sure that the person you are caring for is taking their medication and that they have access to medication at all times during the stay at home order.

If you have a loved one with substance abuse issues that are linked to mental health, please make sure that they have an outlet for outreach. There are virtual meetings for those who need support groups or AA or NA (Narcotics Anonymous). Just because we have to stay home it does not mean that we cannot reach out to people or reach out for help!! Even if they need a visit, make sure that you are maintaining space and that you are following procedures to stay away from any contamination, make sure that you can visit them and make sure that your family member or loved one is okay.

Another group that needs mentioning are patients with Alzheimer’s. ALZ patients are dependent on a lot of people and things and when things fall through the cracks as far as caretakers the patient can suffer. Make sure that the patient is being cared for constantly and that there is someone who can be on call in case the caretaker is compromised. The caretaker MUST be free of any virus because ALZ patients are very vulnerable to this and most viruses and diseases. Older patients have a lot of complications that most patients do not have and so it is imperative that they are cared for with the utmost attention to procedure. 

Finally, we will mention that as a whole, mental health patient may not have physical symptoms from the current crisis however, they may be experiencing mental health symptoms. A lot of patients may be affected by the news of casualties and of sick people or they may be scared of being affected directly by the virus and may be experiencing terrible depression and even fear.  

If you think someone you know is being affected psychologically be the pandemic or the situation they are in because f the pandemic then please call our office for sound advice. Our staff will be able to help you and to see if they may need new therapy for their condition. We specialize in NEW FDA approved therapies for mental health issues and we are here to offer you and your loved one HOPE!