Omicron Exacerbates Pandemic Mental Health Concerns

This is a writeup on an article entitled “Frustrated, exhausted, scared:  Omicron exacerbates pandemic mental health concerns”, recently published in The Texas Tribune.

Spike of calls flood the state’s COVID-19 mental health support line
The state’s COVID-19 mental health support line has seen a spike in calls since early December as people navigate holidays amid a highly contagious new variant.  (For mental health support related to COVID-19, call the state’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 833-986-1919 or text “COVID” to 832-479-2135.)

Should we cancel Christmas celebrations this year because of the rise in omicron cases?
Earlier this week, someone called the state’s COVID-19 mental health support line to talk through their family’s decision to cancel Christmas celebrations amid the rapid spread of the omicron variant.  Rather than disappointment, the hotline director said, the caller felt relief: They’d lost several family without those loved ones.

According to the Harris Center for Mental Health, which operates the hotline, “it’s very complicated to talk about those types of emotions… being able to provide a safe place where people can say things like that and not be judged … is really powerful.”

The support line has seen a 20% increase in calls since early December, as a new COVID-19 variant began to emerge just in time for the holiday season.

Uncertainty
“Almost every call has to do with anxiety in some way, which is not surprising and has been throughout the whole pandemic,” says the Center’s director.  “The main key for anxiety is uncertainty, and the whole pandemic process is just a whole big bag of uncertainty.”  That uncertainty has ratcheted up in recent weeks as the highly contagious omicron variant has spread rapidly around the country. At a time when many were hoping for a holiday season more like pre-pandemic times, the country is once again dealing with quarantines, closures and canceled travel plans.

Battle said the line is currently receiving about the same number of calls as this time last year — before vaccines were widely available — with callers expressing many of the same feelings of fear, anxiety and isolation. The main difference that the support line staffers have noticed between now and the early pandemic is how many callers are seeking grief support over loved ones lost to the virus.

The line is open 24/7.   The state also offers a text line for people who would prefer not to call, which the Director hopes will help the counselors reach more teens.

Since the state opened the hotline in March 2020, counselors have answered more than 20,000 calls.  “We’re so grateful that we’ve been here for all those people,” said Jennifer Battle, Director of Access for the Harris Center for Mental Health, which operates the hotline.  “But it’s also just devastating that we’re still struggling through this crisis, and still having this many people feeling scared and anxious.”

A second pandemic Christmas
Many people were looking forward to seeing family and friends in person this holiday season after a difficult year.  For others, the holidays are a challenging time for their mental health, even in the best of circumstances.

Travel, Isolation
There are added pressures, there’s travel, and then the isolation that a lot of people feel especially when they are alone at the holidays.  Now, on top of all those heightened emotions, Texans are also having to navigate questions of how they can keep themselves and their loved ones safe and healthy. Many may find themselves spending Christmas in quarantine if they test positive for the virus, or awaiting news about family members.

Shame and stigma
And with so many people potentially getting infected by omicron,  Greg Hansch, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, worries about the way shame and stigma may exacerbate the mental health impacts of a COVID-19 diagnosis.  “There’s still a perception that if you contract COVID-19, you did something wrong,” he says. “Perhaps these people gave themselves a little bit of latitude to socialize so that they didn’t have to feel isolated. They shouldn’t have to feel stigma about that.”

The emergence of omicron is particularly devastating to many who hoped the pandemic was beginning to wind down, with vaccines widely available and many schools and offices reopening. As the state prepares for a second COVID-19 Christmas and a third year of the pandemic, Battle says, the support line has received an increased number of calls from people who report feeling frustrated, tired or exhausted.

The current state of mental health
Providers and experts say the mental health impacts of COVID-19 will be felt for years to come, much like in communities that experience natural disasters or wars. And this latest wave of cases and concerns will only serve to exacerbate those long-term effects.

According to Andy Keller, the president and CEO of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, “chronic stress is worse than short-term stress.   We all have a level of resilience, and we all have breaking points. And the longer things go on like this, the worse it’s going to be.”

Nationally, depression and anxiety rates have skyrocketed during the pandemic, though they’d begun to decrease in recent months. Deaths from drug overdoses have also soared, as did youth suicide attempts.

One bright spot for mental health access has been the increased use of telehealth services. People living in rural areas that are underserved by in-person mental health providers are now able to access virtual sessions, and so are people who would otherwise need child care or to take time off work to travel to an office.

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