SPRINGFIELD
– State lawmakers put mental health on center stage Wednesday
during a virtual town hall in which medical professionals offered
advice to Illinoisans struggling with the mental and emotional
pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hosted
by Chicago Democrats Rep. Ann Williams, Rep. Yoni Pizer and Sen. Sara
Feigenholtz, the town hall laid out the mental health challenges
related to COVID-19’s social and economic disruptions and offered
therapies and solutions to people affected.
“I
don’t think any of us is immune to the challenges we’re facing. Many
of us feel anxious, fearful, sad, and we’re experiencing a range of
emotions, a lot of ups and downs,” Williams said.
The
three lawmakers presented questions to three Chicago-area medical
professionals on the videoconference. The experts included the
president of the Illinois Psychiatric Society, Dr. Hossam Mahmoud,
psychologist Dr. Carri Hill and licensed clinic social worker Alexa
James.
James,
who is executive director of the Chicago affiliate of the National
Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), said people are dealing with four
main mental health challenges during COVID-19 – having fulfilling
connections with other people; the ability to adapt to change; the
ability to handle trauma; and maintaining productive activity.
“In
an instant, much of that was diminished for us. Much of it was
complicated or disrupted,” she said, as people’s work lives,
personal lives and daily routines were changed by social distancing
and Gov. JB Pritzker’s stay-at-home order.
An
American Psychiatric Association survey last month found 36 percent of Americans said the coronavirus
pandemic is having a serious impact on their mental health, while 59
percent said it is seriously impacting their daily lives.
James
said unsettled routines have especially disrupted people’s sense of
purpose, which is why people stuck at home should not suddenly expect
themselves to be more productive.
“Be
compassionate with yourself. Be kind to yourself,” she said. “Our
expectations, we get married to them, and then when we don’t do them
we get really disappointed. And I don’t think we have any room for
that right now.”
James
suggested people try something positive every day in the name of
self-care, whether it is “one creative thing,” “one connective
thing,” “one productive thing” or “one self-care thing.”
James
said she told her sister, who lives in “the middle-of-nowhere,
Michigan,” to do simple things like wash her hair and put on
mascara, because they “may just make you feel more human.”
Mahmoud
said it is important to process what is happening by using what he
calls “radical acceptance.”
“We’re
going to go through tough times, but there is an end to this. And at
some point, it will be over,” he said.
Impact
on families
Hill,
a psychologist with Jewish Family and Children’s Services in
Chicago, pointed out that the major routines of school and family
life have been upended, as many parents have to juggle working from
home, running their households and helping their kids with remote
learning.
She
said that parents should lower the academic expectations they have
for their children because we are in “survival mode” during this
crisis.
“Our
two primary goals right now are, one: to make sure everybody’s
healthy; and two, to maintain positive relationships,” Hill said.
“And then outside of those, a lot of our other expectations may
need to be adjusted in order to achieve those goals.”
For
kids having trouble coping, Hill suggested that parents impose some
structure, like having dinner at a normal time, setting a regular
bedtime and making kids finish their school work before talking with
friends.
Most
importantly, Hill said, parents should talk openly and honestly to
their children about COVID-19.
“Trying
to protect them by not sharing things with them actually just makes
them more anxious,” she said.
Along
with age-appropriate information about COVID-19 and its impacts, Hill
said children need emotional support when they may be acting out or
seem down because of underlying stress and anxiety.
“What
they need is additional support and love from everyone, so more hugs,
more cuddles, that type of stuff,” she said.
Staying
connected
Mahmoud,
the psychiatrist, said that telehealth services have increased in the
past four or five weeks as therapy sessions have moved online. He
said psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers have quickly
learned videoconferencing so they can stay connected with patients.
Gov.
Pritzker issued an executive
order in March that requires health insurance companies to cover
telehealth services.
Mahmoud
also suggested ways that people can stay connected as this period of
social distancing is merely just physical distancing.
“Maintain
interactions with your social network as much as possible,” he
said, adding that video chatting and phone calls offer a more
personal experience than just texting, especially when staying in
touch with loved ones at nursing homes.
Feigenholtz
said she experienced a hidden upside to videoconferencing this month
when she held Passover Seder with her family over Zoom – calling it
a “Zeder.”
“I
was able to have my East Coast and Midwest family in a Seder, which
would have never happened,” she said. And although she was
reluctant at first, “it was such a positive experience.”
Feigenholtz
also predicts that expanded telehealth access will continue past the
pandemic, especially because of its benefits for rural and
underserved communities.
“I
don’t think you’re going to see the genie go back in the bottle. I
think that having telehealth access is going to be the new normal,”
she said.
Mental
health is one of a handful of issues that state lawmakers are
focusing on in anticipation for a return to the Capitol, as both
chambers have divided their members into “working groups.” The
Illinois House of Representatives has a working group of seven
members dedicated to “mental health and addiction.”
While
no plans to return to Springfield have been announced, lawmakers are
currently “on call” to return at any time. They were last in
session on March 5. The 2020 session is scheduled to run through May
31.
Resources
The
state launched a mental health hotline called “Call4Calm.” When
someone texts “talk” to 552020, they will receive a free call
from a counselor at a local community health center. Spanish speakers
can text “hablar” to the same number.
People
can also text “unemployment,” “food” or “shelter” for
assistance with those things.
Hill
suggested some online resources, like joining a Facebook group or
reaching out to JCFS or Tuesday’s Child, a behavioral management
nonprofit in Chicago. She also said that parents should consider
professional help if their child’s emotions are impairing family
dynamics.
James’s
organization, NAMI, can help with a wide range of mental health
challenges no matter a person’s age or insurance status, she said.
James
added that if feelings worsen, people can call the National Suicide
Hotline (1-800-273-8255), their local or personal health care
provider or, in the most extreme cases, 9-1-1.
You can contact Ben Orner at borner@capitolnewsillinois.com.
This article appears in Pandemic rocks the capital city.
