March 7 - 2021 - "The Pandemic and Mental Illness"

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, people have reached out to me because they are feeling anxious, frightened, depressed, but don’t understand why.  For that reason I thought that I would write today to present some of the warning signs and symptoms of mental illness, according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness.  First let’s review some common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents:
 
· Excessive worrying or fear
· Feeling excessively sad or low
· Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
· Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
· Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
· Avoiding friends and social activities
· Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
· Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don’t exist in objective reality)
· Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
· Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality
· Changes in sex drive
· Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
· Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger of lack of appetite
· Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
· Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
· Thinking about suicide
Young children can also begin to develop mental health conditions.  Because they are still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, the most obvious symptoms are behavioral.  Symptoms in children could include the following:
 
· Changes in school performance
· Excessive worry or anxiety, for instance trying to avoid bed or school
· Hyperactive behavior
· Frequent nightmares
· Frequent disobedience or aggression
· Frequent temper tantrums

Don’t be afraid to reach out if you or someone you know needs help.  Learning all you can about mental health is an important first step.  Reach out to your health insurance, primary care doctor or state/county mental authority for more resources.  You can contact the NAMI HelpLine (800-950-6264) to find out what services and supports are available in your community.  You can also check out the NAMI website (https://www.nami.org), which has much valuable information.
 
Finally, if you or someone you know needs help now, you should immediately call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or call 911.
 
Until next week,
Fr. John