Clark County leaders recognize effect COVID-19 had on mental health

May 17—With suicide rates increasing in the state, area agencies are working to address mental health conditions and make resources more easily accessible.

Greta Mayer, chief executive officer of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Clark, Greene and Madison counties, said with May being Mental Health Awareness Month, it's important to recognize that mental health is just as important as physical health. She said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and worsened mental health for many people because of the isolation and unpredictability of life at that time.

According to Ohio Department of Health data, from 2020 to 2021 — the most recent year for which data is available — suicides increased 8%. That means five Ohioans die by suicide daily.

Ohioans ages 25-44 were the most likely to die by suicide, according to the data.

Mayer said one in five people experience some form of mental illness in their life, and more people began experiencing depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"All of us were doing the best we could to get through it, and thinking it was going to end, and then we thought it was going to end, and then we thought it was better, and then it came back," Mayer said. "I think that level of uncertainty and doing things that we've never had to do before ... there's just a lot of fallout for mental health."

Many people began drinking more alcohol earlier in the day, along with consuming other substances, all of which can be detrimental to mental health and can lead to a harmful addiction, Mayer said.

Clark County Combined Health District Commissioner Charlie Patterson said schoolchildren lost daily interactions essentially by becoming homeschooled at the height of the pandemic, and they couldn't socialize outside of school like many homeschoolers do.

"They go out of their way to have these interactions with other kids and other homeschoolers and do field trips together because we've seen over the years that if the kids are just home just in their own environment, without that outside social interaction, that it really puts them at a deficit when it comes to either high school or collegiate work and and working on teams, working with partners," Patterson said.

Mayer said school is where many children learn not only how to socialize, but also how to handle their emotions and those of other individuals.

Patterson said May is also National Maternal Mental Health Month, and one in eight pregnant women experience depression.

"That can be detrimental to the health of the child and of the mother if that depression goes untreated," Patterson said.

The Mental Health and Recovery Board points people who are struggling with mental health and/or addiction to local resources through partnerships with organizations like McKinley Hall and Mental Health Services for Clark and Madison Counties, Inc., Mayer said.

In Clark County, the board noticed the Black community was receiving and seeking out mental health services the least out of any group, Mayer said. She said as a result, they have been holding roundtable discussions and focus groups for more than two years to get an idea of what they can improve their reach.

"We did hear that from our community respondents they would like to see more neighborhood and community-based accessible care," Mayer said. "They would like to see and know what those resources are."

Mental health is an important aspect of a person's health, and mental illness is very treatable through medication and counseling, Mayer said. The pandemic has shifted into the endemic phase, but Mayer said it's still very important to address mental health.

"A mental health condition is a brain body disorder and (a) mental health issue is a physical health condition," Mayer said. "It's not just people having things all in their head."

People experiencing a mental health crisis can reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988. A mental health crisis text line can be reached at 741741. Both resources are free and available 24/7.

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