Abstract
As COVID‐19 vaccinations and sign‐ups continue amid this pandemic, a new campaign has launched to emphasize the importance of treating its physical and mental health impacts. The focus is on getting vaccinated, getting resources and getting screened.
As COVID‐19 vaccinations and sign‐ups continue amid this pandemic, a new campaign has launched to emphasize the importance of treating its physical and mental health impacts. The focus is on getting vaccinated, getting resources and getting screened.
“Mask COVID … Not Your Emotions” is a new campaign started by Psych Hub, a comprehensive online platform for mental health, substance use and suicide prevention, and its 45 partner organizations. Their collaboration supports a free resource hub to help people address their mental well‐being during the pandemic.
As individuals show up for their COVID‐19 vaccination, they will receive a promotional card with a QR code allowing them to scan and access online resources.
To become part of the vaccination process, the Mask COVID campaign is a “re‐branding” of an earlier initiative launched at the beginning of the pandemic, said Marjorie Morrison, CEO and co‐founder of Psych Hub with former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (see MHW, April 10, 2020). “The goal is really to raise awareness around mental health literacy and giving people tools to get help themselves or for those they love,” Morrison told MHW.
“This is an unbranded campaign; there is no logo,” Morrison said. “This is a true collaboration to get people to resources.”
More than 700 resources from the 45 different partners, which include Beacon, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, the Jed Foundation and the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD), are available through the Mental Wellbeing Resource Hub. Resources include screenings, videos, courses, resources and news articles (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EbdAda2yLH2bF_cmw‐id_95lCNpRGHWi).
Morrison noted that Delaware was the first state to come on board. Psych Hub participated in one of the state's vaccination events involving the administering of 5,000 vaccinations and the distribution of campaign flyers. Psych Hub met with Delaware Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall‐Long, who spearheaded the state's involvement, she said. “We have a lot of states lined up,” Morrison said. “We're rolling it out one at a time. We have to get through the hurdles.”
‘We need to take advantage of this opportunity to reach a huge number of people suffering from the consequences of COVID‐19.’
Ron Manderscheid., Ph.D.
Research findings
Morrison pointed to research published April 6 in The Lancet Psychiatry, which found that one in three COVID‐19 patients are diagnosed with a neuropsychiatric condition in the six months following a COVID‐19 diagnosis. The study, “6‐month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236,379 survivors of COVID‐19: A retrospective cohort study using electronic health records,” used real‐world health data on millions of people to gauge the incidence of 13 brain disorders.
Anxiety, mood and substance use disorders were most common, but the researchers also found worrying, if lower, rates of serious neurological complications, especially in patients who had been severely ill with COVID‐19. In all COVID‐19 patients, 0.6% developed a brain hemorrhage, 2.1% an ischemic stroke and 0.7% dementia.
Growing crisis
The new campaign is critical given the growing mental health crisis, said Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D., president and CEO of the NACBHDD and the National Association for Rural Mental Health. “This is very important, because we do know that COVID‐19 causes mental health” conditions, Manderscheid told MHW. “This isn't hypothetical; research documents that.” The mitigating factors resulting from COVID‐19 include anxiety, depression, isolation from being quarantined and children are home all the time grappling with virtual school, he noted.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of people dealt with mental health conditions. That figure increased to 40% over the past year, he said. “That's an astonishing number,” said Manderscheid. “We've never seen numbers like that before. We need to take advantage of this opportunity to reach higher numbers of people who are suffering from the consequences of COVID.”
Manderscheid noted that it's important for all states to embark on this effort. “The obvious goal is to link behavioral health with the COVID‐19 vaccination process and get states to buy in so they can make resources available in state vaccinations,” said Manderscheid. “It's urgent to move ahead very quickly.” The best way, he indicated, is to reach out nationally to as many counties and states as possible.
Psych Hub meanwhile has received the green light of support from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, added Morrison. At MHW press time, conversations were scheduled with the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors and the National Association of Counties to assist with the campaign.