Lets talk Mental Health in NYC. Whether it’s the loneliness and isolation that the pandemic has forced us into, the friend of loss, or depression, the mental burden that the epidemic has brought upon the inhabitants of NYC can’t be ignored. The looming health crisis of COVID has made way for the rise of a second health crisis, deteriorating mental health.
In March alone, NAMI-NYC or the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses, a non-profit organization that provides support for individuals with mental illnesses, has seen a 60% rise in calls in their helplines. That number has only increased since then.
Mental Health in NYC – What People are Doing to Cope
With the increase in the number of people having an inner battle against mental illness ever since the start of the pandemic, what are they doing to cope?
Using Family as a Beacon of Support
Throughout the pandemic, people with mental illnesses have been in a constant state of panic or anxiety. This makes them tend to avoid people and socialization altogether. For people with personality disorders, this only further amplifies their tendency for dissociation.
For the families of people with mental illnesses, especially personality and mood disorders, they’re doing their best to provide support and care to get through the pandemic. With the help of being surrounded by loved ones and a few phone treatments and calls by helplines and therapists, coping with these unsettling times is at least not impossible.
America is still grasping the severity of the mental health crisis and looking for ways to help those affected.
Finding Solace in Video Games
A lot of people are finding solace in playing video games. It doesn’t matter what type of game it is, just the fact that something is keeping them busy and not alone with their thoughts is good enough.
Because of quarantine, many of the younger generations with depression and other mental illnesses have felt down. The quarantine blues are intense, and the fact that online classes have already started doesn’t make it any better. However, the sheer enjoyment that people get from playing video games can make them forget about what is currently happening in the outside world.
The substantial spike in the player base of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is proof that playing video games, for people with or without mental illnesses, is almost like a haven. To think that a game about having an island all to yourself where you can fully customize it and have friends visit your island when it’s done can provide this much comfort to people all around the world is astounding.
Over The Phone Treatment
Because face-to-face meetings are now being kept to a minimum, people with mental illnesses have resorted to having online treatment or phone sessions with their therapists. There has also been a COVID emotional support hotline in New York handled by over 6000 volunteered mental health professionals.
With all this being available to the general public, people are starting to step forward and ask for help and emotional support from people over the phone. Though telehealth isn’t a new thing in the medical world, it’s heartwarming to see that people are starting to rely on it more often to cope and try to fight against their inner demons.
Stepping Away From The News
A lot of us are glued to our screens, always looking at updates for the current situation. And with each increase in the number of cases and with the death tolls increasing, you may feel like it’s the end of the world. This is the case for a lot of people stuck in quarantine and left speculating and overthinking.
The news and current events keep a lot of people in NYC stressed and restless, only thinking about the worst possible scenario. However, to cope with this, many have opted to watch updates less often or ignore it overall. They say ignorance is bliss, but this is a great way to stop stressing about the situation’s future.
Keeping positive is already tricky enough for people with mental illnesses; being fixated on the news and numbers will only worsen.
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