MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Covid cases may be decreasing across the country, but there is one number that’s steadily on the rise.
Numerous reports show more and more people are reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety.
“It’s happening every day to everybody. So, I think everyone has dealt with it at some point,” Cade Willingham of Memphis said.
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Willingham said almost everyone he knows has experienced feelings of loss, hopelessness, and anxiety during the pandemic.
“It doesn’t surprise me. Just anytime you’re not around people and don’t have an interaction. We’re social creatures so you got to have that to keep going,” he said.
A recent report from the CDC shows cases of depression and anxiety declined in the first half of 2021 but are on the rise again after the summer surge in Delta variant cases.
“Within the last year and a half, almost two years, we’ve seen the cases just on the rise,” Jason McCown, the director of Behavioral Health Services at Saint Francis Hospital in Memphis, said.
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McCown said he’s recently treated many children for depression.
“Parents bringing 8 year old’s, 11 year old’s. They’re experiencing symptoms that we’ve seen adults experience in the past,” he said.
But McCown said anyone can be a victim.
He said common symptoms of depression include feelings of sadness, loss of interest, sleep disturbances and changes in appetite.
“I believe people have a hard time reaching out because they are afraid of the unknown. They don’t know the answers they are going to get. Maybe they’re afraid of what they’re going to hear,” McCown said.
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McCown urges you to reach out to a loved one or your doctor for help if you’re struggling. As for Willingham, he wants you to know you are not alone.
“Focus on the positive. Eventually, you will all get through it,” he said.
McCown recommends getting screened for depression if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms.
There are also several resources to turn to if you’re struggling:
- Saint Francis Clinical Assessment Center: 901-765-1400
- Memphis Crisis Center: 901-274-7477
- Alliance Healthcare/Mobile Crisis: 901-577-9400
- TN Statewide Crisis Line: 1-855-CRISIS-1 (1-855-274-7471)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Text TN to 741741
- SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
- helpyourselfhelpothers.org
- screening.mhanational.org
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