RiverValley Behavioral Health has reported a 45 percent increase in calls since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The comprehensive behavioral health service is taking as many as 120 calls per day from the seven counties it serves.
CEO Wanda Figueroa said the increase in calls is due to a number of factors related to COVID-19, such as isolation and loneliness, financial stress over loss or potential loss of income, as well as domestic abuse.
“It’s something that we expect to continue and we need to take care of that,” she said. “This is one of those situations in which your mental health working is going to determine how resilient you can be to deal with the circumstances.”
RVBH’s 24-hour crisis line has seen not only a higher volume of calls, but individuals’ severity of symptoms have also escalated, Figueroa said. That includes people relapsing amid the pandemic and others who’ve never experienced prior mental health issues now calling.
“Another unique trend is that we are receiving more contacts via text from young adults,” Figueroa said, adding that the majority of services have switched to telehealth with some exceptions.
Those with concerns can call or text the RVBH crisis hotline at 1-800-433-7291.
Travis Morrison, owner of TrueNorth Treatment Center, said his staff has been working through telehealth for about a month and services were not slowing down.
Morrison said people have called in seeking assistance as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the problems clients are facing are being stuck at home, losing jobs, not receiving unemployment and being scared of getting sick.
One of the driving factors of recovery is to get support and talk to people and engage with people, Morrison said.
However, with COVID-19 a lot of that has had to be done virtually and some clients are uncomfortable with those type of services. This presented a learning opportunity, Morrison said, in which both he and his clients have had to adapt.
“Our main concern is serving the clients, and right now we’re figuring it out,” he said.
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