An “epidemic” of loneliness. Prolonged grief. Rising levels of anxiety and depression. And that feeling you didn’t have a name for — languishing.
That’s just a starting list of what our brains and bodies have been dealing with during the two years of the Covid pandemic. So, if you’ve felt recently that you needed an extra hand, and asked for one, you’re not alone.
“All the therapists I know have experienced a demand for therapy that is like nothing they have experienced before,” said Tom Lachiusa, a licensed clinical social worker in Longmeadow, Mass., one of the many counselors The New York Times interviewed for an article about the state of mental health in America.
A Gallup poll from December confirms the current crisis: “Americans’ ‘excellent’ mental health rating remains at a 21-year low amid the Covid-19 pandemic, holding at 34 percent after dropping to that level a year ago.” Before 2020, that rating reached 42 percent or higher.
Times Opinion would like to hear from readers who began therapy in the past couple of years. We’d like to know what encouraged you to seek help, what your biggest takeaways from counseling were and how you are feeling now.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
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