DES MOINES, Iowa -- Even with the election season mostly in the rear-view mirror, Iowa still is dealing with the COVID-19 surge. A local mental-health expert says people are bound to feel more stress these days, and warns that not addressing it could create physical health problems.

Anecdotally, providers across the state have seen an increase in people reaching out for help, said West Des Moines psychologist Dr. Warren Phillips. The effect has come in waves, he said, starting with panic, then depression and isolation -- and eventually, more anger. If these symptoms develop into chronic stressors, Phillips said, they eventually can take a toll on a person's physical health.

"It can contribute to high blood pressure, overeating, smoking, physical inactivity," he said. "It becomes a risk factor for heart disease."

Phillips said one way to counteract stress is meditation, even if it's informal. He also suggested regular exercise -- a simple walk, maybe combined with a phone chat with a loved one.

Nationally, according to the
American Heart Association, one in three Americans reports being worried or depressed, and more than half of U.S. adults say COVID-19 has negatively impacted their mental well-being.

If symptoms linger to the point where they affect daily routines, Phillips said, that would be a good point to seek professional help. In Iowa, he said, that isn't always easy because of provider shortages in rural areas.

"We find folks in our rural communities are at increased risk of a variety of stress-related negative outcomes," he said.

That shouldn't deter anyone from seeking help, Phillips said, adding that tele-counseling can be beneficial in those situations. The
Iowa Psychological Association can help people find the closest provider.

Meanwhile, the Heart Association has a list of tips for coping with stress on its
website.

Mental-health experts are sounding the alarm about "fire brain" - a condition caused by exposure to toxic wildfire smoke. One study found that wildfire smoke can cause brain inflammation that lasts for a month.

Suzie Dukes, Chico LMFT and survivor of the Paradise Fire, said the massive Park Fire is now re-traumatizing a community already devastated by the Camp fire, which incinerated the nearby town of Paradise in 2018.

"People are in kind of a constant state of stress afterward, the feeling of being out of control, unable to prevent anything, and this deep-seated fear of losing yet again, more things. The Park Fire is triggering PTSD symptoms all over again," she explained.

A study released in July at the Alzheimer's Association conference found that exposure to wildfire smoke can raise the risk of being diagnosed with dementia. Families in need of mental-health assistance can call the California Parent and Youth Helpline at 1-855-427-2736 or go online to live chat at CA Parent Youth Helpline.org.

The trained counselors at the helpline can help get you through an emotional crisis.

"Reaching out and feeling like you belong to a community is essential in healing. Calling to a helpline can be a way out, a way out of the terror, because the human touch is essential in being able to reconnect and get your feet under you again," Dukes said.

Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, also offers free weekly support groups.


get more stories like this via email

Some North Carolina groups advocating for harm reduction among people struggling with drug addiction are calling for broader access to methadone, a crucial medication for treating opioid addiction.

Louise Vincent, executive director of the grassroots group North Carolina Survivor's Union, said most people can only get methadone through a treatment center, and strict regulations around timing and drug testing pose significant challenges for people in recovery. Vincent believes allowing pharmacies to dispense methadone could make it easier for individuals to stay on their recovery path.

"Pharmacies would make all the difference in the world," asserted. "I've got a Walgreens a block away. I could actually drive my scooter to the Walgreens."

Vincent also emphasized the need to address the stigma around opioid use disorder and the mistreatment she said often occurs in clinics. Over the past two decades, more than 36,000 people in North Carolina have died from overdoses.

Greer Arthur, research director for the North Carolina Collaboratory, said they are funding research and working with other organizations to explore a variety of harm reduction strategies, including allowing pharmacies to dispense methadone.

"Our goal is to be able to provide funding to researchers who can work with pharmacists, and who can listen to all the related organizations and pharmacies to understand, what are some of the barriers that they might be experiencing? Is there a way for us to pilot something like that?" Arthur explained.

She added the research will focus on rural areas and be guided by those directly affected by the opioid crisis or working to address it. On a federal level, the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this year, but has yet to see any progress.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


get more stories like this via email

More and more Hispanic people are taking advantage of California's medical aid-in-dying law, according to a new report from the California Department of Health.

In 2023, 43 terminally ill Hispanic patients used the End-of-Life Option Act to get a prescription to end their suffering and die peacefully. That's compared to 24 patients the year before.

Angela Schultz, California state director for Compassion & Choices, says the group's website and all materials are now available in Spanish.

"It's really important to deliver these materials and education outreach in people's own language, so that they can understand the information without having the confusion of trying to read it in English and translate it themselves," she added.

Compassion & Choices attributes the increase to the ongoing statewide public education campaign in English and Spanish with medical partners, and videos from civil rights leader Dolores Huerta and from José Alejandro Lemuz, a 60-year-old body shop mechanic from Wilmington with terminal prostate cancer - the first Latino to publicly announce his intent to use the prescription.

Schultz said there are still some common misconceptions, and pointed out that medical aid in dying isn't appropriate for people who have advanced dementia. Patients have to be able to make an affirmative choice, and to take the medication on their own.

"Medical aid in dying is for somebody who is 18 years and older, who has a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less. It has to be voluntary, and a person has to be mentally capable of making their own healthcare decisions," Schultz explained.

According to the report, in 2023, almost 1,300 patients in the Golden State obtained medical aid-in-dying prescriptions, and 69% took the medication. Almost 64% of the deaths were caused by cancer. The rest stemmed primarily from cardiovascular, neurological and respiratory disease.