SEATTLE, Wash. -- Mayo es el Mes de Concientización sobre la Salud Mental, y a medida que la vida vuelve a la normalidad, muchas personas están saliendo de más de un año de ansiedad.

Una encuesta de la Oficina del Censo encontró que los síntomas de ansiedad o depresión han aumentado entre los adultos del 11 por ciento en 2019 al 41 por ciento en 2021.

La doctora Mabel Bongmba, psiquiatra de adultos de Kaiser Permanente en el área metropolitana de Seattle, dice que el regreso a la vida prepandémica también trae nuevos factores estresantes, como regresar a la oficina o la escuela. Ella dice que la gente debería haber medido las expectativas.

"Que sepan que otras personas están en el mismo barco," dijo Bongmba. "Muchos de nosotros sentimos algo de estrés y ansiedad ante la perspectiva de mas cambios, y sentir un poco de estrés frente al cambio es algo bastante normal en cualquier circunstancia, ya sea pandemia o no."

Bongmba dice que aplicaciones de salud conductual y atención plena tales como Calm y myStrength pueden ayudar a las personas con el autocuidado si se sienten ansiosas.

Señala que algunas personas están experimentando sentimientos más extremos, como el duelo por la pérdida de sus seres queridos. Por eso ella aconseja a las personas que no se lo guarden para sí mismos y que hablen con un profesional de salud.

"Muchos de nosotros, por primera vez, nos estamos conectando con terapeutas y otros especialistas en salud mental en este tiempo, y si usted tiene sentimientos realmente difíciles o se siente abrumado por la vida, no tiene que pasar solo por esto," expresó Bongmba.

Para muchos, volver a lo que era la vida antes de la pandemia requerirá algo de alivio.

Bongmba espera que la pandemia nos haya enseñado a ser pacientes con los caminos de otras personas. Entonces, si las personas aún no se sienten cómodas quitándose las mascarillas a pesar de que otros sí lo están, está bien.

"Creo que podemos respetarnos mutuamente para tomar la mejor decisión posible para nuestras situaciones individuales, y eso es algo que debemos mantener, ademas de tambien tener esa expectativa de los demás," agregó Bongmba.

El gobernador Jay Inslee ha fijado el 30 de junio como fecha de reapertura para el estado de Washington.

Parents in North Dakota are likely getting a sense of how their child's school year is going so far. If bullying issues have emerged, the research community hopes educators and families take a careful approach to achieve better outcomes now and in the future.

Throughout Bullying Prevention Month in October, messaging on this topic is likely to be prominent in school settings.

Shelley Hymel, a retired developmental and educational psychologist and professor at the University of British Columbia has done extensive research in this field. She said it's no surprise that repeated bullying can negatively affect a student's academic performance, and how they deal with problems the rest of their lives.

Hymel wants anyone who still thinks it makes a child more resilient to think again.

"Kids who are victimized, you know, just sit there all day wondering what's going to happen to them next. I've had notes from kids saying how that's their life, that's how their world is," she said.

Hymel said that's why it's important for schools to not lose sight of social and emotional learning and teach children empathy. North Dakota law requires districts to adopt a bullying policy and explain it to students. On its website, the Department of Public Instruction offers guidance for parents, including listening calmly and offering comfort and support if their child says they're being targeted.

Hymel said researchers are still finding new tidbits of information, even after schools have adopted successful approaches. For example, in school settings where bullying was significantly reduced, the few remaining students still being singled out had it even worse.

"When you end up being the last kid, the one kid who was still being bullied, it takes a toll on your self esteem," she explained.

That's why the academic community, schools, and parents need to remain vigilant about overcoming any side effects as policies take shape, she added. Earlier this year, British researchers released findings showing bullying in childhood lowers the probability of having a job throughout adulthood, and puts a person at greater risk for premature death.


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Mental health is a top issue for voters, and candidates running for office across Colorado are pledging to make it a priority if elected.

Kathleen Daughety, vice president of campaigns and civic engagement with Inseparable, said if people can get treatment, they can thrive. But if they can't, the situation can get much, much worse.

She pointed to a recent survey showing that half of all Americans who need mental health care aren't able to get it, and said one of the biggest barriers is that health insurance companies aren't doing their part.

"People are buying insurance policies expecting to get care when they need it. And then when they are sick, insurance companies are denying the care that their doctors are prescribing," she explained.

Nearly nine in ten voters say expanding access to mental health care should be a priority, ranking it just as high as lowering the cost of living. So far, 80 Colorado candidates have signed a Mental Health Now statement of support, more than any other state. The statement calls for policies that increase access to mental health care, improve crisis response, and expand youth mental health services, especially in schools.

Colorado is one of many states that lack facilities to place people experiencing severe mental illness. In 1955, there were nearly 6,000 psychiatric beds in the state. In 2023 the number dropped to 482.

Dusty Johnson, R-Fort Morgan, is running unopposed for House District 63 and signed the Mental Health Now statement of support.

"We shouldn't be using jail as a place to get mental health resources. But when you have nowhere to take them, they end up in our prisons, or back on the street, and then they go and hurt themselves worse, or hurt somebody else. It would be nice if we had places that would take them on the spot," Johnson said.

Since 2015, one out of five people killed by police were experiencing a mental health emergency. Daughety said the goal for politicians should be to make law enforcement involvement in crises the exception, not the rule.

"If someone is having a mental health emergency, they need a mental health specific response, they don't need a law enforcement response. Law enforcement says these calls are really stressful. They're not trained for them," Daughety contended.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is introducing federal legislation to boost mental health equity.

The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act allocates $995 million in grant funding over five years for states to use to reduce disparities in mental health care, which comes as a new report showed Connecticut teen suicides doubled from this time last year.

Janelle Posey-Green, founder of the Connecticut BIPOC Mental Health and Wellness Initiative, said teens need more education on the language of mental health.

"I really think we need is more education on what to look for so that way friends can check in on friends and they know the warning signs and even have, maybe, a script or a narrative that they can go to," Posey-Green suggested. "Let's normalize that at some point you may feel depressed."

She recommended it should be done through a community initiative involving schools and parents. Aside from the bill's funding, Connecticut is receiving more than $4 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration to expand mental and behavioral health, and substance use disorder services.

However, disparities in care are not the only thing preventing people from accessing mental health care. Studies show women of color are at higher risk for mental health issues but are less likely to seek treatment.

Posey-Green observed as much as the Black community can lift people up, things such as "strong Black woman syndrome" can hold women of color back from talking about their mental health.

"Where does this woman who is expected to be so strong get the opportunity to talk about how hard it is that from childhood to adulthood she's faced with many microaggressions and major aggressions over her life period that impact her mental health?" Posey-Green asked.

Other issues such as cultural differences can pose a challenge. Posey-Green works with a collective of providers for patients to access mental health professionals with similar backgrounds. She argued providers should be trained in cultural humility rather than cultural competency.

"Why it's important for providers to lean towards cultural humility and be trained well with understanding how cultural humility can help with providing better service is because it also teaches you to check your unconscious biases," Posey-Green stressed.