Anxiety and Stress – MHARS Lorain County

COVID Care Team Launches for Lorain County Residents

by mharslcFebruary 8, 2021 Anxiety and Stress, Blog0 comments

COVID Care Teams are dispatching across the state to help neighborhoods recover from the social and emotional health challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board has launched Lorain County’s team to offer community-based outreach and education to relieve stress and anxiety, especially if those stresses are or may become health concerns.

COVID Care Team members provide free, friendly advice and connections to local resources. Officially known as a Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, the local COVID Care Team has trained, knowledgeable Care Counselors ready to help people navigate issues that are causing them stress and anxiety, or to find treatment for anxiety-related concerns.

MHARS Interim Director Elaine Georgas describes the personal connection and resourcefulness of the COVID Care Counselors as “extraordinary.” She says that the teams have already helped navigate people through everything from lack of hot meals to fear over COVID-like symptoms to unemployment challenges to grief and loneliness due to being physically separated from family members.

“These are all things that were causing people anxiety that could lead to health conditions or challenges,” said Georgas. “A member of our COVID Care Team listened, and helped.”

This is a local partnership between the MHARS Board, El Centro, and the Elyria YWCA, and is part of Ohio’s COVID Care program from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The Lorain County COVID Care Team is part of a federally funded short-term disaster relief grant awarded to states after a presidential disaster declaration. The grant supports community-based outreach, counseling and other mental health services during the COVID pandemic.

The neighbor-to-neighbor approach of the COVID Care Team also inspires the community to get involved in supporting each other, said Georgas. Community conversations have led to food drives, check-ins on elderly residents, and other connections that can be a protection to an individual’s mental health and well-being.

“The beauty of this assistance is that it is for everybody,” says Tim Williams, who is leading the CARE Counselors at the YWCA. “So often when communities receive this type of support, it’s like, ‘Do you qualify? No, you don’t meet all of this eligibility criteria.’ The COVID Care Team recognizes that everyone is struggling in some way right now; everyone has anxieties. We are here as a friendly resource, for anyone who lives in Lorain County.”

Williams noted that his team has supported people who are homeless, and people who are running businesses. He said that the COVID Care Team can help regardless of a person’s walk of life, and the team is serving people countywide.

Thelma Cruz with the El Centro outreach group echoed Williams’ remarks.

“We are here to help, whether you speak English or Spanish, are employed or unemployed, are a mom, dad, live alone. We offer help where you are and hope when you need it,” she said.

To connect to the Team, call 440-240-7025 or 440-322-6308, and ask for a COVID Care Counselor. Visit mharslc.org/covidcare to learn more.

The MHARS Board is the local behavioral health authority. Its mission is to improve the well-being of all members of our community by planning for, establishing and maintaining an effective, efficient, and quality system of mental health, addiction and recovery services for Lorain County.

###

Learn More

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

- Robert Frost

Depression: Which Therapy is Right for Me?

by adminJanuary 31, 2018 Anxiety and Stress, Infographics0 comments

Everyone feels low from time to time, so it’s not always easy to know when it is part-and-parcel of daily life, and when it’s time to seek help. In most cases, it is short-term and self-correcting, but for a significant minority this is not the case. For those individuals, it is important to seek treatment just as you would any other health condition. Here we discuss six warning signs which, together, might indicate that it’s time to seek professional help.

What are the signs?

You’ve been feeling low or irritable for most of the day, every day for two weeks or more. You might have found yourself worrying about past or future events for long periods of time, or simply feeling sad, cross or tearful. Sometimes it’s hard to recognize a gradual change – have others noticed that you don’t seem your usual self?
You’ve lost interest in activities that you used to enjoy. Perhaps you have been seeing less of your friends or family recently, have stopped going to the gym, or cooking balanced meals. This is really about recognizing changes in what’s normal for you – no one is saying you have to exercise five times a week or eat your greens, but changes in your routine can offer concrete indications that your mood is changing.
You are struggling to concentrate. You might notice that you struggle to focus when reading or watching television, for example, or to follow the thread of a spoken conversation. This could be affecting your performance at work, or limiting your ability to perform routine tasks such as food shopping. Again, we are looking for a change in what’s normal for you, so if concentration has always been something you find tricky there is little cause for concern.

Bear in mind that no one of these signs is in itself indicative of depression, and there are other, perfectly good reasons for each of these symptoms occurring. It’s also important to know that there are several types of depression and each can present in different ways – read more about types of depression. A GP is always a good first port of call, as they can signpost you towards more specialist services if necessary. Otherwise, if you are sure you’d like to see a mental health professional, consider making an appointment to see a psychiatrist who will be able to give you a diagnosis and advise you on which treatment might work best for you

A GP is always a good first port of call, as they can signpost you towards more specialist services if necessary. Otherwise, if you are sure you’d like to see a mental health professional, consider making an appointment to see a psychiatrist.

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.

– Robert Frost

Can depression be cured?

Depression, like many mental health conditions, follows ‘the rule of thirds’: One third of sufferers will make a full recovery, one third will partially respond to treatment, and one third will not benefit from treatment at all. Your age, the duration of your symptoms, having a family history of depression, and co-occurring mental or physical health difficulties might all affect your prognosis. Some researchers believe that there is evidence for a ‘scarring’ effect, where the likelihood of suffering from a relapse in depression increases with the number of episodes you have already had. There is also an increased risk of suicide associated with severe depression.

Learn More