https://www.naco.org/articles/...ntal-health-services

"As the tolls of physical distancing and economic uncertainty, along with anxiety resulting from the many unknowns of the novel coronavirus, add up to emotional stress and turmoil, effective mental health services have proven crucial to keeping residents functioning while they wait out a return to a somewhat familiar life.

Nearly one-third of Americans have been reporting signs of anxiety or depression since the pandemic began, according to the Household Pulse Survey by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau. A poll by the Kaiser Family Health Foundation found that 45 percent of adults across the country say that worry and stress related to the pandemic are hurting their mental health.

Long-term, research by the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care and the Well Being Trust found that as many as 75,000 more people will die from drug or alcohol misuse and suicide throughout the decade if policymakers ignore the collateral damage from the pandemic as it affects Americans’ emotional well-being.

But as counties grapple with how best to provide mental health services, they are uncovering new challenges and also new adaptations that could pay off down the road."