GUELPH – On the heels of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, Toward Common Ground and its partners have released a Vital Focus on Mental Health.
It is the third installment in a series of reports providing evidence-based recommendations on how to mitigate and address the secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on a national survey about mental health from April 24 to May 11:
– 52 per cent of Canadians indicated that their mental health had gotten worse;
– nervous, anxious, or on edge feelings were most frequently reported; and
– youth were more likely to note negative effects compared to seniors.
Locally, call volumes to Here24/7, a one-stop portal for mental health assistance, were consistent with pre-COVID numbers from March 1 to June 30.
However, there was a 25.7% increase in calls in June this year compared to previous months. There has typically not been an increase in calls in June in other years.
The top five reasons for calling are COVID stress, relationship conflict, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.
In Guelph and Wellington, community organizations have been working together, following public health guidelines, to increase the availability of face-to-face care for people who have complex needs and are vulnerable.
Those organizations are already working to implement some of the following recommendations:
– educate community members to help identify people at risk of suicide;
– provide adequate funding for mental health services; and
– collect timely and reliable local data to understand and respond to trends in mental health.
“Increasing awareness of the effects of the pandemic across a broad range of issues on the people in our community helps to understand their most urgent needs and how best to serve them as we continue to work together to respond and recover from COVID-19,” officials stated.
If you are in crisis, call Here 24/7 at 1-844-437-3247.
Visit Here4Help.ca to access online resources and support during COVID-19.
Call the Family Counselling and Support Services for Guelph-Wellington distress line at 1-888-821-3760 or 519-821-3760.
Or call 519-824-2431 or 1-800-307-7078 to make an appointment. No referrals are necessary.
