The Mental Health Side Effects Of Battling COVID-19 Might Not Be Getting The Focus They Deserve.

This appeared last week:

As COVID-19 isolates patients, telehealth becomes lifeline for behavioral health

By Paige Minemyer  

Mar 30, 2020 3:17pm

As more Americans are urged to stay at home amid the COVID-19 crisis, it’s not just physical health that’s going largely digital—it's behavioral health, too.

Social distancing can go against some of the key advice for treating behavioral health disorders, such as spending time with loved ones and getting outside, said Shilagh Mirgain, Ph.D., a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

“I think some people can feel quite vulnerable that some of their safety nets or coping methods … may be at  risk,” Mirgain told FierceHealthcare. 

Strategies to weather social distancing

Even for those without behavioral health disorders, the necessary social distancing to combat COVID-19 can be stressful and isolating. UW Health's Shilagh Mirgain offered some ways providers can share with patients to maintain connections:

·         Watch a movie with a friend over video chat.

·         Go on a nature walk while keeping six feet of distance.

·         Challenge a friend to replicate an online art tutorial and compare your drawings at the end.

·         Spend time with a pet.

·         Meditate and center yourself in a moment that made you feel loved or cared for (video embedded below).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services waived certain payment requirements to ease access to telehealth in Medicare, and major national insurers are waving copayments and cost-sharing for telehealth visits related to COVID-19. As such, people seeking psychiatric care are also logging on for video visits in large numbers. 

Janie Jun, Ph.D., associate director of quality and provider strategy at Lyra Health, a mental health benefits startup, told FierceHealthcare that demand for video visits has nearly doubled as the pandemic stretches on. 

Jun said that 85% of Lyra’s mental health visits are now conducted via secure video or telephone calls. 

More here:

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/telehealth-taking-center-stage-to-treat-behavioral-health-needs-amid-covid-19-outbreak

While I have not seen specific articles on this aspect of telehealth use I have seen it discussed by experts on daytime television and the comments from the US seem totally relevant to here. Locking people away and isolating them must have some bad effects and telehealth seems ideal to assist!

David.