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Mental health help available for El Pasoans suffering due to COVID-19 pandemic

El Paso Times - 8/29/2021

If you're mental health has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, help is available.

City of El Paso Department of Public Health officials and their partners at the Emergence Health Network encourage residents experiencing mental health problems to seek support for themselves or their loved ones. The pandemic has fueled mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Trained public health specialists can help connect people to behavioral and mental health resources in the El Paso area, department officials said in a news release.

To get help, call 211, visit EPStrong.org and click on the Mental Health button on the homepage or call Emergence Health Network's Crisis Counseling Program's 24-hour hotline at 915-779-1800. It offers free counseling support to those who are experiencing emotional challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health officials said in the news release that current research shows that three in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The most recent data from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation shows the importance of seeking professional behavioral help as an early intervention to prevent hospitalization and improve results, officials said.

According to an assessment conducted by the foundation, 13.6% of adults in El Paso County experienced stress, depression and problems with emotions for more than 14 days over a period of a month, as compared to Texas at 11.6% and the U.S. at 13%.

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Common mental health warning signs and symptoms to look for are:

** Feeling sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks.

** Trying to harm or kill oneself or making plans to do so.

** Severe risk-taking behavior.

** Sudden overwhelming fear or worries that get in the way of daily activities.

** Significant weight loss or weight gain.

** Seeing, hearing or believing things that are not real.

** Excessive alcohol use.

** Drastic mood swings.

** Extreme difficulty concentrating or staying still.

For assistance or more information, call the Department of Public Health at 915-212-6680, visit epstrong.org under Mental Health or call the Emergence Health Network's COVID-19 Mental Health Support Hotline at 915-779-1800.

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