In the recent past, episodes of HealthConnections have probed different facets of the COVID-19 pandemic, and mental health care in America. Today, we look at the area where the two overlap.
HealthConnections creator Dr. Carole Myers says vaccines will not end the mental health crisis associated with the pandemic. Signs of this crisis include elevated rates of self-reported depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts among many age, gender and socioeconomic groups. Perhaps counterintuitively, Dr. Myers says we can expect to see an uptick in mental health problems even as more of us get vaccinated, because mental health issues often persist beyond the triggering event.
Myers, a professor in the University of Tennessee College of Nursing, will provide an overview and some commentary on the mental health issues facing local and national leaders, medical professionals, and the public -- and what we as a society can do about it.