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Losing Ground: Economic trouble keeps people from getting needed mental-health treatment
Journal Graphic by Nicholas Weir
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Published: July 9, 2009
As the economic downturn grinds on, more people are cutting back on treatment for anxiety, depression and substance abuse, local mental-health advocates say.
And those who continue to get care say they worry about the toll that the economy is taking on them.
Al Renna is the president of Family Services Inc., which provides counseling and other treatment on a sliding scale to individuals, couples and families. The nonprofit, which is based in Winston-Salem and has an office in Davie County, serves about 250 clients in its family-counseling program, he said.
According to a February in-house survey in of the nonprofit's counselors, about 33 percent of clients had recently experienced a job loss or reduction in income, Renna said. That number jumped to 40 percent in June.
Also troubling. Renna said, is the growing number of people who discontinue their treatment because they can't afford it. About 25 percent of the agency's clients ended their treatment because of money concerns in February. That number grew to about 29 percent in June.
Renna said he expects the drop in clients to continue as more people lose their jobs and health insurance.
And for the recently unemployed, depression and anxiety can make it harder for them get back on their feet, Renna said.
"Job loss is a wound," he said. "And it's a wound on the entire family."
Ginny Mills, a counselor at the Trinity Center in Winston-Salem, called the current economic climate a "perfect storm," because clients put off counseling when they are most vulnerable.
Trinity Center offers faith-based and traditional treatment programs for a variety of issues. The center tries to accommodate clients who struggle to afford treatment.
"Their need for it (counseling) is increasing in direct response to circumstances that are out of their control," Mills said.
Joan Wilkins sees a steady stream of clients at her private psychotherapeutic practice, which has been in Winston-Salem since 1985.
Many of her clients have told her they are worried about their jobs and finances.
"I've been through several economic crises," she said. "This one's different. It's different for everybody."
Clients who were "staying ahead of the tidal wave" are beginning to feel the effects of the economic decline, Wilkins said. "People are starting to have a little bit more awareness that there's going to be good times and bad times, and to plan accordingly."
That means working overtime, taking less time off for vacation and putting off retirement, which can contribute to anxiety and depression, Wilkins said.
Wilkins said the downturn gives her clients a chance to tune in to the needs of others and make more reasonable financial decisions.
"It's not a cliché to say count your blessings," she said.
Stephen Kramer, the medical director of adult psychiatry at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, said he sees some patients who are dealing with job insecurity for the first time in their lives. "There's that sense of unsettlement," he said.
While they do not have serious psychiatric disorders, he said, it is important for them to seek help.
"If you're less depressed and anxious, your body functions better," Kramer said, noting how treatment can also aid financial recovery.
About 1.4 million state residents lack health insurance, according to a report by the N.C. Institute of Medicine. And that number is growing. The state unemployment rate was at 11.1 percent in May, meaning about 500,000 people were out of work and looking for jobs, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission.
Those who lack insurance that covers mental-health care are looking for free or low-cost treatment, staff members at the Mental Health Association in Forsyth County said.
Support groups are a popular way for people to iron out problems by sharing them with others, said Pam Forrester, the program coordinator for the Mental Health Association. She coordinates support groups, educational programs and volunteer services.
For people who are stressed out by the economy, "having a place where they can freely discuss that is important," Forrester said.
"A lot of people do say things like, ‘At least you're not alone,'" she said.
However, she cautioned that the groups should not replace professional or clinical therapy.
■ Christian Kloc can be reached at 727-7270 or at ckloc@wsjournal.com.
Dealing with stress
Here are some tips on dealing with stress:
• Try to keep things in perspective.
• Strengthen connections with family and friends.
• Exercise to help relieve stress and anxiety.
• Get help from a health professional if you need it.
SOURCE: THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION OF U.S. DEPT OF HEALTH AND HUM
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