Isolation through the holiday season could exacerbate the country’s existing mental health crisis amid the covid-19 pandemic. Officials on Tuesday reminded Pennsylvania residents of available resources for mental health and substance abuse treatment.

“We know that these decisions and spending an important time of year away from loved ones can be incredibly difficult,” said Teresa Miller, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. “It’s been a hard year for everyone in different ways, and heading into a changed holiday season may bring about a kind of grief we cannot recognize or understand.”

Miller encouraged residents to be honest about their feelings and ask for help when it’s needed, leaning on friends and loved ones for support.

“There is strength in being honest about what’s difficult to endure and what you need help with,” she said.

Resources if you feel troubled

She shared a variety of resources designed to help those experiencing anxiety and depression, including DHS’s mental health support and referral helpline, Persevere PA. The phone number is 855-242-2494.

She also reminded residents of services for those experiencing food insecurity and the resulting stress.

For people with substance use disorder, the sense of community needed for recovery has been altered during the isolation of the pandemic, according to Jen Smith, secretary of Pennsylvania’s Drug and Alcohol Program.

Smith also pointed out that while Pennsylvanians and news coverage are mostly preoccupied with the covid-19 pandemic, the country and state are still struggling with a years-long opioid epidemic.

“It’s important for all of us to remember,” Smith said. “The opioid overdose epidemic hasn’t ended. It’s still very much a part of our nation and of the commonwealth.”

At state and local levels, Smith said Pennsylvanians who struggle with addiction can take advantage of prevention and treatment resources, as well as recovery programs that offer employment coaching, housing assistance and transportation.

The state has several resources designated specifically for veterans, officials said. Nearly one in four active duty military personnel report a mental health challenge, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Help for soldiers, veterans

Rick Hamp, with the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said roughly 45% of veterans develop some form of PTSD.

More than one in 10 are diagnosed with a substance use disorder — slightly higher than the general population — and veterans are 1.5 times more likely to die by suicide than those who never served in the military, Hamp said.

Military spouses, children and parents may also experience a unique kind of anxiety or depression from being separated from their loved ones.

“It’s a simple fact that military service members and veterans and their families often face unique challenges that are associated with transitions that go along with the service that they provided for our country,” Hamp said. “These often present both physical and mental health challenges that civilians simply do not share.”

The stresses of the holiday season amid a pandemic may only exacerbate those challenges, Hamp said.

He encouraged veterans in Pennsylvania to take advantage of the Veterans Crisis Line, which can be reached at 800-273-8255, and the PA VetConnect program, a new statewide outreach initiative that connects veterans with resources in their communities. Additionally, he said various centers for veterans support services across the state are slated to receive grant funding — including Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh. Funding to that facility will go toward their cause of ending veteran homelessness in the region.

“The covid-19 pandemic has added a very thick layer of concern, isolation and in many cases, real fear for ourselves and our families,” Hamp said.

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