Healthy Disruptions: Mental Health

In this episode, we talk about the mental health impacts of the pandemic in our community. We begin by reflecting on our own mental health and how anxiety, social isolation, and prolonged uncertainty have shaped our lives since early 2020. Next, we check-in with a licensed therapist in the Coachella Valley to get a sense of how providers are navigating increased demand for mental health services. We then amplify the stories of Southern Californians who have experienced impacts to their mental health and highlight their strategies in managing stress and anxiety throughout the pandemic.

Hosts include Joshua Liashenko, Amairani Ramos, and Katheryn Rodriguez. 

Mental Health Resources:

24/7 Resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Hotline

(800) SUICIDE
(800) 784-2433
 www.hopeline.com 

• Alternatives to Domestic Violence

 www.alternativestodv.org

• 24-hour confidential hotline: 

(951) 683-0829 or 1(800) 339-SAFE

• National Mental Health Association

http://www.nmha.org
1(800) 969-6642

• National Institute of Mental Health

http://www.nimh.nih.gov
1(866) 615-6464

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

http://www.afsp.org
1(888) 333-2377

• American Association for Suicidology

http://www.suicidology.org
1(800) 273-TALK (8255)

• The Jed Foundation

http://jedfoundation.org

Local Resources (Inland Empire): 

• Riverside Community Hospital ER 

4445 Magnolia Avenue Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 788-3200
http://riversidecommunityhospital.com

• Riverside County Regional Medical Center

26520 Cactus Avenue Moreno Valley, CA 92555
(951) 486-5650
http://www.ruhealth.org/

• Parkview Hospital

3865 Jackson Street Riverside, CA 92503
(951) 688-2211
https://www.pchmc.org/

• Corona Regional Medical Center

800 S. Main Street Corona, CA 91720
(951) 736-6241
http://www.coronaregional.com

• Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center

http://rarcc.org
(951) 686-RAPE or (951) 686-7273

• Riverside Helpline

24 Hour Suicide/Crisis Intervention
(951) 686-HELP or (951) 686-4357

Transcript

Joshua: Before we start today’s episode, we want to give a general content and trigger warning: This episode discusses personal struggles with mental health and briefly mentions suicide. If you or anyone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or contemplating suicide, call the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988 or visit their website at 988lifeline.org. Also, we have posted a list of mental health support resources in our show notes on our website.

Amairani: Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on almost every part of our lives. Around the world, people have had to manage changing financial situations, uncertainty concerning their jobs and livelihood, caring for children and older relatives, as well as countless other everyday life disruptions. One thing that has been affected over the past few years that sometimes gets overlooked is mental health. Everyone has emotions, thoughts, experiences, and potential stressors which like everything else in our lives, have been affected by persistent upheaval thanks to COVID.

Katheryn: According to the World Health Organization, there has been a 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression around the world since the beginning of the pandemic. This has led 90% of countries to include mental health support services in their COVID-19 response plans.

Katheryn: According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, In early 2021, 46.1% of adults in California reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. 21.9% were unable to get needed counseling or therapy.

Joshua: Increased social isolation, economic instability, and the fear of contracting COVID have all worked to put a strain on mental health. In today’s episode, we will discuss how members of our community understand their mental health in-light of the pandemic, strategies for managing stress and anxiety, and we will speak with a licensed therapist from the Coachella Valley about their experiences providing care for their clients during this time.

We are Joshua, Amairani, and Katheryn.
And this is Healthy Disruptions. (Amairani)
Stay with us. (Katheryn)

[music]
I am Joshua Liashenko, an anthropologist and researcher in Riverside.

I am Amairani Ramos, a resident and researcher in the Coachella Valley.

I am Katheryn Rodriguez, a resident and researcher in Riverside.

[Talk about what is mental health for us, any impacts we’ve seen, or experiences.]

Amairani: As we begin, let's talk a little about mental health. Joshua, what have you noticed or experienced about mental health during the pandemic?

Joshua: I’ve heard about people dealing with anxiety for the first time in their lives and how taking extraordinary measures to stay safe and not risk infection provides a sense of security. Stress and anxiety provokes different reactions in everyone and for people typically unaccustomed to mental health challenges, figuring out new ways to navigate life promotes a sense of safety and control. I know people who have set up shoe disinfectant stations outside their homes, only going to buy groceries at certain times of day to avoid crowds, and have limited contact with friends and family outside their home in accordance with physical distancing guidelines during the early days of the pandemic. How about you, Amairani?

Amairani: I think my experience was very similar. For the first couple of months, I was living with my grandparents and I saw how afraid they were of contracting COVID and they completely stopped going out. I was also afraid with them so I stayed at home too. For groceries, we would only go once a week and we were pretty much isolated most of the time. I did also see how it was affecting our mental health. My grandmother, for example, would go outside to the backyard and do some gardening, feed her chickens, clean things around, anything to keep her occupied. I vividly remember her telling me something along the lines of “I don’t want to be home anymore, lets go walk around the neighborhood, even if we have to wear masks, I need to go for a walk.” Katheryn, what have you experienced?

Katheryn: Just like you guys, I can relate to that adjustment and the impacts on my mental health during the pandemic. I think that for a lot of us, mental health was affected by the small changes of the daily routine, to fundamental changes such as losing a loved one to COVID 19. I know we will discuss more and hear real stories, but I think it’s important to shed some light about the loss and the grief that we’ve all experienced during this pandemic and how it impacted our well-being.
During this time, I realized that I am not the only one going through this grief journey. A recent study (https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2007476117) I came across during my search for answers, stated that approximately nine surviving Americans will lose a grandparent, parent, sibling, spouse or child due to the virus; which means the number of people recovering from loss in this pandemic is just greater than we can imagine. And for me, this episode was so difficult to work on but something I considered so needed. Especially because the main purpose of this project was to give a story behind the numbers, so that we can elevate the voices of talking to real people, experiencing real losses and being affected by mental health issues. Raising awareness is just a first step, and that’s why I was so happy that in this episode we got to hear from a therapist that’s on the ground doing the work that’s needed in this recovery journey for our community. Joshua, please tell us more about that interview.

Joshua: We spoke with Jacob Rostovsky, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who lives and works in Palm Springs. He specializes in mental health and social support for trans and non-binary people living throughout Southern California through his non-profit organization, Queer Works. As a therapist, Jacob has an on-the-ground perspective of mental health challenges facing folks throughout the region and he graciously agreed to provide insight from his practice.

[music transition]

Joshua: In your experience, can you comment on the general state of mental health during the pandemic, especially among clients in your practice?

Jacob: The general state of mental health during the pandemic is very polarized. On one hand, obviously, a lot of people are experiencing depression, anxiety, thoughts of loneliness. They're experiencing a lot of these feelings for the very first time, which is also scary and new. But on the opposite side, there's been a lot of focus around mental health. And so this focus has actually been helping people who have already been experiencing mental health symptoms or negative mental health symptoms prior to the pandemic. It's been offering a lot more resources and opportunities to talk about the state of mental health. So in some instances, it's actually been helpful for individuals because they're now able to access resources and a lot of low cost and free resources too.

Joshua: Could you speak a little bit to the state of mental health among people living in the Coachella Valley during the pandemic?

Jacob: The state of mental health around individuals in Coachella Valley is very unique because there's a lot of resources out there for individuals who are over 65 or between the ages of twelve and 24, but there aren't a lot of accessible mental health resources for everyone from 25 to 64. And so when you are unable to access resources, especially with the population I work with, with the LGBTQ population, when you're unable to access resources that are affirming for your identity, it's really difficult. So out here in the Coachella Valley yes, we also experience a lot of homelessness. Right? A lot of issues around mental health there too. So it's just, I hate to say we're not in a very good place right now when it comes to mental health access, resources, treatment, and symptoms in the Valley.

Joshua: You mentioned earlier about the expanded resources because of the pandemic, and I'm assuming you're talking about teletherapy. Could you speak on your experiences with providing teletherapy to your clients?

Jacob: Tele therapy has really expanded through the pandemic. No one knew really what telehappy or even telehealth was prior to the pandemic, and now it's everywhere. And a lot of therapists are actually, like, giving up their offices to solely focus on tele therapy. In my experience, it's been extremely helpful and beneficial because, especially with my population, we can access therapy in a very safe and affirming environment. We don't have to worry about leaving the house or if we're trans and worried about something happening to us because of the way that we look. We could be within our we could be in our house, right, in our bedroom safe, have our animals with us, have our stuffed animals, our snuggies. You know? It's a very positive thing to experience, and then it's also very easy to access. Everyone has access to phones now, even if you're homeless, there's services. They give you free phones. So teletherapy has just been really, really beneficial.

Joshua: Have there been any specific challenges that you faced providing telehappy?

Jacob: Some challenges that I've faced providing teletherapy definitely involve, you know, having to do with attention span and having to do with feeling connected to a client. While we feel connected by talking, there's just something a little bit more about that physical one on one interaction. Right. Even though we're not touching our clients, we're still, like, in the same room with them. We can feel their energy. Sometimes our clients get distracted by something that's in their room or if they're on their computer and there's a text message, right. It's not as easy to turn off the outside world. When you're in tele therapy.

Joshua: And lastly, what are your hopes for the future in terms of providing therapy in the region, especially for your population? What are your hopes for the future in navigating this current stage of the pandemic as a therapist?

Jacob: I have a lot of hopes for the future as a therapist, and navigating sort of the state that we're in. But the one that I really wish and to see is that it's accessible for individuals to become therapists, to become mental health workers, to work within the community, who identify within the communities, because when we have people who have lived experience, it brings us more rich in-depth, and also, I feel like it helps with treatment. So I really hope that now that we have ways to go to school online and to afford things, that we see more therapists coming up in this region.

Joshua: And one more question. I know that I said lastly, a minute ago, but if people wanted someone listening to this podcast right now who is LGBTQ and lives in your service area, and you mentioned Riverside in Los Angeles counties, how could they potentially access resources?

Jacob: If you're LGBTQ, you can access reset over if you're LGBTQ and out here in the Valley, a really great way to access resources would be to contact either the Coachella Valley LGBTQ Center they have really great therapists. Or DAP Health they also have really great therapists. And if you're trans and nonbinary, you can reach out to us, Queerworks, www.queerworks.org. We provide completely free therapy to trans and nonbinary individuals. If you fall within the other letters of the acronym, you can also reach out to us, and we'll do our best to pair you or find you with a resource as well.

Joshua: Fantastic. Thank you so much for speaking with us today.

Jacob: Of course. No problem.

[music transition]

Amairani: We now want to explore perspectives from the community regarding mental health. Many of the stories shared today emerged from the early months of the pandemic. We feel that by revisiting these early experiences, we can show how many of us were struggling and dealing with mental health in similar ways because we were collectively going through similar circumstances. We also hope to give listeners a chance to reflect on their lives since March 2020. We encourage our listeners to take in pandemic stories and consider what about their lives and mental health has changed or stayed the same over the past two and half years. It’s also important to remember that while many people shared their stories dealing with isolation, anxiety, depression, and fear, they also demonstrated an extraordinary amount of strength and perseverance.

Katheryn: First, let’s talk about something most of us had to deal with during the spring of 2020: being at home. Stress and sadness due to social isolation and feelings of “cabin fever” were commonly reported among members of our community. I think the three of us can count ourselves among the masses of people who also struggled with the constancy of being indoors. Serious concerns such as fears of unreported domestic abuse and people struggling with addiction and substance abuse while stuck at home were mentioned by participants in our study. Also, the stress associated with changes to routine social interactions also proved to be common among people we spoke with in 2020. For example, not being able to speak with people in-person like coworkers or professors also worsened feelings of isolation. Everyday interactions that we all typically take for granted were transformed into Zoom calls and emails, almost entirely overnight.

A Pomona resident reflected on his struggles with always being at home:
“Um, yeah, I think staying at home affects someone a lot, you’re just at home all the time and sometimes you’re four-walled, getting cabin fever. So that affects me a little bit, yeah, and worrying about my family in the future. You know money, businesses, stuff like that worries me.”

Joshua: Beyond the toll of isolation, many community members also discussed fears and anxiety of catching COVID. The daily barrage of statistics, case numbers, death rates, and concerns of lasting effects with the still not fully understood possibility of “long COVID” added a terrifying dimension which took its toll on the mental health and wellbeing of millions. One purpose of this project was to highlight stories of lived experience and humanity that often hide behind the numbers that fuel headlines. As cases and deaths skyrocketed (something we still see today), the impact on people’s lives and their mental health was far too often overlooked, especially in the spring and summer of 2020.

A resident of Bermuda Dunes, in the Coachella Valley, shared her fears of contracting COVID while completing everyday tasks such as buying groceries. She said:
“I just feel like this is never going to end, and it’s scary and it’s stressful but more scary. Like you just live in fear to go anywhere because you don’t know where you’re gonna catch it. Anywhere I go, I always think I’m going to get the virus. Like even if I just go, let me see, to go grab some groceries. I always think “oh this lady that’s behind me, she’s coughing, she’s gonna give me the virus” so I don’t feel secure anywhere I go.

Amairani: While these participants shared with us their fears, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic, others shared with us their coping mechanisms.

 A resident of Monrovia shared with us that she is learning to take time for herself with activities such as journaling and reading. Things that I was working on with my therapist prior to the pandemic in regards to my anxiety, is, um, she was like telling me how I “need to learn to take time out of my week to do things, um, for fun and to do things just for me.” Uh, because I spend a lot of time working, doing school, doing chores, and it feels, like, this never-ending loop. So, she was like “no, no, no. You have to take-you have to make time to do nothing essentially.” Um, so, I've been working on that, um, and I found that, um—I mean, I've always loved writing—um. In college, the first time around, I did a lot of creative writing. So, I found myself kind of doing some journaling, some creative writing, um, that's always a release for me, I really love that. Um, I've found myself reading again, not just for school but, like, reading stupid fantasy books that I love.

Katheryn: While sometimes these strategies are viewed merely as coping mechanisms for getting by or persevering through a difficult moment, we all know that the pandemic has lasted longer than a single moment. For many of the community members we talked to, as well as ourselves, our coping strategies have transformed into parts of everyday life. Instead of coping, we are learning about ourselves and developing ways to adapt to our new normal.

Joshua: Managing my mental health during the current stage of the pandemic, here in mid-2022, involves being vigilant of changing circumstances and being consistently amendable. While I have general anxiety about contracting COVID, being vaccinated and knowing so many people have tested positive and have now recovered, I feel less anxious than I did in 2020. For me, being adaptable means testing regularly (especially before attending gatherings), wearing a mask when I am in close proximity to people in public, and checking in with friends about their health before making plans.

Amairani: For me, my mental health definitely declined during the pandemic, especially during the lockdown. As many others, the isolation was tough. And I think watching the news everyday or checking the number of cases in my county, was not helping at all. So one of the best decisions I made was to avoid news for a while; I think it’s important to acknowledge when you need to make changes in your life for your mental health. I also started teletherapy and oh my gosh, I swear talking to someone specialized in helping people with their mental health had a HUGE impact on me. My therapist helped me work through my emotions and helped me understand that it was okay to not be okay. But if it wasn’t because we were forced to do telehealth or virtual everything, I don’t think I would have trusted teletherapy. Now I trust it. I know it works. But I also know getting professional mental health help is a privilege and not everyone can afford it.

Katheryn: Just like you Amairani, during this time I was able to use tele-health for therapy, online support groups and podcasts, just like this one. However, like you said not a lot of people get access to these resource for a variety of reasons aside some being able to afford it. Some people don’t access to the internet, some don’t know how to use a phone or simply not knowing these things exist, and I think that’s something that we cannot forget to mention in this episode, to look at the bigger picture.

Joshua: As our episode about mental health and the pandemic comes to a close, we hope our conversations and the stories we presented bring awareness to all who listen. We also hope that if you are struggling with your mental and emotional health due to the pandemic or for any other reason, that this episode reminds you that you are not alone. 

We have provided a list of mental health resources in the show notes on our website, healthydisruptions.buzzsprout.com 

Amairani: Thank you for joining us and tune in next time for another episode of Healthy Disruptions.