State’s mental health systems are badly overburdened when they’re needed most

The isolation and uncertainty that characterized so much of the past few years has led to an epidemic of anxiety and depression among adults and children. At the same time, it’s harder than ever for those experiencing mental illness to get treatment.

In a perfect storm of adverse conditions, in-patient psychiatric beds lost at Covid’s height have not been replaced and the shortage of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners is worsening in the state and nationwide.

It’s well past time for an all-hands-on-deck effort to mitigate and start fixing problems in New York’s overstressed and under-resourced mental health treatment system.

It’s not just a local problem, although recent reports of an overwhelmed behavioral health emergency room at Erie County Medical Center are concerning. Stories in The News exposed a situation that requires immediate attention by hospital and county administrators. But an overcrowded emergency room and waits for patient evaluation and treatment that can last for days are, sadly, not uncommon throughout New York and across the nation.

There are promising new approaches. New York’s Office of Mental Health has provided a five-year, $16.8 million grant to UBMD Psychiatry to continue and expand a statewide program called Project TEACH (Training and Education for the Advancement of Children’s Health). This program addresses the severe shortage of mental health professionals by connecting pediatric primary care providers with psychiatrists and other behavioral health care experts for consultation, referrals to services and training on children’s social and emotional development. Instead of waiting months to see a psychiatrist, families can get help sooner from trusted family practitioners.

At the federal level, a spending package that may soon reach President Biden’s desk provides several key investments to expand access to mental health, including grants for maternal mental health, the Community Health Service Block Grants and the Substance Use and Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Block Grants.

But a scattershot approach – with a few innovative programs and chunks of funding pushed here and there – is not enough. An overarching statewide push to address mental health at every level – much as New York is addressing the urgent environmental issues caused by climate change – is desperately needed.

In the meantime, we can help friends and loved ones we see struggling with anxiety and depression by simply listening to them and believing that their problems are real.

The majority of Americans say that the holiday season has a negative impact on their mental health. Let’s keep that in mind – and be ready with friendly smiles and a few kind words.

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