State officials continue gathering information on how COVID-19 is affecting Hoosiers’ mental health. Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Dr. Jennifer Sullivan shared some of the numbers behind the issue during state officials’ COVID-19 press conference Wednesday.
“For just the first few weeks of May, we saw 57 domestic violence calls, 14 suicide and/or homicide calls, and made 732 referrals to a mental health service provider,” Sullivan reported. “Additionally, our partners at our domestic violence hotlines and 911 have reported extraordinary increases in the calls coming across the entire state.”
The pandemic has been particularly challenging for those with substance use disorder, something that Sullivan said has been illustrated by the increase in the use of overdose reversal medication. “April of 2020 saw the highest naloxone dispensation in Indiana ever, with 1,306 uses,” she said. “We’ve never seen naloxone distribution like this before.” She said almost 1.5 percent of the EMS runs in the state this year have involved the deployment of naloxone.
Sullivan also discussed some of the factors that could affect how people respond to the current challenges. She pointed out that more than 60 percent of adults are believed to have lived through at least one “adverse childhood experience,” things that could add up to have a big impact later in life.
“As we move into recovery and understanding that children, even in the best of circumstances, might have been going through a traumatic time is helpful for parents, caregivers, teachers, and really all adults that interact with kids because how we see things affects how we respond to them,” Sullivan explained. She added that understanding the impact of childhood trauma could also help residents “offer some more grace” to their fellow Hoosiers.
Sullivan noted that the number of visits for mental health services is steady when compared to last year, but the number of those done through telehealth has increased sharply, based on Medicaid data. Mental health tips and links to resources are available at BeWellIndiana.com.
