Struggling with mental health is not rare | Herald Community Newspapers – liherald

Mental health continues to a topic that has affected many top tier athletes across the country. Womens tennis player Naomi Osaka dropped out of the French Open a couple of months back, and two weeks ago Simone Biles temporary withdrew herself from the Tokyo Olympics due to her mental health.

Some people might point towards social medias role in adding an immense amount of pressure on athletes to consistently be nothing else but great. Athletes, however, are not the only ones whose mental health is affected. The medical issue has become a prominent topic for people across Nassau County as well as county officials unveiled that money will be available to help.

There will be $17.9 million dollars in grants allocated for programs to help with mental health, social services, senior citizens, veterans, and substance abuse support, County Executive Laura Curran stated last week.

The Long Island Crisis Center is a 24/7 hotline-based service for people who need assistance regarding mental health issues. Crisis Center Director Joe Walsh understands how important mental health is, and how the illness should be treated. We know mental health is important as physical health, he said. We treat mental health challenges the same way we would treat a physical illness.

A persons mental health does not degenerate overnight. There are a variety of reasons why many people suffer from mental health issues. Walsh wants there to be an open line of communication so people are comfortable discussing their problems.

We want to create an environment where people can ask for help, he said. One of our goals as an agency is to take stigma out of the public profession. To remind the community it is OK to talk about mental health and not be OK, the road to mental health recovery can help with one conversation.

New Horizon Counseling Center in Valley Stream has seen an increase in people attending treatment and therapy since the coronavirus pandemic. Counseling Center Director Nitza Hasis said her staff is well equipped to handle both mental health and physical issues.

We use the same mentality when treating mental and physical health, she said. There is connection between the two and we train our staff to deal with it appropriately. We give medication that is given from the psychiatrist, or we use therapy, specifically Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. We learn how to manage the symptoms.

Cliets whoo are suffering from mental health issues are receiving medication or CBT have struggled at times to remain patient as they try and get better. Sometimes we get people who leave treatment too early, and, in most cases, they come back whether it is from the hospital, school or family, Hasis said. Everything is due to a person's decision making they cannot stop their medication prematurely; everything must be done with a doctor, and you can see a big difference.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic mental health was at the forefront of most households and businesses as the counseling center saw an immense growth in their clientele. During Covid-19 we saw a big increase in mental health issues, people were reporting they had more anxiety, especially with people who are virtual, children as well who were not in school, adults who lost their job, which caused a lot of anxiety and depression, Hasis said.

Children up to 14 have been facing mental health issues and comprise most of the New Horizon Counseling Center clientele. Before the pandemic the Horizon center had a up to 40 percent children however, now the percentage is higher and we are dealing with clients who are high risk, she said. We receive these clients who are from all over Nassau County as well as Queens. If we have clients who are abusing drugs, we bring them to our chemically dependency program which is another reason why a persons mental health can deteriorate.

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Struggling with mental health is not rare | Herald Community Newspapers - liherald