
Saccu
DERBY — Kids are home from school again, people are isolated, parents aren’t sure they’ll have jobs in the New Year — and there’s daily reports showing more people testing positive.
Stress and anxiety are major side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, so John Saccu’s Derby Youth Bureau is organizing an online forum where families can get info on how to manage mental health issues should they arise.
“We want to help parents to develop strategies for student learning at home, and identifying issues like anxiety,” Saccu told The Valley Indy.
The forum is scheduled to be held on Zoom 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14. There is no charge to attend — and everyone is welcome.
Richard Feher, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Ansonia, is the featured speaker. In addition to suggesting strategies for managing emotions and stressors, he’ll talk about how to identify when it’s time to reach out for help — and how to do so.
“Everybody is looking at the vaccine coming in the next few months, but who had the staying power at this point? I try to be an optimist, but this is a serious issue. A forum like this is what the youth bureau can offer to help the community deal with this,” Saccu said.
Prior to COVID-19’s arrival in the United States, mental health was already a serious issue, as evidenced most alarmingly by an increase in suicide rates, a point also made by Saccu.
According to the CDC ​’s National Center for Health Statistics, the suicide rate in the U.S. increased 35 percent between 1999 and 2018.
According to a 2018 CDC report, suicide was the second leading cause of death among people between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among people between the ages of 35 and 54.
The fear is that the pandemic — and its accompanying economic impact — will make things worse.
“I don’t think we’re faring very well. I’m worried about the emotional strain. Suicide is at the highest rates in over 50 years. It’s climbing,” Saccu said.
While there have been individual reports regarding suicide and the pandemic, such as the case of a teenager in Maine, it’s still too early to say with certainty there is a correlation, according to Chris Maxwell, a spokesperson with The American Association of Suicidology in Washington, D.C.
“We’ve seen reports of some locations showing increases while other cities are reporting decreases in suicide deaths. And we’ve seen reports that some demographics within locations are seeing different numbers than expected. It’s simply impossible to tell until we have a larger picture of what we’re looking at,” Maxwell said in an email to The Valley Indy.
Forums on coping, such as the one being organized by the Derby Youth Bureau in collaboration with BHCare in Ansonia, are more important than ever.
“What we do know is that it’s incredibly important to normalize conversations about suicide, mental health issues, and the like,” Maxwell said. ​“We absolutely need to be talking with our loved ones and checking in on folks to ensure that we remain connected while physically distanced. Most mental health professionals have transitioned to providing Telehealth, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 (as is the Crisis Text Line and others).”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800 – 273-8255.
Back in April, The Valley Indy interviewed Pam Mautte, the director of the Alliance for Prevention and Wellness, a program of BHcare, in Ansonia (BHcare has a 24-hour crisis hotline: 203 – 800-7177).
The podcast is embedded below.