As
a teenager, Paulina Castle struggled for years with suicidal thoughts. When her
mental health was at its most fragile, she would isolate herself, spending days
in her room alone.
“That’s
the exact thing that makes you feel significantly worse,” the 26-year-old
Denver woman said. “It creates a cycle where you’re constantly getting dug into
a deeper hole.”
Part of
her recovery involved forcing herself to leave her room to socialize or to
exercise outside. But the COVID-19 pandemic has made all of that much harder.
Instead of interacting with people on the street in her job as a political
canvasser, she is working at home on the phone. And with social distancing
rules in place, she has fewer opportunities to meet with friends.
Between
the challenges of the pandemic, the social unrest and the economic crisis,
mental health providers are warning that the need for behavioral health
services is growing. Yet faced with budgetary shortfalls, Colorado is cutting
spending on a number of mental health and substance use treatment programs.
Across the country, the recession
has cut state revenues at the same time the COVID-19 pandemic has increased
costs, forcing state lawmakers into painful decisions about how to balance
their budgets. Health care is one of the targets even in the midst of a health
care crisis. Read more here.
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