Suffolk To Host Mental Health Summit In Wake Of Coronavirus

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A summit to discuss mental health and substance use disorders in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is in the works for fall, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced.

The conference, which will be presented in partnership with Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research, will cover behavioral health responses to the events and consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak.

"The unspoken truth is that the pandemic forced too many people to engage in substance abuse to cope with the isolation and stress of this pandemic," Bellone said. "This summit is designed to bring together stakeholders and professionals from across the spectrum to identify best practices and strategies to address those struggling with addiction and other mental health ailments."

The Fall Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Summit intend to bring together leaders from the fields of mental health and substance use disorder to guide discussions on available resources, as well as a future vision. The goal is to increase the use of science-driven approaches to treatment and supporting essential healthcare workers with suggestions for not only surviving, but also thriving, in a complicated time.

Addiction is a treatable condition, said Dr. Harshal Kirane, medical director at Wellbridge. Wellbridge aims to offer a holistic, personalized and affordable approach to caring for patients.

"The fall summit convened by County Executive Steve Bellone will be a major step toward educating the public that those suffering from addiction can recover and improve their lives," Kirane said. "No one should have to face addiction treatment alone."

The summit will be offered as an open invitation. A date has yet to be announced, but the information is expected to come in a few weeks.

"Our residents in Suffolk County have had to demonstrate tremendous resilience in order to get through the dark days of this devastating crisis," Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of health services, said. "What we need now is to support people in attaining healthy coping strategies that are needed to sustain long-term wellness and recovery."

Researchers from a recent report found the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder increased from 36.4 percent to 41.5 percent, while the percentage of people reporting unmet mental health care needs increased from 9.2 percent to 11.7 percent between August 2020 and February 2021 due to the pandemic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Sleeping problems, as well as alcohol and other substance misuses, have also been on the rise, according to experts.

For people who had been battling substance use or mental health disorders before the coronavirus, this past year has been especially difficult, according to the county. People lost family members and friends, businesses and jobs, their education, extra-curricular activities and general socialization were all disrupted. Anxiety, depression, loss, impatience and anger were experienced by many residents, whether or not they had been battling previous mental or substance use challenges before the outbreak, county officials said.

"It’s a brain thing; science confirms so," said Cari Besserman, director of the Department of Health Services Division of Community Mental health, stated. "We need to destigmatize substance use disorder and educate healthcare practitioners as well as the public about recent advances in evidence-based treatment and how to access help."

According to the National Institutes of Health, 10 percent of American adults will have drug use disorder at some point in their lives. A survey of American adults revealed that drug use disorder is common, co-occurs with a range of mental health disorders and often goes untreated.

Approximately 20 percent of Americans, or about one in five people over the age of 18, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Mental health problems also affect one in every five young people at any given time, according to the county.