For a full list of mental health resources available in South Carolina scroll to the bottom of this page:
COLUMBIA, SC (WSPA) — A new study from the Centers for Disease Control showed people reporting anxiety and depression symptoms peaked while COVID-19 cases rose across the country in the 2020.
This was also true in South Carolina. The CDC said, “Mississippi, Oklahoma, and South Carolina had the largest percentage increases in anxiety scores during August–December 2020, whereas Minnesota, Mississippi, and South Carolina had the largest percentage increases in depression scores.”
Roger Williams is the Executive Director for the Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center. According to Williams they’ve noticed this trend too.
“The admissions (new patients who come into the Center) goes up about 3 to 4 weeks after a spike in COVID-19 cases,” Williams went on to say, “We would expect to see another increase in cases the next two weeks, coming from the Delta variant.”
Williams said a variety of factors tied to the pandemic could be playing a role in these increases. He said many of the things they heard from new patients dealt with employment, uncertainty over school or childcare and grief over losing a friend or loved one.
He said the pandemic has made it even more difficult for their prior patients, “While we are seeing an increase in referrals among young people. Our biggest concern is those already identifying themselves with already having a problem with anxiety and depression.”
The state Department of Mental Health launched new resources to help those struggling. Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center helps run the SC-Hopes hotline and the Spanish-language Tu Apoyo hotline as well.
Williams said the focus has been to make it easier for patients to have access to services. “A change has been we can now provide services via televideo. This was something we could not do so much in the past,” he said.
SCDMH CRISIS RESOURCES –SC Mobile Crisis at (833) 364-2274. –SCDMH Deaf Services Hotline at (803) 339-3339 (VP) or deafhotline@scdmh.org
NON-SCDMH CRISIS RESOURCES –Crisis Text Line by texting HOPE4SC to 741741 –Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800)-273-TALK (8255)
DMH MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES -SC-HOPES at (844) SC-HOPES (724-6737) -Tu Apoyo at (833) TU-APOYO (882-7696). –Online Mental Health Screener
