Sweetwater Reporter

West Texas Centers Offers Assistance For Mental Health

BIG SPRING - Maintaining mental health has proven difficult for many West Texans and the rest of the world were forced to change routines, jobs and social activities as a result of COVID-19.

“Many people lost jobs, children were unable to attend classes on-site and many became ill during 2020 and into 2021,” said West Texas Centers CEO Shelley Smith, LMSW. “We have experienced such extremes ranging from our personal to our professional lives, not to mention our health.”

“Couple that with all the things that have been added to our daily lives: wearing masks, social distancing, and constant sanitization for fear of contracting a life-threatening illness has worn us down.” “It’s no secret that our mental health has been stretched to the limits as we learned to adapt to a new normal.”..

West Texas Centers, which serves 23 counties in rural West Texas operates 15 mental health clinics. Although many of their services changed during lockdown, the mental health authority continued to provide services either through teleconferencing, phone calls, texting or emails.

The Center also operates a 24-hour Mental Health Hotline available to anyone experiencing a crisis. That number is 1-800-375-4357. “Since so many of us were confined to our homes, we did see an uptick in calls,” Smith said. “We were so glad that we had that resource during this past year.”

The stress of the unknown can cause difficulty sleeping, relying on drugs or alcohol to cope, problems concentrating, gaining weight or fighting more with family members and friends.

Many adults also are concerned about the effects on their children with more than a quarter of parents seeking professional mental health help as a result of the pandemic, according to a recent study from the American Psychiatric Association.

Adding to the difficulty is finding suitable help from a mental health professional, Smith said.

“We are fortunate to have a strong staff of mental health professionals who are available for the children, adults and their families in our area,” she said.

“We are calling special attention to our outreach this month during Mental Health Awareness Month,” Smith said. “We usually invite the public for large celebrations involving giveaways and refreshments but we are still exercising caution and continuing social distancing.”

Many of the 15 mental health clinics will have giveaways for children, such as sunglasses and wristbands with motivational quotes. Clinics will also provide cookies and drinks.

“We want to encourage people who may think they need assistance to call our clinics or our Crisis Hotline. We want people to get help and we think we are only scratching the surface of those who need assistance.” Many people do need professional help, Smith said but others can cope with health measures such as taking a walk each day; keeping in touch with friends and family; and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

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2021-05-15T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-05-15T07:00:00.0000000Z

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