Impacts to mental health during COVID-19 lockdowns

With the new reality of the COVID-19 lockdowns, behavioral health experts say many may feel overwhelmed by anxiety and uncertainty.

(CHRIS AD LIB BUMP -- I-75 NEARCOLONIAL BLVD.)WITH THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ANDIT’S UNCERTAINTY OF AN ENDDATE..

IT CAN FEEL OVERWHELMINGAND HARD TO MANAGE.THIS MORNING, WE’RE HEARING FROMA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH EXPERT THATWORKS WITH INMATES CONFINED TO AJAIL SENTENCE....NOELANI TELLS US HOW THAT ANDQUARANTINE CAN BE MORE SIMILARTHAN YOU THINK."GOOD MORNING EVERYONE--AT THIS TIME, MANY OF US ARESETTLING INTO THIS NEW REALITYOF LOCKDOWN..WHETHER THAT’S A GOOD THING ORNOT.IT’S WHY EXPERTS SAY ’NOW’ ISGOOD TIME TO TALK ABOUT MENTALHEALTH."FOR 30 YEARS, DR. KEN HOPPER HASSPECIALIZED IN BEHAVIORALHEALTH.ONE OF HIS JOBS IS TO HELPINMATES OVERCOME CHALLENGES OFCONFINEMENT.HE SAYS WHILE THE LOCATION ANDCIRCUMSTANCES OF JAIL ARDIFFERENT FEELING CONFINED TO ALOCKDOWN OR HOME CAN FEEL THEXACT SAME--BASED ON STUDIES OF NATURALHUMAN BEHAVIOR, WE’RE ALL WIREDWITH THE SAME BIOLOGICAL NEEDSLIKE SOCIAL INTERACTION ANDBEING OUTDOORS.THAT MEANS WE ALL FEEL THE SAMEMOTIONS IN TIMES OF LOCKDOWNAND SOCIAL DISTANCING.DR. HOPPER SAYS THE ONLY WAY TOAVOID MENTAL BREAKDOWN..IS TOKNOW THE SIGNS AND CHANGE YOURPERSPECTIVE.SOT - DR. KEN HOPPER/ ARMORHEALTH:"When something is new, whichlife throws us all the time likeCOVID-19 we’re getting asentence into a jail situation,both of those are pretty bigcurveballs.

What can happen isour minds can go wild so you’reexactly right.

In fact, when youtreat anxiety it is about beingable to stop pass that firstthought."(21)LKLIVE"COMING UP NEXT, DR. HOPPER ISSHARING HOW TO KNOW IF YOU’REEXPERIENCING THESE SIGNS..

ANDHOW TO CHANGE THEM BEFORE IT