Mental health services in greater demand amid political upheaval
Stress due to the current U.S. political climate is leading more individuals in Massachusetts to seek mental health help, according to experts.
In a March 28 GBH article, mental health providers said that they have seen a recent uptick in demand for their services, including from queer clients who are experiencing distress due to actions by the federal government—such as repealing previous protections for gay and transgender people and attempting to restrict gender-affirming health care for youth.
“This moment in history is filled with so much uncertainty for so many people in terms of access to healthcare, social safety net programs, equity, job security, free speech and fair representation,” said Christy Denckla, assistant professor of social and behavioral sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, one of the experts quoted in the article.
“We could expect a commensurate impact on mental health as we saw in prior national population-level traumas like the pandemic,” she said.
Read the GBH article: Politics-related stress driving uptick in demand for mental health services, providers say
