A pattern of declining mental health presentations during lockdown followed by a spike when regions open back up appears to be repeating during the more recent stay-at-home orders.
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Western NSW Local Health District mental health drug and alcohol director Jason Crisp said the phenomenon was seen during and after last year's lock downs and appears to be happening again.
He said it was possible the decrease in presentations was due to people not wanting to visit the hospital during a lockdown but he is urging people to contact services such as the NSW mental health line 1800 011 511 or online resources before their symptoms worsen.
"Surprisingly to our mental health services and to our mental health line ... the number has been fairly consistent both this year and last year, in fact it's down a little bit on the previous comparative period so that's a little surprising," Mr Crisp said.
"What we do know, what we saw last year was when the restrictions were eased last year we saw a very big spike in people wanting to access services so we are planning for and we are prepared for at this point in time.
"In our emergency departments we've seen over the past week a more of a spike year on year compared to last year, so we've actually seen for the periods around June and July last year and June and July this year there is around a 20 per cent increase of people presenting to emergency departments locally and in those impacted (local government areas) when compared to last year."
Western NSW Local Health District Chief Executive Officer Scott McLachlan said a lot of people have been concerned and stressed about the changes that have happened during the stay-at-home orders in the last week and the impact of COVID in the last 12 months.
Mr Crisp said it is important to recognise that in times of uncertainty, increased anxiety, and increased levels of stress that people often experience difficulties with their overall mental health and wellbeing.
"That's something that unfortunately if left unchecked can lead to more complex needs in the future," Mr Crisp said.
"It's really important when we think about mental health that we look after ourselves, that we check in on friends, we check in on family, we check in on our neighbours, we talk to the GP if need be or we access any other service.
He said there are a wide range of mental health resources in including drug and alcohol services: Lifeline on 131114, MensLine 1300 789 978, Beyond Blue 1300 224 636, as well as the NSW mental health line 1800 011 511. In Orange there services are also available at Likemind and headspace.
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