‘We can get through this’: How to manage your mental health during the coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic poses an obvious threat to physical safety, but advocates stress that Americans shouldn’t sleep on their mental health.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, whose state has become an epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis, said Wednesday that more than 6,000 mental-health professionals had volunteered to provide free mental-health services.

The Empire State had at least 60,000 confirmed cases as of Monday morning, up from 37,258 just four days ago, making up a disproportionate share of the United States’ 143,055 confirmed cases. New York City accounts for 776 of the 2,513 deaths from the disease in the U.S.

“Don’t underestimate the emotional trauma that people are feeling,” Cuomo said. The COVID-19 pandemic is, after all, a life or death situation, he added. New Yorkers can call a hotline at 1-844-863-9314 to schedule an appointment, he said.

Some 35% of Americans say their mental health has worsened over the past week, an increase over 22% a week earlier, according to recent findings from the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. Forty-three percent said their emotional well-being had gotten worse, compared to 29% a week earlier.

Americans’ top worries related to coronavirus include that they or a family member will get sick from COVID-19 (62%), a negative impact on investments such as retirement or college savings (51%), and lost income due to reduced hours or workplace closure (46%), according to a separate poll published last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation.