Mental health check-in: 2 years after Illinois’ first COVID case

If you or someone you know may be struggling with mental health, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889).

It’s been exactly two years and one day since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Illinois. Since then, here in Illinois, there have been 33,803 confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19. And we’re not only mourning the loss of parents and spouses and friends but also the loss of our routines, of time spent in the company of friends and strangers, or even something as simple as not having to talk to people through a mask.

Many are asking when this pandemic will really end, when we'll get back to normal, and what would “normal” even look like in a post-pandemic world. No one has answers to those questions, and for many, that uncertainty can take a toll on our mental health, which has already taken hits from the onset of the pandemic. 

The 21st was joined by a psychiatric professor to talk about ways the pandemic has been affecting our mental health and what we can do about it. 

GUEST: 

Dr. Anand Kumar, M.D. M.H.A 

Lizzie Gilman Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago

Prepared for web by Owen Henderson

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