Increased calls for mental health and substance abuse services are one measure of the tremors that COVID-19 is causing beneath the surface of Atlanta’s Jewish community.

The frequency of those calls has increased steadily in the past two to three weeks and, based on conversations with counselors providing those services, the trend line will continue upward even after the immediate threat posed by the virus eases.

In a recent Atlanta Jewish Times article, Dan Arnold, who directs clinical services for Jewish Family & Career Services, spoke of the emotional issues that arise in people during periods like this.

“It is the unknown that terrifies people and raises anxiety and increases feelings of depression,” said Arnold, “The other piece of this is that when this pandemic ends, the mental health issues are going to continue. This is going to be a traumatizing period for people,” he said.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the worst yet in mental health. We’re seeing an uptick in services and a steady growth, but we have not reached the apex at all. We’re going to be flooded with requests."

Read more about the shift in services of the Clinical Services of JF&CS since early March, when the 'shelter-in-place' orders began to impact our community, in the AJT article.

You can support the community response efforts like this by donating to JF&CS.