The Pandemic Is Gone, So Why Do I Still Feel Anxious and Depressed?

Available for Interviews: John Rodriguez, MD

Dr. John Rodriguez is a Chief Medical Officer of Healthcare2U, and he is passionate about the care that is provided to their patients. He manages all the care providers in Healthcare2U’s network of clinics and oversees care protocols and training.

What Dr. Rodriguez can say in an interview about
the Reasons Why We Delay Medical Care:

The COVID-19 Pandemic led to a huge jump in rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide, more than tripling the previous rates. One study out of The Lancet showed current rates of depression in 2021 at 32.8% of the general population.* The concern was that from 2020 to 2021 the rates were climbing, despite the loosening of pandemic lockdown rules. Unfortunately, once anxiety and depression are ‘let out of the bag’ they are hard to control.

Untreated mental health issues lead to higher rates of employee absenteeism in the workplace**, suicide, and general withdrawal from friends and loved ones. If you know someone that is displaying any of the symptoms below, it should be brought to their attention to seek out medical care.

Here are some symptoms of anxiety and depression to look out for:

    • Feeling sad, anxious, or empty
    • Sleeping too little, waking up earlier in the morning, or sleeping too much
    • Reduced appetite and/or weight loss, or increased appetite and weight gain
    • Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
    • Restlessness or irritability
    • Persistent physical symptoms that don’t respond to treatment (such as headaches, chronic pain, or digestive disorders)
    • Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
    • Fatigue or loss of energy
    • Feeling guilty, hopeless, or worthless
    • Thoughts of suicide or death

A very common misconception about mental health treatment is that one should seek out a psychiatry specialist. The fact of the matter is a primary care provider can counsel and begin someone afflicted with anxiety or depression on one of many first-line medications that can help. Most primary care providers can adequately manage most anxiety and depressive symptoms. With telemedicine use on the rise, there are also several mental health websites that can help you seek treatment and counseling.

Today’s stressors can lead to neuro-chemical imbalances that can be helped with therapy, counseling, and medications. Don’t put your mental health off any longer.

Sources:

*The Lancet, October 4, 2021, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(21)00087-9/fulltext.

**Mental Health America, https://www.mhanational.org/depression-workplace.

 

Interview: John Rodriguez, MD

Dr. John Rodriguez is a Chief Medical Officer of Healthcare2U, and he is passionate about the care that is provided to their patients. He manages all the care providers in Healthcare2U’s network of clinics and oversees care protocols and training.

Dr. Rogriguez co-founded Healthcare2U to ensure that organizations of all sizes and structures have unlimited, nationwide access to affordable and consistent primary and urgent care. He has over 20 years of experience, where he worked in private practice as an attending physician with one of the most prestigious health care systems in the country, Baylor Health Care Systems. Dr. Rodriguez and his company have been featured on Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends, and in publications like BenefitsPro, America’s Benefit Specialist, and Broker World.

Contact:
Jo Allison
Managing Editor
Director of Public Relations
MEDIA AMBASSADORS
Success In Media, Inc.
Jo@SuccessInMedia.com

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