May is mental health awareness month and many people across the country are dealing with extra strain from COVID-19 over the past two years. Caregivers, especially, have demanding jobs that can be emotionally taxing.

John Rose is an at-home health care aide in Washington state. He said the need for support might come when folks least expect it.

"You don't think you need it until after you need it," said Rose. "It's something that you don't think about in advance. Usually when you hit some kind of a low point or you hit a wall and you realize I need something to move past this, or push through this."

More than 800,000 Washingtonians provide care to someone, including family members and friends, according to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.

Merissa Clyde is Chief Operating Officer of the Service Employees International Union Local 775 Benefits Group, which provides benefits to more than 50,000 at-home caregivers in the state.

Clyde said studies find anywhere from 40% to 70% of caregivers nationwide have symptoms of depression. She said caregivers tend to be isolated and can perform all-consuming work.

"The pandemic in particular made this even worse for many caregivers," said Clyde, "where the caregiver, not only were they worried about COVID symptoms and how they might affect their clients, but also for themselves."

Clyde said it's estimated Washington state will need 76,000 caregivers by 2030 to keep up with demand. She said it's also a diverse profession so her group provides training and assistance in multiple languages.

One important support SEIU 775 Benefits Group provides is mindfulness training to help people identify and work with daily stressors. The exercise is shown to reduce depression and relive stress.

Clyde says her group also provides emotional support coaching through a phone app.

"It is aimed at really making sure that access to mental health and emotional health services is as easy as possible for caregivers," said Clyde. "So that they can access those services from where they are, and really to try and reduce all of those barriers that a traditional medical system might have."

Indiana families are preparing kids for back-to-school season, and mental-health experts say emotional readiness is just as important as school supplies.

Beth Trammell, a psychologist and professor at Indiana University East, said kids often carry anxiety into the new school year. She encouraged parents to help children identify those fears.

"We as parents or caregivers think, 'Don't worry, or don't stress.' Instead, we might want to say, 'OK, well, let's talk about what it is you're worried about. What is the worst thing you think could happen?' If we draw it out of them," she said, "it may give them space to kind of let that out."

Helping kids feel heard can reduce stress. But experts also urge balance, keeping mornings calm, easing into routines, and not overloading schedules the first few weeks.

Nicole Brady, chief medical officer at UnitedHealthcare, said mental-health support should remain a priority throughout the year.

"Though we want our kids to be involved in activities and be social," she said, "we have to watch their academic performance, their mood, those sleep patterns, and making sure that those are staying healthy."

Brady added that parents should talk regularly with kids, model healthy coping and seek help early if warning signs appear.


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After a legislative session which opened doors to expand mental health care services across Montana, a state commission said it is considering the Billings area to build the state's second forensic facility.

For people involved in Montana's justice system whom a judge has deemed not mentally fit for their own defense, there are 53 beds in the state's only forensic facility in Galen. The daily waitlist hovers at about 100 people.

Matt Kuntz, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Montana, said it is not meeting the immense need.

"It's just a really bad situation for the people that are in the jails, for the people that are caring for them, for the taxpayers," Kuntz outlined. "It just doesn't work for anybody."

At a recent commission meeting, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said the state is identifying a location for a new facility. The department received nearly $27 million from the state in April to fund project planning.

Kuntz noted the Montana Legislature passed many bills this session centered on mental health care.

"We really were able to get big wins in access to outpatient care, access to crisis care and for people in need of forensic hospital," Kuntz explained. "Overall, it was really an amazing legislative session for Montanans with mental health conditions."

Other mental health legislation will boost school-based services, youth in residential care, the state's 988 crisis line and certified community behavioral health clinics.


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The California Parent and Youth Helpline is in serious jeopardy after Gov. Gavin Newsom cut it from the new state budget, saying the money was needed to support medical services.

Advocates said they are puzzled because the governor has championed the helpline for years, and lawmakers approved $3 million from a separate fund dedicated to mental health, which does not affect the deficit.

Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of the nonprofit Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, said it is still operating 24/7, for now.

"We're holding on for the next month or so," Pion-Berlin pointed out. "But we need the state to step up, or one of these well-off philanthropists who cares about having that immediate help for emotional support, which is so vital."

Advocates are hoping funding can be restored via a budget trailer bill in the next few weeks. People can call or text and reach the helpline's trained counselors at 877-427-2736. The free helpline has connected with more than 120,000 people since its inception five years ago, and the website CAParentYouthHelpline.org has reached a million more.

Pion-Berlin noted a study in the Journal of Technology in Human Services found a call to the helpline can quickly ease parents' suffering and feelings of isolation.

"The research said that 85% of the callers in less than 30 minutes feel more positive, more hopeful and able to address their issues," Pion-Berlin reported. "There is no other service or pill I know that can do that in 30 minutes or less."

Parents Anonymous also offers free weekly support groups to steer parents and kids through emotional crises of all kinds.