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The COVID-19
pandemic has hit us all in different ways, but one thing's for
sure: we're all suffering. All sorts of new
stressors are quite literally plaguing us — whether it's from
fears of illness or death, anxiety about finances, or loss of
social contact — and they're combining to cause yet another
epidemic: a nationwide mental health crisis. According to studies, depression, anxiety,
exhaustion, loneliness, and feelings of dread are all on the
rise. These are now causing a huge uptick
in risky behaviors, such as substance abuse and large unsafe
gatherings of unquarantined people.
The most troubling
finding, however, concerns "deaths of despair" — that
is, deaths from substance use and suicide. Researchers have
found that the pandemic may have already resulted in
an additional 75,000 of these tragic fatalities. At such an
urgent time, one would hope mental healthcare would be easy to
access in the United States, but it isn't. Even when we
finally have the pandemic under control, as a society we will
still have to grapple with the mental health crises that have
been building up and intensifying for months. It's time for
the federal government to finally put the health of its people
first, rather than caving to heartless, profit-guzzling
insurance companies. Sign the petition to demand universal healthcare
in the United States and federal funding to provide mental
health access for everyone!
Thank you for all that you do,
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Miranda
B.
The Care2 Petitions Team |
P.S. The
pandemic already made it clear months ago that we need a
universal healthcare system in the U.S. This latest evidence
just proves the case even more. Tell the U.S. Congress to finally pass
legislation guaranteeing healthcare and mental health access
for all! |
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