Pandemic exacted a steep toll on people with disabilities

Legally blind and alone, Katrina Byrd of Jackson, Mississippi, was reeling from her partner’s death from ALS when the pandemic sent her into isolation, cutting her off from the services and help she needed.

Shattering ordinary people’s mental health

Dillion Swindle of Oxford had just gotten his dream promotion and relocated to Louisiana when COVID-19 smacked the nation in 2020.

Live life or take it? Pandemic brings increased distress and thoughts of suicide

Sometimes acclaimed poet C. T. Salazar of Columbus marvels, “Oh, good Lord, what a great life I have.”

Mississippi News, mental healthKatherine MitchellSeptember 29, 2020Mississippi Center for Investigative Reportingmississippi news, mental health, depression, anxiety, Mississippi's mental health, C. T. Salazar, poet, Columbus, coronavirus, pandemic, Mississippi Department of Mental Health, National suicide prevention line

Telemental health provides access and convenience. But can the advantages overcome WiFi woes and the technologically challenged?

Jen Cornett of Brandon goes for grief counseling to recover from the sudden death of her boyfriend in November.

Mississippi News, mental healthKatherine MitchellSeptember 10, 2020Mississippi Center for Investigative Reportingmississippi news, mental health, depression, anxiety, Mississippi medicaid, Mississippi's mental health, mental health treatment, insurance coverage, telemental health, telehealth, grief counseling, bipolar disorder, covid-19, counseling

Rising drug costs imperil mental health treatment

Magdalin Fulce used to take three different prescription medications for anxiety and depression.

She doesn’t take any now, not because she doesn’t need it, but because she can’t afford it.

Mississippi News, mental healthKatherine MitchellAugust 11, 2020Mississippi Center for Investigative Reportingmississippi news, mental health, depression, anxiety, Mississippi medicaid, Mississippi's mental health, mental health treatment, mental health care drugs, insurance coverage

Telemental health visits soar in Mississippi during the pandemic. Is it a stopgap measure or a roadmap for the future?

University of Mississippi student Johnny Douglas of Oxford was worried that his therapy for depression and anxiety might stop in its tracks when the COVID-19 pandemic started.