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Thank you  for visiting the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board. Our website is designed to provide general information about the Board, links to the Board’s contract agencies in Clermont County providing prevention and treatment programs and services, and links to additional information about mental health and substance use disorders.

How to Manage an Employee with Depression

Quarantine has serious impact on mental health. Here’s how to support yourself and others.

Olivia Goldhill

By Olivia Goldhill

Investigative reporter

Click on COVID-19 Clermont County Resources for help in your community

Click here for a letter from the Governor’s office on COVID-19

COVID-19

Background
The 2019 novel (new) coronavirus, referred to as Covid-19was first identified in the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province of China in December 2019. A coronavirus is a type of virus that are common in many different species of animals including camels, cattle, cats and bats. Some coronaviruses can infect people and then spread to other people. MERS and SARS are other types of coronaviruses that have spread between people. Because this is a new type of virus, scientists and health professionals are learning more about it every day. The World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on January 31, 202o.

How does it spread?

  • The virus can spread from a sick person to another person if they are in close personal contact with each other (usually within about six feet).
  • It is thought to be spread through droplets when a person who has the virus coughs or sneezes (the same way the flu is spread).
  • It is not known yet if a person can get sick with the novel coronavirus just by touching something that has the virus on it, then touching their own mouth, eyes or nose.

What are the symptoms?

  • The 2019 novel coronavirus is a respiratory illness. The flu and pneumonia are other types of respiratory illnesses.
  • The most common symptoms are fever, cough and difficulty breathing.
  • Symptoms may appear between 2 and 14 days after being exposed to the virus.

What is the risk to the public?

  • The risk to the public remains low.
  • The virus can spread from one person to another. But, unless you have recently traveled to China, or another country where the virus is spreading, or have come in close contact with a person who has the virus, there is no reason to be concerned.

Do I need to wear a mask?

  • No. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) does not recommend wearing a mask in public for protection.
  • Surgical masks are not designed to protect you from getting sick. They are designed to prevent people who are sick from getting other people sick. Some masks known as N-95 masks are designed to
    keep health care workers who are treating patients from getting sick. But, they must be tested first to make sure they fit properly. If they don’t fit properly, they are not effective.

Is there a vaccine?

  • No. Because this is a newly discovered virus, there is no vaccine for it yet.

How serious is it?

  • Most people who are sick with the 2019 novel coronavirus will recover on their own.
  • In some cases, some people may develop pneumonia or need to be taken to the hospital.
  • People who have a weakened immune system, young children and the elderly are most at risk of getting a serious illness from it.

How can I keep from getting it?

  • Like any respiratory virus, the best ways to prevent getting sick are the same things that prevent other illnesses.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom; before eating or drinking; and after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.
  • Stay at home when you are sick.
  • Avoid contact with people who are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze.

What is Clermont County Public Health doing to prevent it?

  • We have been in regular communication with the Ohio Department of Health as we learn more about this new virus.
  • We have been sharing new information and resources with doctor offices, hospitals and other health care providers.
  • Preventing disease is what we are trained to do in public health.
  • Our team of nurses investigates communicable diseases on a daily basis to prevent them from spreading.

Does anyone in Ohio have the virus?

Where can I find more information?

If you have questions regarding Coronavirus/COVID-19 please call 1-833-4ASKODH (1-833-427-5634).

Additional Resources

Ohio Department of Health

Centers for Disease Control

World Health Organization

Coronavirus disease prevention tips

Preparedness Checklists

Household Preparedness checklist

What to do if you get sick

Checklists for businesses and employers

Checklists older adults and people with chronic health conditions

 

Coronavirus Information

Click on information below or visit mha.ohio.gov/coronavirus

Mental Illness and Substance Use in Young Adults

Entering adulthood can be an emotional time, but sometimes the ups and downs can mean something more.

Millions of young adults are living with a mental or substance use disorder and many either do not realize they have one or are not paying attention to the signs and not seeking help. In fact, of the 8.9 million young adults who reported having a mental illness in 2018, more than 2 in 5 went untreated and of the 5.1 million with a substance use disorder, nearly 9 in 10 did not get treatment.

It is important to remember that asking for help is a normal part of life, and you should never feel like you have to take on the world alone. If you are concerned that you or someone in your life may be drinking too much, using drugs, or dealing with mental illness, there are resources available to help.

References and Relevant Resources

 

What We Know About Suicide in the U.S.

Someone dies from suicide every 12 minutes—and over the past two decades, suicide rates have increased in every state across the country. For the first time in recent generations, life expectancy is decreasing due to suicide. According to the latest research:

  • There were 1.4 million attempts and more than 47,000 deaths from suicide.
  • Suicide is at its highest level and is still rising.
  • Rural counties are being hit the hardest with suicide rates double the rate in urban counties.
  • There has been an alarming 50% increase of suicide rates among women.

Suicide touches whole communities. Each person who dies by suicide leaves behind 135 people who knew that person—and the impact of suicide and the bereavement that follow.

www.standuptosuicide.org

Know the Risks of Meth

Methamphetamine (meth) is a powerful, highly addictive drug that causes devastating health effects, and sometimes death, even on the first try.

Meth is easy to get addicted to and hard to recover from. Meth is a dangerous, synthetic, stimulant drug often used in combination with other substances that can be smoked, injected, snorted, or taken orally. Someone using meth may experience a temporary sense of heightened euphoria, alertness, and energy. But using meth changes how the brain works and speeds up the body’s systems to dangerous, and sometimes lethal, levels—increasing heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and respiratory rate. Chronic meth users also experience anxiety, confusion, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, visual and auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions.

The Rise of Meth Use in the United States

The number of fatal overdoses involving meth has more than tripled (PDF | 336 KB) between 2011 and 2016, according to the CDC. Use is also on the rise between 2016-2018 for most age groups. In 2018, more than 106,000 adults aged 26 or older used meth—a 43 percent increase over the previous year.

Short-term Effects of Meth

Even taking small amounts of meth, or just trying it once, can cause harmful health effects, including:

  • Increased blood pressure and body temperature
  • Faster breathing
  • Rapid or irregular heartbeat
  • Loss of appetite, disturbed sleep patterns, or nausea
  • Bizarre, erratic, aggressive, irritable, or violent behavior

Long-term Health Risks of Meth

Chronic meth use leads to many damaging, long-term health effects, even when users stop taking meth, including:

  • Permanent damage to the heart and brain
  • High blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes, and death
  • Liver, kidney, and lung damage
  • Anxiety, confusion, or insomnia
  • Paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances, delusions, or violent behavior (psychotic symptoms can sometimes last for months or years after quitting meth)
  • Intense itching, causing skin sores from scratching
  • Severe dental problems (“meth mouth”)

Need Help?

With the right treatment plan, recovery is possible. If you, or someone you know, needs help with a substance use disorder, including meth use, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889, or use SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator to get help.

References and Relevant Resources

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