Healthlinks Upstate March/April 2022

www.Ups tatePhys i c i ansSC . com | www.Hea l thL i nksUps tate. com | 25 offer him answers. He turned down the help of his friends and a journey of doctors’ appointments. I imagine he feared another uphill battle with the sickness and circumstances of COVID and didn’t want to live through it all again. “Some of the ones that don't want your help are successful because they make it a point to make it a more lethal means,” said Dr. Coker, who noted that more than 95% of the patients she has seen recently have had COVID and struggle with anxiety and depression – as well as the related stress of financial insecurity and the uncertainty that accompanies a pandemic. At this point, it hurts to look at pictures of these friends and be reminded of how much joy they had in their lives because I also think about how much pain they must have been in to want to end it all. I would never wish the urgency to end your own life on anyone, but I have to hope that the men I never got say goodbye to are at peace, breathing freely and no longer in pain. Dr. Coker is adamant that thoughts of suicide, as passive as they might be, should not be ignored. If you know someone that might be headed down that path, talk to that person regularly, and ask what you can do to make what’s going on more manageable. Confide in friends or family – not social media – and take the time to check in with one another. “It’s never wrong to have a discussion with someone about it because you’re not going to put that thought in their head,” said Dr. Coker. And please know that there is love; there is help; there is hope. 843.886.1594 | lantanarecovery.com Contact us and take your rst step on a road to recovery. "A er leaving treatment and re-entering my life sober, I was fearful, anxious and felt alone in my recovery. Upon entering the Lantana program, not only was I provided with top notch individual and group therapy, I now had a community of peers and sta to lean on.” – Chris C Personalized Treatment for Substance Use Disorders from a Local Team that Cares. Mental Health Specialists Easy self-referral form on website In-person and telehealth visits Accept commercial insurances & Medicare Quick access to first appointment Anxiety Depression ADHD CALL OR TEXT: 864-520-2020 OFFICES IN GREENVILLE & SENECA Providers who listen

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