Caregiving During The Pandemic Takes A Toll On Mental Health

NPR August 2021

Authors: Rhitu Chatterjee, Emily Kwong, Thomas Lu, Brit Hanson

Caregivers in the “Sandwich Generation” have reported a steep decline in mental health, as did others who had to juggle changes in the amount of caregiving they had to provide to loved ones. Caregivers have struggled with anxiety, depression and PTSD at rates much higher than those without caregiving roles. NPR correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee talks about the study and her reporting with Emily Kwong.

If you or anyone you know is struggling, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. You can also check out this previous Short Wave episode with Rhitu and Emily, ‘How To Reach Out When Someone You Know May Be At Risk Of Suicide.’

This episode was produced by Thomas Lu and Brit Hanson, fact-checked by Indi Khera and edited by Viet Le and Gisele Grayson. James Willets provided engineering support.

Listen to their 13-minute podcast HERE!

How To Reach Out When Someone You Know May Be At Risk Of Suicide

NPR Updated for August 2021

Authors: Emily Kwong, Rhitu Chatterjee, Gisele Grayson, Thomas Lu

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. But research shows that suicide is preventable. Host Emily Kwong talks with NPR health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee about the signs that someone you know may be thinking about dying, the ways you can support them, and how to possibly prevent suicide

To read more of the story, find Rhitu’s reporting from our colleagues on the web and at Life Kit.

If You Need Help: Resources

If you or someone you know is in crisis and need immediate help, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or go here for online chat.

• Find 5 Action Steps for helping someone who may be suicidal, from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
• Six questions to ask to help assess the severity of someone’s suicide risk, from the Columbia Lighthouse Project.
• To prevent a future crisis, here’s how to help someone make a safety plan.

Other resources and programs:

• National Alliance On Mental Illness — for local peer support groups
• The Trevor Project — confidential support for crisis intervention and suicide prevention services geared towards LGBTQ+ people under 25

You can email us at ShortWave@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Thomas Lu, edited by Gisele Grayson, and fact checked by Rasha Aridi. The audio engineer was Gilly Moon.

Listen to their 14-minute podcast HERE!

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