PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Health officials expect the number of people dealing with depression and anxiety to grow as the pandemic bleeds into the holiday season and winter days get darker. But help is just a click away.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a historic rise in mental health issues as people grapple with physical distancing, social isolation and financial uncertainty, among other struggles.

Amber Harchuk with the Oregon Department of Health and Human Services said suicide rates have increased along with mental health needs and concerns. But there’s an online resource where people can go to get help. The site — called “During COVID-19 You Are Not Alone” — connects visitors with nearly 50 phone numbers and links to organizations offering help for critical issues such as domestic and sexual violence, depression and suicide, elderly loneliness and financial exploitation.

“One size doesn’t fit all,” said Harchuk. “We’re here to meet people where they’re at and to walk beside them and help them through the journey.”

During COVID-19 You Are Not Alone
Mental Health Connection | Clackamas County

Cindy MacLearn, a behavioral health supervisor for health centers in Clackamas County, said those who are struggling emotionally must accept themselves and give themselves grace, no matter where they’re at.

“It’s okay to say ‘this is really tough and I got out of bed and maybe that’s all I can do today but I still did it,” she said. “We have this expectation where we jump from A to C and it’s just going from A to B.”

MacLearn believes the worst of the mental health crisis is still to come. She also believes leaning on one another for support is the key to surviving it.

“It’s incredible the passion for people to help each other, I think that is something that’s been impressed on me over the last several months,” she said. “We’re all in this together, we all are experiencing it but we’re experiencing it differently. It’s affecting us differently but we can come together and build on each other and really be a community for each other.”