ALBANY COUNTY — “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

Stephen Giordano, Ph.D. director of Albany County’s department of mental health, quoted that thought from Franklin Delano Roosevelt at Friday’s county press briefing.

Giordano was at the briefing, he said to residents, to “remind you of the importance of paying attention to your mental health and emotional well being.”

Giordano noted, as he had at a March 26 briefing, that county residents are living with chronic uncertainty and isolation. “Now we’re dealing with loss on top of that,” he said, naming loss of control and loss of identity as people are out of work and their focus in life has been suspended.

And, with two more COVID-19 deaths being announced Friday, bringing the county’s death toll to four, Giordano said, there is now the “even more personal loss of life.”

There’s no quick fix or magic pill, he said, adding, “I don’t even give pills.”

He reassured the public that feeling afraid, worried, or anxious in a situation like this is normal.

“You can’t hold your breath through this … Acknowledge what you are feeling,” he said. “Share what you are feeling.”

The county set up a mental-health helpline after the outbreak of the coronavirus, staffed by members of his department as well as mental-health professionals who have volunteered to help out. 

The number is 518-269-6634 and the line is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Anyone experiencing a psychiatric emergency should still call the Albany County Mobile Crisis Team at 518-549–6500.

Although residents must be in physical isolation, “We can remain socially connected,” said Giordano. He again urged residents to pay attention to sleeping and eating patterns and to exercise.

He also urged residents to pace themselves with media, stating, that some channels are running death tolls like a stock market.

“I’m turning the news off,” said Giordano, after conceding he had been a “news junkie.”

He again encouraged residents to use self-help options like meditation.

“Fear is all around us now,” Giordano said, after quoting Roosevelt. “We have to go on despite fears. Fear is not a sign of weakness; it is not a sign of mental-health problems.”

He concluded, “How we treat each other and how we care for ourselves will define us at the end of the day.”