Across the U.S. there are, an estimated 57.2 million visits to physicians offices every year involve mental health disorders as the primary diagnosis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 5.9 million others include trips to the emergency department.

Dr. Micah Krempasky, Chief Medical Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing at WakeMed, explained that the mental health crisis has intensified in recent years.

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“We know 1-in-4 Americans experience a mental health emergency each year, or at least have a mental health need each year,” Krempasky told WRAL. “Coming out of the pandemic, we really experienced a time when people started talking about mental health needs. In the past, people suffered in silence. As that happened, more people started

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