El Paso psychiatrist seeing ‘dramatic’ increase in addiction cases amplified by pandemic

EL PASO, Texas -- As the Borderland is still recovering from the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, local doctors are seeing the mental health and substance use disorders effects brought on by the pandemic.

Dr. Fabrizzio Delgado, a psychiatrist with Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso says he'll see about 12 to 20 patients per day, including at University Medical Center.

"It's been dramatic, the amount of case we've been seeing," Delgado said.

"We treat the acute part in the hospital, but then we need to treat them in the outpatient setting, because addiction is a long term thing."

He said while young men and elderly patients are the most common demographic, he see's all kinds of people impacted from substance abuse disorders of all kinds, from drugs to alcohol, one of the biggest culprits here in El Paso.

Delgado says it's important to remember the 3-C's when it comes to noticing signs of addiction -- control, cravings and consequences.

If you start losing control over a substance, start craving it, and even face severe consequences with the law, for example, it might be time to seek help.

"The important thing about addiction is...that there's a lot of treatment built, a lot of options. There's a lot of things that we can do, it's just a matter of accessing the treatment."

Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso has a new addiction clinic that recently opened during the summer.

For more information, you can call the psychiatry department at 915-215-5850.