Tony Luna needed help from his mental health team – but teletherapy put physical and psychological distance between him and the help he needed, upending routines he had come to rely on for security and comfort
- This article contains descriptions of depression and suicide
Well before the pandemic upended his world, Antonio Luna struck his new therapist Paul Jamison as a challenge.
At his intake appointment in late October of 2019, Luna, a skinny, shy 16-year-old with dark, wavy hair and an oversized leather jacket, talked about his ongoing struggles with suicidal urges and the plans he had made to act on his distress. Following one close call in May, he had been hospitalized for more than a week. He was still feeling hopeless and beset by self-destructive thoughts. When Jamison asked about his goals for therapy, Luna replied, “Try to find a reason to live.”