Mental Implications of
COVID-19
COVID-19 has had a great negative impact on the mental
health and stability of our nation. A year later, the effects of the pandemic
are seen and felt in most that we see and do. The ripple effect of unavoidable
changes has left many with a feeling of perpetual sadness and distress; the
rise of depression and anxiety amid pandemic is preeminent. Mental health has
been on the decline due to many affected my multiple sources of stress. This
topic is important because it affects us and everyone that surrounds us. On
March 3, 2021, Duke University experts concluded that “not
just the mental health impact of this pandemic but also the substance use
impact of this pandemic will persist for years afterwards because of the lack
of access to resources". While adjusting to
working remotely, many experience the feelings of loneliness, fatigue, anxiety
and burnout. Isolation is one of the leading source of depression. There is an
unprecedented mental health crisis in kids, remote learning is taking a toll. “Young
adults are being hit particularly hard, with 74.9 percent of people between the
ages of 18-24 reporting that they have experienced at least one mental health
symptom. Additionally, about 1 in 4 young adults said they had “seriously
considered suicide” due to the global health crisis”.
Mental health of all is at a breaking point.
National issues that arose or worsened during the
pandemic:
Ø Depression,
stress and anxiety
-
“Mental
health claims essentially doubled as a percentage of
all medical claims for individuals age 13-18 in March (+97%) and April
(+103.5%) of 2020 compared with the same periods a year earlier”.
-
going all digital has left many feeling lonely and isolated, disconnected from
their jobs and teams.
-
unemployment has led many to feel hopeless and powerless.
Ø Lack
of human contact and loneliness are the leading
causes of reported claims on suicides and self-harm.
Ø Remote
education has spurred a teen mental crisis. House minority leader Kevin
McCarthy is urging the President to reopen schools.
Ø Travel
restrictions have left many without an option to
‘escape’ their life when needed; the feeling of being forced to stay at home
has left many depressed. A Trivago
survey reported that 38% of Americans would give up sex, 1 out of
5 would give up their partner, and 50% said they would quit their job to travel
again. More than 80% of those surveyed believe that trave is a vital part of
self-care, wellness, and well-rounded life.
Ø Addiction
-
Admission to the emergency rooms of
teens and adults with an opioid overdose has doubled.
-
A new study shows that 40% of
university students are addicted to their phones.
Ways to address and elevate some of the stress and
depression caused by the pandemic
|
Battling with depression and/or anxiety is
never easy, but there are ways. First, if you see someone struggling, please
reach out and see if there is anything you could do to help. If you are the
one struggling, talk to your family and friends about what’s bothering you.
If that is not an option, mental health applications are on the rise. You can
connect with a live person at any time and talk about whatever issues you may
have. Don’t have the money? Many educational institutions offer psychological
help free of charge. Don’t close yourself off, life gets better. |
|
Lack of human contact has impacted many
negatively. As humans, making connections with others is a vital part of who
we are. If you’ve found yourself in a long-distance relationship, do more
than just text, call, or Facetime each other. Send letters, personalized
gifts from Etsy, have balloons delivered for their birthday…there are ways to
make your other half special and for you to feel more connected to them while
they are away. If you are away from your family and friends, find game
applications that you all can play collectively, schedule a ‘wine hour’ every
Thursday at 7, watch the same show at the same time while having each other
on speaker to share your reactions, etc. Find ways to do things together. |
|
With travel being restricted, explore all
the places you could drive to; you’ll be surprised by how many interesting
places you’ll find. Some places that you could visit driving from Sacramento
are: -
Headwaters Spring of the Upper Sacramento river. Try and take with you truly clean
Alkaline water, explore the caverns nearby, and of course visit Mount Shasta. -
Take a day trip
to Burney Falls; this waterfall is considered to be one of top 3
most beautiful in California -
Explore! -
Take a virtual
trip; this option is not as fun but you could visit another country for a
little bit :) AirBnb provides some options. |
|
Pick up a new hobby. Learning something new
that is exciting and interesting to you has proven to improve overall state
of well-being and happiness |
|
Join an online group or become part of a
forum. Engage with others online, discuss things that you are passionate
about, allow your virtual relationships to blossom |
|
Pick a routine and stick to it. Make
something that truly brings you joy a part of your daily routine; it doesn’t
have to be big or time consuming, just something that makes you happy. Studies have shown that having a routine
helps us feel grounded. |
|
Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes.
Recent studies have shown that many students are showing signs of depression
because that don’t nearly move as much as they did same time a year ago. |
|
Clean up your diet and reduce consumption
of processed foods. Eat clean, healthy, whole foods – fuel your mind and
body. |
|
Limit your time in front of screens to no
more than 4 hours per day at the most, when possible. |
|
Go outside. Whether it is a walk around the
block, the nearest park, or even your backyard. Leave the four walls for at
least an hour a day. |
Hotlines to contact if you are in need of support:
|
Depression
Test |
https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/depression/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/health/depression-test |
See if
you are exhibiting signs of depression |
|
Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Helpline - SAMHSA |
1-800-662-HELP (4357) |
Crisis Intervention
Service, Alcoholism Information & Treatment Centers, Licensed Counselors -alcohol, tobacco,
opioids, other drugs, behavior health, suicide, disaster distress, and early
serious mental illness services |
|
National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline |
1-800-273-8255 https:/www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org |
Immediate Help Treatment for suicidal
thoughts |
|
Gambling |
Call 1-800-522-4700 Text 1-800-522-4700 Chat ncpgambling.org/chat |
Counselor search Helpline Treatment facilities Residential treatment |
If
the above methods of stress and depression management are utilized, we can
expect to see the following changes:
1.
We can reduce the percentage of
depressed working Americans by 40% if all companies provide mental health
services to their employees free of charge within a year.
2.
Student depression rates could
decrease by 20% or more within 3 months if all gyms become fully-functionable
once again.
3.
Joining a group or a forum based
on your interest would enhance daily life and would ease anxiety and stress by
15% within a month.
