Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health

Ever since the outbreak, COVID 19 And Mental Health have become the most discussed topic. Experts have been explaining the impact of lockdown and isolation on mental health.

With the increasing numbers of COVID cases, the lurking fear and anxiety is taking a big toll. Everyone is experiencing the trauma of different levels. Be it kids or adults, COVID-19 is impacting everyone’s mental health.

COVID-19 has created a lot of chaos. 

It has devastated the migrants. Patients are in dismay. Kids and elders are living under a constant threat. Young professionals are dealing with the biggest financial hit. And a lot of heart-wrenching stories have floated ever since.

Despite all the chaos and clamour, there are a few things restoring hope! 

For once, the environment got a break.

Secondly, families got the time of their lifetime. 

But above all, COVID-19 has shed light on mental health issues. In a recent study, the Indian Psychiatry Society revealed a 20 per cent rise in mental illness cases affecting at least one in five Indians.

That’s what I want to emphasize in this blog. ‘How COVID-19 is serving as the stage to present mental illness as a real threat? And if people will treat mental health with the seriousness that it deserves!!!’

Also Read: COVID-19 and the historic rise in mental health issues

Bringing mental health out of the closet

Mental health has always been slipping in the shadows. 

Fear, anxiety, panic and depression are often laughed off. 

Traditionally, mental woes were presumed as a problem of the weak. Females who dared to speak were labelled as whiners and males were mercilessly trolled. 

Centuries later, nothing much had changed!

Even today, people suffer the biggest traumas in silence. 

People suffer from different mental problems without even realizing it. Anger issues, trust issues, depression and even anxiety go unnoticed. Unless the mental burden takes a toll on every aspect of life, people blink off the mental woes as a temporary glitch.

The big blow of COVID-19 has put the entire world under Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Also Read: 13 Key Lessons to Learn from COVID-19

COVID-19 – the toll on mental tax

Eight months into the coronavirus pandemic and the world is on the verge of another health crisis. The pandemic is serving the world with daily doses of death, isolation and fear generating waves of trauma. 

Social distancing has resulted in loneliness patterns. Constant sanitization has led to paranoia. Wearing a mask makes breathing difficult. While these steps are critical, they are sure to leave a deep imprint in both long and short term. 

Manu Tiwari, mental health and behavioural science expert quoted, “The lockdown has had a massive impact on the lifestyle of people. They are staying indoors with limited resources. They are now suffering from anxiety and panic attacks,”.

The increasing suicide, abuse, violence across the world is a testament to the same!!!

Also Read: Impact of social isolation on elderly patients

The Paranoia of a pandemic

Just the thought of being COVID positive sends a chill down the spine.  It affects their behaviour, paralyzes concise thinking, it impairs decision-making capacity and leads to psychosomatic problems. The fear of coronavirus is indeed worse than the disease itself!!!

The fear of testing COVID positive is a pressing tension that causes stress, paranoia and even depression. Stress affects the mood, hormones, diet, sleep and immunity at large! Thus, making one more vulnerable to the virus.

Financial break and mental breakdown

The social and economic fissures caused by this pandemic result in mass unemployment, starvation, violence, homelessness, alcoholism, and millions slipping into poverty. The world literally came to a screeching halt that lasted for more than 3 months.

Coronavirus has resulted in unmeasurable loss!!!

Labourers are losing their job. Shops are shut. Malls are locked. Companies are falling apart. Every business has received a blow. The ripples are seen in the increasing unemployment across the world. 

This financial strain in the economy has claimed many lives. The German Finance Minister committed suicide. Migrants walked a thousand kilometres and lost their lives. Businessmen are enduring huge losses with high rents and staff payouts. Professionals are losing their jobs.

Whether one has lost a job or is afraid of losing one, they’re struggling to put together money to pay their bills and also the fret of the health of their family members is leading to greater mental issues.  

This financial strain has led to a big mental breakdown!

Also Read: People below 30 are more prone to depression

The trauma of Quarantine 

Most people who are quarantined have reported a wide range of symptoms of psychological stress and disorder, including low mood, insomnia, stress, anxiety, anger, irritability, emotional exhaustion, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. 

Studies reported almost 40-45 per cent increase in mental help requests to post the COVID outbreak. There is also a sharp increase of about 60-65 per cent in therapy and counselling requests.

An increasing number of people undergoing quarantine have reported anxiety, OCD, fear, panic and relationship difficulty.

Aftermath of lockdown

Lockdown is tough, for all. Kids miss their play dates; elders are missing their daily dose of exercise and adults are living in constant FOMO. 

Research says more than 80 per cent of people have developed unhealthy habits during the lockdown. The staggering sales of alcohol in the midst of lockdown speaks a lot. The eating habits have also seen a lot of indulgence. 

Physical workout has shrunk to zero. 

But life in this lockdown is particularly hard for people with preexisting mental health issues. People with pre-existing conditions of anxiety and OCD are reporting a spike in their mental condition. 

At-risk populations include the 150 million with pre-existing mental health issues, Covid-19 survivors, frontline medical workers, young people, differently-abled people, women, workers in the unorganized sector, and the elderly.

COVID-19 and Mental Health from the Indian scape

For a country having the highest number of poor and malnourished individuals with depression and anxiety, this is the perfect storm. The suicide rates in India have increased enormously ever since the outbreak of coronavirus. 

This post-COVID landscape will be a fertile breeding ground for an increase in chronic stress, anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence, and self-harm.

Going by the history of pandemics, and the knock-on effects of an inevitable economic downturn, India is looking at a mental health crisis, with suicide-related deaths as its lead indicator.

Take a break for your mental health

• Take a break from social media and news. Hearing repeatedly about the pandemic can be upsetting.
• Take care of your body by exercising regularly, eating healthy, meditating and avoiding alcohol and drugs.
• Cut down unnecessary costs and be in touch with those who can help in case of a crisis.
• Talk with people who understand your concerns and feelings. 
• Take a step and consult a doctor 

Light at the end of the tunnel

After aeons of neglect and under-investment in mental health services, Covid-19 pandemic has pushed the issue out of the closet. Post the pandemic, mental health is going to be a very important issue to be talked out in public. 

Offices and schools will pay more attention to this subject. Individuals will treat mental woes with more weightage. Depression won’t be seen as whining and anxiety is not just a sign of weakness. 

Ayurveda has always emphasized the importance of physical, emotional and mental balance. This will now be treated with equal importance in the mainstream. Things are about to change and change for good.