How Covid-19 Has Affected Mental Health
Since Covid-19 has put us all in lockdown we have seen an elevated spike in Mental Health cases. Mental Health in the United States affects the majority of people of all ages. During June of 2020, a whopping “40% of United States Adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use”.
(Ref. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm )
One major reason why we see mental health going down the incline is a lot of people aren’t getting the help they need. Whether it’s due to fear, not having the financial funds, or simply because they don’t have a good support system. While under lockdown most of us are staying cooped up in our homes, with just our thoughts and time. The lack of social interaction really puts a damper on our emotions and thoughts. Especially since a lot of people rely on human interaction to get their daily dose of socialization.
People who are extroverted and tend to crave social interaction face to face, have trouble now doing that now because of the pandemic, and the precautions that we have to take in order to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. But because of the pandemic, we have seen a lot more people gaining social media presence, whether it’s just to interact with people, educate others, and share funny stories/jokes. Because of all the uncertainties around Covid-19/the harm it has done to loved ones and its vaccination, it has caused a lot of people to overthink and get anxious. The wave of job loss that hit the country since Covid-19 has negatively impacted mental health too. “Research shows that job loss is associated with increased depression, anxiety, distress, and low self-esteem and may lead to higher rates of substance use disorder and suicide.”
Covid-19 has also affected the schooling systems. It has closed down schools and made remote learning the only viable option. Remote learning comes with a lot of stress. Communication or lack of also puts a lot of stress on students. This negatively impacts their mental health because they have to try and put homework first before anything and sometimes don’t even have time to take care of themselves mentally, since they don’t get a lot of free time. They become pressed for time with all the work given because the schooling system doesn’t take time to consider the fact that they all still have personal lives that they are dealing with in this pandemic.
I know from personal experience how social anxiety could affect people, especially now with Covid-19. During meetings like zoom, or google meet, etc. there are certain norms that are put in place. Those alone create waves of anxiety and overthinking. Then there’s the situation of if you go outside you don’t want to be near anyone and the necessity to keep your mask on. Even if you’re a person that follows regulations you can’t force the random strangers around you to put on a mask. So there’s always a level of uncertainty and panic when going outside. But I believe once you try and stay as safe as possible and try to only be around those who are following safety regulations those uncertainties won’t be as daunting.
Here are some resources if you are in need of them:
Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255
Depression Hotline: 866-235-8966
National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-NAMI(6264)
Teen Line: 1-310-855-HOPE (4673) or 1-800-TLC-TEEN (852-8336)