Deterioration in Mental Health Due to COVID-19

Imagine, an individual, let’s call her Jane Koslowski, she’s diagnosed with depression. The only thing she loves to do is to stay in bed. SHe doesn’t particularly want to be in bed all day but finds that being enveloped by the weighted blankets and other elements of the bed provide a bit of comfort.

But she loathes this state of being and seeks to find his lust for life again.

As such, she seeks help. 

She is able to treat it with the help of medicine, therapy, and changes in her lifestyle, and finally, she starts to get better at the start of 2019. She was pretty sure that she would recover, but no! Another significant event knocks her down. 

COVID-19. It comes in and changes the entire world. 

It is not necessarily COVID-19 itself but the government response to it that creates immobility and issues in more ways than one.

Due to COVID-19 indeed, many people were affected and were diagnosed with anxiety and depression. The same was the situation with Jane. As the lockdown started, the level of stress and being isolated had become difficult. It propelled Bob to go back to a state of perpetual depression.

Many people suffered from it. Individuals would suffer due to lack of employment, lack of movement, and other restrictions. Indeed, the restrictions had become difficult at the start for everyone to follow and remain challenging. No one loves to spend time in an isolated room as it creates a great deal of issues from depression to domestic abuse.

The Level of Depression and Anxiety Around the World

It has been estimated that around 42% of the US population showed signs of depression and anxiety, and due to this pandemic, it has risen to a significant level. The pandemic had also affected a third population around the world.

This pandemic was responsible for aggravating mental health in many ways, of which a few were:

•    People lived and still live in fear of the virus, and they had to experience anxiety. 

•    Social distancing during the lockdown left people alone and isolated.   

• There was severe pressure financially, spiritually, and mentally.

Signs of An Increased Suicide Rate and Deaths of Despair

Further, data shows that there was a slight increase in the suicidal rate since the pandemic hit. It was more common among the young generation as per the declaration of Harvard Medical School’s Marques. 

Different trends note that there were almost 70,000 deaths of despair due to COVID and also due to the overdose of suicide or mental problems. the pandemic and the government response to the pandemic hurt those who were already hanging by a thread. This is seen my the level of people that are now relying on student loan deferment, on rent deferment and on other topics. Further, one can notice the rise in reliance on food banks and other sorts of charitable and government assistance.

Many individuals lost their jobs due to this pandemic, and many were offered less salary. That is why more opioid overdoses and suicidal cases were observed in these people. 

Along with depression, it was also seen that people were involved in emotional problems that will take years to recover from. Indeed, many people were bound to work from home, but this was also often frustrating because staying isolated and working day and night was also among the most critical challenges of this era. 

No doubt it will take years to get rid of these mental issues. 

Post Coronavirus Era

After the lockdown, people had to face difficulty in local gatherings. Indeed it had affected mental health. People still feel unsafe while traveling outside or meeting someone. It requires a lot of time to build everything back as it was because people have adjusted to this new normal. In the meantime, the media still generally spreads COVID-19 fear and as one can see in economic activity, levels of transaction are still depressed. For instance, flights are gradually picking up but are far from 2019 levels.

Still, people are hoping for better years in the future and finding ways to improve mental health.