The novel corona virus emerged in the general population in 2019 and has apparently clung on for long enough to extend into 2021 as well.
Covid-19 and the worldwide quarantines and lockdowns have forced major changes in people’s lifestyle. This has affected their mood, thought process and physical well-being; all of which project directly on an individual’s mental health.
These changes in behaviour include social distancing that has deprived individuals of social interactions and has increased the incidence of incoherent thoughts, anxiety and depression in general population.
Secondly the constant fear of contracting the virus further deteriorates the condition. Although almost every group of population has had to experience the unpleasant effects of pandemic and lockdowns, here we discuss the groups who have had the greatest impact on their mental health.
Which population group is most vulnerable?
People who already have some health problems are the group that is most vulnerable to negative impact of covid-19.
These people already need constant social interactions and reassurances to cope up with their condition. Not being able to meet friends, family and even therapist adds to their challenges and increases their vulnerability to being affected by the disrupting negative thoughts during lock down since; it provides ample time to over think that further exacerbates their problems.
Long term impact of covid-19 on mental
health Unfortunately, covid-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown have led to events like closure of schools, playgrounds and restriction of other social activities. This has resulted in the development of anxiety and mood disorders in kids and will undoubtedly have a major impact on growing kids as the early years of life are responsible for most of the mental growth of an individual.
The consequence of these unpleasant events is the disruption in the development of a healthy thought process in these children which may cause long standing problems that may even extend into their adulthood. Also note that kids who perform well academically or are habitual of participating in sports or other extracurricular activities are especially prone to getting disheartened by the closure of schools thus, they may lose interest in these activities altogether and may force them to give up these productive activities for good.
Furthermore, the closure of schools has resulted in loss of a healthy schedule of kids that reportedly has led to an increased incidence of sleep troubles in kids. Also note that the stress level in adults of household directly projects on mental health of children hence, seeing elders in distress due to pandemic and lockdown can cause these children to develop high levels of stress.
All of these events highly increase the possibility of development of a youth that has too many mental health issues at hand to deal with situations efficiently in the future. Hence, the adverse impact of covid19 pandemic on mental health of children and adolescents is expected to leave a mark on the future as well.
Impact of covid-19 on health professionals
Health professionals are amongst those people who have been affected the most due to covid-19 pandemic mental health wise. According to researches done, more than 70% of health professionals experienced moderate to extreme levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Covid-19 has an immense rate of transmission that has led to increasing amounts of cases day by day thus adding to the burden of health care professionals which consequently has increased their working hours considerably.
In order to work around covid-19 patients, the health care professionals (HCPs) have to constantly wear the personal protective equipment kit (PPE kit) and work long hours which is no easy job to say the least considering the sweating, unease and even breathing difficulties one has to face while wearing that kit.
Due to inadequate research and uncertainty of treatment for covid-19, one of the most troublesome concerns for HCPs during this pandemic is the constant fear of not being able to treat the patients appropriately which drives constant self-doubt hence worsens the stress levels in HCPs.
Furthermore, the continuous risk for autoinoculation and spread of virus to the families of HCPs, forces them to limit their interactions with even their immediate family and in times when everyone needs reassurance, HCPs have to give up this right to keep their families safe. Unsurprisingly, keeping these points it is quite evident that the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the mental health of HCPs.
How to cope with the stress due to covid-19 and lockdown
Experiencing insomnia has been one of the most frequent complains during lockdown and rightly since the pandemic has derailed the schedule of everyone but to remedy the situation people can opt different strategies that include:
- Keeping a fixed time for going to sleep and waking up: Human body has an ability to develop a circadian rhythm that applies to sleep as well. By fixing the schedule our body becomes habitual of sleeping at a particular time so chances to experience insomnia decrease exponentially.
- Sleeping in a dark room: Studies show that sleeping in room with lights is linked to poor quality of sleep and can even be linked to depression. Thus it is a good strategy to sleep in a quiet dark room with no noise to interrupt sleep.
- Avoiding stimulants: Coffee, tea, and other stimulants are good for brain functioning however, they can exacerbate insomnia thus it is suitable to avoid stimulants few hours before bed.
Another effective way to manage stress is exercising regularly as it has been linked with the release of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine all of which are known to counteract depressive feelings. Moreover, in case of isolation and severe depression, calling a friend or a family member for social support is another way to snap out of the strangling grip of stress. In general a person can do any activity that they enjoy given that is mentally and physically harmless to them and to others can prove helpful to cope with the stress induced by pandemic
Article written by Talha Safder
References
Legg, T. J. (2017). Exercise, Depression and The Brain. Crnp.