Covid affect on mental health
The covid pandemic is not just a medical happening, but to be more exact it affects people and societies by causing disruption, stress, anxiety, and xenophobia. The rapid spread of covid has led to immediate lockdowns which required people to stay in their homes to stop its spread. This isolation, social distancing, and closure of entertainment places, educational institutions, and all sorts of workplaces captured people within the boundaries of their homes to help stop the transmission of this disease.
As the situation got worst, it became increasingly important for people to go in self-isolation to prevent the further spread at the societal level but the government should’ve also made sure to provide mental health support to people which unfortunately didn’t happen. Although the psychological state of every individual depends from person to person as well as on professional means, this fact can not be looked down upon that everybody is surviving with mental health issues during this pandemic.
1. Covid positive and death:
Starting with the people who were positive for covid or lost their loved ones due to it. We all are aware of the symptoms of covid and its sufferings. Bodily diseases are known to be mentally and emotionally draining. Ever experienced the loss of a loved one? Must be a really painful experience. Now think about the situations during covid where everything seems a hundred times more uncertain. Amid such a global pandemic, losing a loved one, in fact, hearing about the loss of so many people daily may leave a person devastated. Hearing about someone’s death produces chills within one’s body and the death of a loved one is an incalculable lasting blow; the memory of which still seems like a nightmare. You can imagine the impact all of this has on a person’s mental health.
2. Impact of loneliness:
Moving on the people suffering from the disease and even the health professionals dealing with the pandemic may develop feelings of anger and irritation since they have to keep a safe distance from their loved ones out of fear that they might be the source of disease for their dear ones. The lack of contact with people has led to the development of severe anxiety and anti-social behaviors. People now find it a difficult task to interact and this struggle with communication is a concerning manner that messes up with their minds. Due to the pandemic, most people are affection-deprived which makes them less happy and more lonely and gives them anxiety and stress, and their overall mental health deteriorates. There are many cases when children have to live away from their parents since flights are not available during the pandemic due to which that feeling of helplessness drains them emotionally and both sides constantly keep worrying about each other.
3. Impact on elderly and disabled people:
The mental impact of covid is more strong for elderly and disabled people. It puts them at serious mental risk and causes extreme distress and emotional frustration. Elder people depend on their younger ones for their needs and this isolation can cause a lot of disturbance in families. Shouting, irritation, emotional explosion, and change in sleeping habits maybe some of the signs of their mental health going down the tubes.
4. Impact of covid on children:
The increasing mental health problem which should be taken strictly into consideration is the impact of covid on children. Away from their schools and friends and staying at home has been known to have caused some serious damage to the mental health of children. The chaos in online classes and the struggle to take them seriously and the inability to understand have caused great stress and anxieties in children. Since children/teenagers are in that age where they are energetic and lively and have the desire to have fun and go out, there they are being restricted by the rapid spread of covid. It feels like being captivated in their homes, and their boredom can lead to a lot of frustration. It has been discovered that people with boredom are more prone to mental health issues and are very likely to be in depression. They experience increased sadness, out-of-the-blue headaches, changes in habits, avoiding activities, and constant periods of crying their hearts out.
5. Impact due to unemployment:
As a consequence of covid, more and more people are becoming a part of the unemployment line which causes stress and long-term psychological effects and can result in lower self-esteem. It can also trigger unwanted abusive behavior towards family and others. Increased stress and social pressure can constitute a lot of mental disorders. Many suicides have also resulted from people suffering from different mental conditions arising from the difficulties being faced during the pandemic.
In all, isolation, loss of income, disturbance in studies, fear are factors that provoke mental health issues. The government should set up programs by managing the availability of mental health professionals and taking measures to ensure the well-being of people.
