The COVID-19 pandemic is the world’s top priority, despite it surfacing as a worldwide issue in the beginning of 2020. The impacts have been staggering for America: First a state then a country-wide lockdown which forced the population to stay inside for their own safety;outside, hospitals were strained to the max and the economy declined, forcing businesses to close. All of these physical effects that have changed the state of America have had severe repercussions towards the overall morale of its citizens, and that change cannot and should not be ignored. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, mental health is being overshadowed by the physical threats of the virus. Mental health care should be as high a priority for the COVID-19 situation as physical health care to the afflicted. This paper will also weigh the viability of possible solutions to the problem of declining mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sheer amount of people who have experienced a negative impact on their mental health is a huge indication of the importance of a national strategy on the morale impacts of COVID-19. In May, closer to the start of the COVID-19 crisis for America but by no means before the beginning of it, 34.5% of adults polled in a survey partnered with the 2020 US Census reported that they had symptoms of anxiety or depression. Just 2 months later, this percent jumped to 40.1% of adults in the month of July. While this comparison is hard to make on the other end with a ten year gap, according to the 2010 census data, only 20% of adult Americans had symptoms of any mental disorder at all, not just anxiety or depression. This steady rise in data shows that the byproducts of COVID-19, like sheltering in place and stress over physical safety are causing noticeable increases in common mental disorders. In the ever rising numbers of people negatively affected by mental health issues, it only makes sense that the issue should receive a greater response. As of November 1st, only about 2.7% of the US population has been diagnosed with COVID-19. This number is sadly too high for comfort, but it goes to show that COVID-19 has had negative health effects on a much wider audience than just those who have contracted the virus. As well, this is just verifiable census data: nearly every American has been stressed out about the pandemic at some point, and a good portion of Americans have had to bear with the effects of social isolation in a shelter in place. The World Health Organization, writing about the mental effects of pandemics in general, states “It can even be said that the entire population experiences stress and anguish to some extent [during an epidemic].” COVID-19 is affecting Americans in large and noticeable quantities, making the issue of mental health all the more important.
The effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of Americans are not universal, either. In general, groups that are more vulnerable to physical or social threats are more likely to have their mental health be majorly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A very broad example would be those who are affected by lockdowns. 21% of adults who were sheltering in place said that worry or stress related to the COVID-19 situation had a major impact on their mental health, while the same was only true for 13% of Americans not sheltering in place. By sheltering in place, America is protecting itself thoroughly from COVID-19 itself, but leaving in its wake a new problem that deserves more attention: increased vulnerableness to mental illness due to isolation. This is not to suggest that sheltering in place is not worth the decrease in pandemic spread, but rather that they are flawed by themselves and need additional resources to support people living in isolation. A more important factor is income: 35% of adults in America making below $40,000 a year said COVID-19 majorly impacted their mental health, while only 22% of Americans making more than that could say the same. Not only does this highlight the disparity in effect income stability has on mental health stability in the time of a crisis, it leads us to a more specific demographic for solution; in simpler terms, these are the people who are most likely going to need assistance in mental care. This is eerily similar to the book “There is No Justice in History,” which sheds light on how people who don’t want to change the state of an unfair hierarchy tend towards ignoring it. That history is lived today a little in how mental health during COVID-19 affects people on the short end of the hierarchy the most, and that concern is being ignored and covered over by the weight of the pandemic itself.
Mental health during COVID-19 is clearly a problem of importance to public health in general. On this line of reasoning, it seems possible to consider combining physical and mental health services more thoroughly. Currently, individuals with both physical and mental health problems are treated for each issue separately, seeing both physicians and psychiatrists or psychologists separately in different hours and appointments, separate from each other entirely. Via the earlier stated increase in mental health issues in COVID-19, it seems reasonable to extend that there are a significant proportion of the American population that is affected by both mental and physical illness, meaning a significant proportion of the American population would benefit from the idea of combined care. According to the Psychiatric Times, “Studies show that collaborative care models are more effective than usual care for treatment of mental health problems while simultaneously reducing health care disparities.” In the COVID pandemic, this is a viable strategy to consider for dealing with the influx of both mental and physical problems COVID-19 has brought with it. As well, the idea of teamwork is overall appealing, as both physical and mental care providers can each do their part to help their patient together. This sort of example is explained in the short “The Five Helpers,” whose lesson explains the value in each person doing their part in a team effort to accomplish something extravagant, by playing to the strengths of individuals in a team. The ideal model of care for America should look the same.
COVID-19 will continue to be a struggle for all involved, but humanity continues to adapt and move itself forward to meet the challenges they face. This is already evident in the scale of shelters in place, which were probably unthinkable before the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper hopes to bring to attention the so-called “second wave” of COVID-19: the poor changes to morale and mental health sweeping over America like a blanket. But, again, there is trust that humanity is capable of rising to the next challenge, and that the American people are capable of overcoming mental health together, by finding new and innovative solutions to the challenges faced.
No comments:
Post a Comment