Mental Health and COVID - 19

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world and has been one of the biggest global crises. It affected everyone from different walks of life. It involved the health system, the economy, the education sector, the communities and societies. Some people lost their jobs and businesses; others lost their families and loved ones. Some lost their very own lives.

The restrictions and the drastic changes brought by the pandemic also caused a tremendous shift in everyone's life. Everyone had to adjust to the new normal and the strict protocols. All the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic caused most of us to be anxious, worried, and even depressed. As everyone was forced to stay home, everyone had limited physical socialization. This has left most to be lonely, vulnerable and disconnected.

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Mental health issues also arise after the peak of the pandemic, especially for people who are vulnerable and at risk. According to?the study , there were new-onset mental health issues, such as COVID-19-related stress, fear and loneliness. Others with pre-existing mental illness had reduced therapeutic resources due to the restrictions. There were also risk factors such as the death of either parent, loss of socialization due to the closure of school or workplace, work stress, etc.

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????????Social isolation ?resulting from the pandemic is one of the significant explanations for the mental health crisis. This prolonged isolation has substantial consequences on physical and psychological health. The pandemic has dramatically affected healthcare workers' mental health, which could also affect the public health response to COVID-19.

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Studies ?have shown that the aftermath of the pandemic is likely to be a wave of psychiatric illness as this is rooted in people who had extraordinary experiences such as emotional disturbances like anxiety, depression and such. Globally, the prevalence of these disorders would most likely result in an increase in the demand for the mental health care system.?

? As we move forward post-pandemic, we should remember the importance of mental health as the residual effect from the prolonged isolation and restriction would most likely continue. According to the same study by Ren and Guo (2020), we should prevent and control the psychological crisis in the POST-COVID-19 era. One of their suggestions is to improve the ability of the community medical staff to identify and manage psychological crises post-pandemic. As community medical staff plays an essential role in pre-screening, triage and site screening, they should also be provided training on psychological issues to help them identify and manage the psychological crisis.

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As there is an increase in internet use post-pandemic, it would also be helpful to build a public psychological crisis management platform based on the internet. Now post-pandemic, we should continue building a service platform for crisis based on the internet, such as online psychological diagnosis and treatment, psychological counselling, etc.

Aside from all these, we should prioritize self-care and seek support when needed. We must always prioritize mental health as we would our physical health. We can maintain a routine and practice mindfulness to help us gain stability and control in uncertain times and reduce stress and anxiety. It is also important to stay connected with family and friends. Seek support when struggling with mental health.

The pandemic was a crisis everyone had to go through. All of us had our share of ups and downs. Some of us bounce back quickly, while others might need a little help. Remember, no person is an island. We all need someone to get by, so let us all work together to improve mental health post-COVID world.