The world of healthcare after Covid19: the impact of the pandemic on mental health (Chapter III)
Mental health has historically been an area that we have not paid enough attention to. Mental health related illnesses are a silent and invisible virus, which affect millions of people in the world, but which society has always been reticent to face. For many it is a taboo, something that is out there, but that we would prefer not to talk about, either out of embarrassment or fear of what others might think. In many ways, the same thing is happening in this pandemic. In medical terms, most of the news regarding the pandemic is centred on research into the virus, the race for a vaccine or possible treatments. This is logical. However, the impact of the virus on our mental health, just as with our physical health, will stay with us for several years to come and it is therefore important that we also address the issue with the attention it deserves.
Last week, both the WHO and the UN raised the alarm about the possible impact of the virus on our mental health in the future and the need for all countries to reinforce the psychological support services provided by their health systems. According to the UN, the people currently at the greatest risk of suffering a mental health disorder are frontline healthcare professionals, the elderly, adolescents and children, as well as people with a pre-existing illness. Data worryingly indicates that depression affects 264 million people in the world, with symptoms arising as young as 14 years old. This means we must be especially vigilant of young people.
Data worryingly indicates that depression affects 264 million people in the world, with symptoms arising as young as 14 years old
The issue has two different sides: on the one hand there is the general public, who have lived through (and continue to live through - albeit partially) home confinement, many of whom have also lost a loved one, or their job; and on the other hand there are the healthcare professionals, who have experienced – and continue to experience – high levels of stress over a prolonged period of time, especially in our hospitals and care homes.
With regards to the general public, 4 factors are affecting our emotional wellbeing.
The first factor is related to the lockdown itself. After more than 60 days confined to our homes, different conditions are manifesting themselves, such as the “cave syndrome” and an anxiety at having to go back outside.
The 2nd factor relates to financial insecurity: the loss of a job, or the fear of losing it can generate serious concern about our future, something that has a huge impact, for example, on our sleep patterns.
The 3rd factor centres on grief. Many people have lost a loved one over this period, and most have not been able to mourn their death, celebrate a funeral or mark their passing, due to lock down conditions and the need to reduce contagion.
The 4th and final factor revolves around the fear of another possible virus outbreak and its consequences. This throws up a wide range of feelings, which can affect both our current and future mental wellbeing.
In Sanitas, we have witnessed all these factors and their impacts on the general public first-hand. Our psychological support services have been inundated with a demand for telephone and video consultations related to mental health since the start of the pandemic.
We believe that both the public and private healthcare systems must make mental health services a priority from now on. More support is needed for the general public as well as for healthcare professionals, to protect our emotional wellbeing in the future
With regards to our healthcare professionals, who are on the other side of the equation, we find a large group of people who have been working for a long time, in the front line, to fight this virus. They have suffered high and prolonged levels of stress and exhaustion for over 60 days now. They have also suffered for those patients they could not save. In addition to that, they have had to deal with the stress of knowing that the very nature of their job meant they were exposed to the risk of infection every day, and the fear that this might also affect their own families. From day one of this crisis, Sanitas set up a psychological assistance service for all our front-line staff. This was complemented by the direct support provided by the teams of psychologists from Sanitas’ La Moraleja, La Zarzuela, CIMA and Virgen del Mar hospitals. The wellbeing of our professionals has been, and always will be, one of our prime concerns.
In conclusion, we believe that both the public and private healthcare systems must make mental health services a priority from now on. More support is needed for the general public as well as for healthcare professionals, to protect our emotional wellbeing in the future. We have already started to work on this problem and in June we will launch a new project to extend our mental health coverage. All the experts point to the fact that this pandemic will affect the mental health of many people, but it is in our hands to work on prevention and to build the basis for a better future.