Mental Health during the Coronavirus Pandemic

From the possibility of being tested positive with COVID-19 to the political polarization between Biden and Trump, our world has experienced a surplus of unprecedented and unfortunate events that have affected people in a number of ways. Were you expecting 2020 to be your year to shine? Although this may seem like a foolish question to ask given what is currently happening around the world, it is most likely that you are not interpreting it in the right way. There is a second, deeper meaning behind that question besides coming top of your class or being the best at something.
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Being quarantined indoors was something the majority of the world was not used to or expecting at all. Isolating yourself from outdoor life, not being able to do the things you would have normally done on a daily basis; it introduced everyone to an unconventional, simplistic way of living, almost comparable to the middle ages! Speaking as an 18-year-old, I personally loathed the idea of having to spend 99% of my time stuck indoors with very little to do. This is where mental health comes into play.
Mental health during this pandemic is a topic that has not been discussed nearly enough. The day Boris Johnson announced that COVID-19 had alarming consequences for the UK was a day of utmost panic and hysteria. Supermarket shelves were made sparse in the rush for essentials; how else did the memes about toilet paper come about? The one thing that could have possibly made people react in this frantic way is a phenomenon that has impacted and destroyed individuals for centuries. That phenomenon is stress. What is stress? Stress is your body’s reaction to a physically or mentally demanding problem. Stress is usually looked at in a negative perspective. Common symptoms of stress include restlessness, headaches, mood swings and depression. As a result of this, in some very extreme cases, this could lead to alcohol and drug misuse as a way of coping. The very idea of ‘catching corona virus at any moment’ would inevitably cause humans to stress out and feel a jittery sense of anxiety. Surely there are consequences to feeling this way, right?
If you are reading this, I am assuming you have seen the viral, pretty hilarious video where Boris Johnson manages to stutter out the fact that ‘we should not meet up with our friends’ during quarantine. This was filmed at the beginning of lockdown. I am speaking on behalf of us teenagers who were arguably affected the most by this regulation. The idea of not being able to see our best friends or our partners face to face and having to do online classes was one that made most teenagers feel downcast and alone. As a result of this, the use of social media rapidly escalated. Staring at screens 24/7 with no other obvious ways of keeping ourselves entertained affected our mental health massively. Suicide rates amongst females aged 10-24 have increased by 94% since 2012. This age group is known for being energetic, adventurous, and restless. Isolation took those traits away from them. As a result of this, more teenagers experienced depression; one of the main reasons behind suicide.
In writing this article, I want to appeal to a wide variety of age groups. Let us have a look at middle aged men and women, aged 35-50. Lockdown affected them in a different way. Economic uncertainty and fear of redundancy was a common factor in this case. Unemployment levels rose as people lost their jobs due to essentially ‘not being needed anymore’. This single phrase left millions in tatters. The biggest fear amongst them was no longer being able to provide for their families. As a result, depression levels amongst this age group also increased with male suicide rates being 25.5 deaths per 100,000: the highest since 2000. Depression can lead to the abuse of drugs and alcohol. You may be wondering; why do people race to these methods to cope with life after a tragedy like this? Drinking alcohol makes your bodies release endorphins. This in turn makes you feel a sense of euphoria. When overused, it aggravates the symptoms of anxiety and depression. There is evidence that people who consume alcohol regularly have higher death rates from violence and suicide. This is common amongst the unemployed trying to escape the consequences of losing their jobs. “What comes next for me? Will it be easy for me to find a new job during this pandemic?” These plaguing questions affect mental health and make people more and more vulnerable.
You may be thinking why I have harboured on the negative effects on our mental health during this pandemic. Let us have a look at the positive side. Although being trapped indoors for most of the day as many would say ‘sucks’ there have also been many positive things that have come out of it too. For instance, people say they have discovered themselves over these past 8 months. Finding creative things to do when you are bored, family time and the chance to introspect and grow as a human being. It is most likely that you worked hard on or discovered traits and talents that you may have never discovered were it not for the quarantine.
Overall, although I may not have spoken for everyone and obviously everyone has different opinions on the matter, COVID-19 has affected our mental health in countless ways. As a whole, I would say that the pandemic has impacted our mental health for the worse considering that while writing this article I could think of a lot more negatives and we are heading into a second lockdown. We should try and maintain a positive outlook and a healthy mindset – look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel.