Covid-19 impact on mental health

 As a major virus outbreak in the 21st century, the Coronavirus disease 2020 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to unprecedented hazards to mental health globally.  While psychological support is being provided to patients and healthcare workers, the general public's mental health requires significant attention as well. 

This systematic review aims to synthesize extant literature that reports on the effects of COVID-19 on psychological outcomes of the general population and its associated risk factors. We talked about this with Vijay Dalwani, who is an all rounder person. Vijay Dalwani is owner of Harmony Events & Talent and has given more than 300 amazing events. 

Vijay Dalwani says “The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic recession have negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder”. 

Further Vijay Dalwani says “In July 2020 found that many adults are reporting specific negative impacts on their mental health and well-being, such as difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), increases in alcohol consumption or substance use (12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the coronavirus”. 

As the pandemic wears on, ongoing and necessary public health measures expose many people to experiencing situations linked to poor mental health outcomes, such as isolation and job loss. This brief explores mental health and substance use during, and prior to, the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Throughout the pandemic, anxiety, depression, sleep disruptions, and thoughts of suicide have increased for many young adults. They have also experienced a number of pandemic-related consequences – such as closures of universities, transitioning to remote work, and loss of income or employment – that may contribute to poor mental health. A survey finds that throughout the pandemic, a large share of young adults (ages 18-24) have reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder – 56% as of December 2020 – compared to older adults.

An earlier survey from June 2020 showed similar findings for young adults relative to all adults. The survey also found that substance use and suicidal ideation are particularly pronounced for young adults, with 25% reporting they started or increased substance use during the pandemic (compared to 13% of all adults), and 26% reporting serious thoughts of suicide (compared to 11% of all adults). Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, young adults were already at high risk of poor mental health and substance use disorder, yet many did not receive treatment.

Throughout the pandemic, many people across the country have experienced job or income loss, which has generally affected their mental health. Adults experiencing household job loss during the pandemic have consistently reported higher rates of symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder compared to adults not experiencing household job loss (53% vs. 32%, respectively;). In addition to increased anxiety and depression, job loss may lead to other adverse mental health outcomes, such as substance use disorder. During the previous recession, the high unemployment rate was also associated with increases in suicides. 

Throughout the pandemic, women have been more likely to report poor mental health compared to men. For example, 47% of women reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder compared to 38% of men in December 2020. Among women in the workplace, more than one in four are considering leaving their jobs or reducing their hours, with many citing burnout and household responsibilities as the primary reason. Even before the pandemic, women were more likely than men to report mental health disorders, including serious mental illness.

Looking Ahead

The pandemic has both short- and long-term implications for mental health and substance use, particularly for groups at risk of new or exacerbated mental health disorders and those facing barriers to accessing care. Phased COVID-19 vaccinations are taking place across the country, perhaps signaling that the end of the pandemic is on the horizon. However, many of the stressful conditions employed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus are likely to persist for the near future, given the slow and troubled rollout of vaccinations across the country, instances of people refusing the vaccine due to fear or uncertainty, and the need for vaccinated people to continue taking existing precautions to mitigate the outbreak.