Will the COVID-19 pandemic result in a mental health crisis?

(HealthDay)-Are you stressed by educating your children at home? Lonely from lockdown? Worried about the sick loved ones isolated in a nursing home? Are you worried about losing your job?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the spirit of everyone health For many, experts are worried that today’s anxiety will surge into mental health problems over the next few years.

The pandemic adds to the already unrecognized US mental health crisis, according to Dr. Don Mordecai, national health and wellness leader at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California.

The incidence of anxiety and depression, as well as death in despair related to suicide and drug overdose, has risen steadily over the years, he said during an HD live. interview.

“All these things have been going on for decades and are now causing pandemics,” Mordecai said. “I wasn’t physically well in terms of mental health, and it’s getting worse now. It seems I wasn’t well and brought in another big stressor.”

Clinical psychologist Elena Kekmanovich is also worried about the sacrifices of changes that cause anxiety in the everyday life people endure.

“Anxiety is exhausting and frightening,” said Kekumanovich, director of the Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute in Arlington, Virginia. And maybe even suicide. “

She expects some long-term emotional scars.

“This lasts long enough, it is traumatic for enough people, and it’s not realistic to expect us to return to normal,” Kecmanovic said.

Pandemic related in America Mental health crisis She said it wasn’t published as expected. Even if lockdowns have changed the way we live our lives, the initial increase in the number of people seeking help has been modest.

“After these first few months, when the resumption began, it was when we really started to see people’s mental health getting significantly worse,” she said.

What has changed

“It’s dawning on us that we’re in this situation for a long time,” Kecmanovic said. “Uncertainty is really hitting people. It will lead to this ever-changing normal life for a year or a year and a half. New normals change daily, weekly .”

According to a study, Mordecai said that people are concerned about the effects of pandemics on their mental health and that symptoms of anxiety and depression are increasing.

But “it’s not a full-blown mental health disorder,” he said. “I still don’t know how it will be translated in the long run.”

Mordecai and Kecmanovic said that those at greatest risk of long-term problems are those most directly affected by COVID-19. These include frontline health care workers, infected people, and those who have lost loved ones.

“There will be a tremendous amount of sadness that has not been dealt with,” Kekmanovich said, adding that it is impossible to write over it. “It will eventually catch up with you.”

All of this sounds disastrous, but both experts predict that most will recover.

“We hope that the inherent resilience of humans will spread. People may not be able to ring their fingers to get it back to normal, but they will generally be fine,” Kecmanovic said. It was.

Mordecai said past experience provides a reason for hope.

“Looking at past natural disasters and pandemic studies, most people are fine. I think this gives me an optimistic reason,” he said. “But some people will have long-term consequences. Those who have been seriously affected by the pandemic.”

Mordecai said that people worried about their mental state should double their efforts to stay healthy and happy.

“The greatest risk is that people become accustomed to maintaining their mental and physical health when they are socially isolated.

Daily training helps a lot in reducing your stress. Mordecai added that people should also consider meditation and yoga as a way to reduce stress and limit news intake.

He advised not to be caught in the news.

“It’s important to stay up to date, but it doesn’t take hours or days,” Mordecai said. “If your TV is turned on in the background, it’s a good idea to turn it off. This is a constant message that causes anxiety.”

Kecmanovic also said it’s important to acknowledge how you feel and that you feel right. “These are crazy times. These are unprecedented times. It’s no wonder I’m worried, and that’s okay,” she said.

Some potential bright spots can also emerge from the pandemic. Some people may be proud to appear to endure the crisis, she said.

“It may be happening… stronger than I thought,” Kekumanovich said. “I never thought I was a strong and energetic person, but what I experienced over the last year and a half is amazing that I was able to do this,” he said.

Experts also hope that what they have endured will help them empathize with those who are suffering from mental health.

“One of the silver linings here may be that many of us had to deal with symptoms of anxiety and concerns about isolation,” Mordecai said. “They are, mental health The condition has long been known. If the rest of us taste it by nature, does it enable us all to speak more openly about it? I hope so. ”

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