Earth has experienced many pandemics and endemics, such as smallpox, monkeypox, malaria, polio, and the mighty beast of COVID-19. These diseases have caused millions of lives and a complete halt in life activities for an extended period.
People lost their jobs and loved ones and constantly feared for life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people had to be confined in their homes, detached from their friends and family. This led to rising psychological issues, and people still couldn’t get over them even after life resumed routine.
Importance of Mental Health
Mental health is taboo even today. People across the globe start to question a person’s sanity every time they know that a person is going through some psychological issues. We all need to realize that mental health is indisputable. It is as important as taking care of your physical well-being. If you are not mentally at peace, your body system will also show issues you may be unable to understand. For example, stress and anxiety cause insomnia which may not improve until you remove all the negative thoughts from your mind.
Mental health should be a priority in every field of life. If a job is causing you excessive stress and anxiety, you need to talk to the higher authorities about managing your workload, and if they are not cooperative, you may walk out. You will only be productive at work if your mind is at peace. Also, consulting health professionals should always be considered; you can opt for products like kratom strains for relaxation to maintain your mental health, but make sure you consult an expert.
Effects of the pandemic on Mental Health
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a state of horror in the world. People were losing their parents, family, and friends at a time. People were scared for their lives and their loved ones. This all was too much to process for a human being, so many people were falling into the dark pit of depression.
The case was much worst for the victims of COVID-19. They were surrounded by people dying while they waited for their destiny to play its course. The patients had to be quarantined, so they had no support from their loved ones. They had to face the constant fear and pain, which was altogether very difficult to handle.
In the first year of COVID-19, there was a massive increase of 25% in the global prevalence of depression. This was the recorded increase; the actual values must be much higher since people do not prioritize mental health and hesitate to talk about it.
Even when the pandemic is not severe, mental health does get affected because of fear. For example, the number of reported monkeypox cases was not as high as COVID-19, but the mental health issues were evident from analyzing groups’ general psyche.
The Young women were affected the most.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of the young generation the most, with rising cases of self-harm and suicide. Their mental capacity to deal with stress or pressure has significantly reduced, which is why they take strict measures against psychological pressure.
Women with preexisting diseases like heart issues, asthma, and cancer were more affected by mental pressure than healthy females. However, whether healthy or not, the ratio of women to men affected by psychological stress was high.
A study on COVID-19 and its relationship with mental health suggested that people with psychological disorders, when infected by the coronavirus, were more likely to suffer hospitalization, severe symptoms, and even death than people without any psychological issues.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive disorder is a psychological disorder where a person frequently has unwanted thoughts or fears that lead to repetitive behavior. In this condition, an individual becomes extra conscious about germs, symmetry, and the order of everything. There is no need to worry if the symptoms are mild, but if they are severe, the person would need psychotherapy.
During this time, we also got to experience a rise in the intensity of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, OCD, in people carrying it. They became more conscious about the cleanliness of every single item and would even wash themselves to the point that their skin would be hurt.
Issues with mental health therapy
The increase in mental health cases is also due to the gap between mental health care services and the person in need of it. During the pandemic, all activities were paused, and it was hard for anyone to step out and find a psychologist.
It was a testing time when psychologists could not give proper therapy to the patient for fear of spreading the virus. Many people lost their jobs during the pandemic, so they could not afford therapy sessions while their basic needs waited for fulfillment.
However, some fortunate ones were able to get online therapy sessions and got many benefits from them.
Published by International Pain Foundation, iPain Blog, Team iPain
