Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health

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Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health
One of the major health problems facing the world today is the COVID-19 pandemic that began in Wuhan at the end of 2019. Almost two years later, the world has yet to come to terms with its effects, with millions of people already having succumbed to it and many others infected and affected. An area that has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is mental health. The pandemic resulted in massive job losses, lockdowns, isolation, and loss of loved ones. These factors severely impacted the mental health of many people around the world. According to a survey by Panchal et al., in the course of the pandemic, 4 in 10 adults in the United States reported anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms (par. 1). Before the pandemic, 1 in 10 adults reported the symptoms (Panchal et al. par. 1). The pandemic thus had a massive impact on mental health as it has increased incidents of anxiety and depression, disrupted delivery of mental health services, and exacerbated suicide ideation and attempts rates.
One of the major impacts of COVID-19 on mental health is the increased incidents of anxiety and depression. The outbreak of the pandemic necessitated measures by governments around the world to curb its spread and among such measures were social distancing and lockdowns. As a result, people experienced major lifestyle changes that resulted in stress and mental health concerns (Liu et al. 5). One of the consequences of lockdown measures applied by governments was loneliness, as people could not interact with others on a physical level. According to the research by Liu et al., loneliness is a key risk factor for mental health problems as it makes one feel pessimistic and vulnerable about their situation, consequently resulting in anxiety and negative mood states (5). According to Liu et al., respondents to their study reported loneliness, low social support from family, and reduced ability to tolerate distress (4). These factors are associated with depression and anxiety disorders, meaning that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on people’s mental health regardless of whether they were infected with the virus or not. Another study by Bhattacharjee and Acharya identified the elderly, health care professionals, and children and teenagers as the population groups most susceptible to mental health problems due to COVID-19 (4). It is easy to see why this was the case, with the elderly being infected at a higher rate than the general population and healthcare professionals directly involved in treating patients. Therefore, COVID-19 elevated anxiety and depressive disorders with the elderly and health care professionals feeling the effects more compared to the general population.
COVID-19 also disrupted to a great extent the delivery of mental healthcare services around the world; apart from increasing mental health disorders, the pandemic also hindered the measures that were already in place to address them. In a survey by the WHO, critical mental health services were halted in 93% of the countries worldwide (par. 1). According to Gautam et al., psychiatric hospitals became the epicenters for the rapid spread of COVID-19 due to facilities being crowded in most cases and the patients not being able to understand the social distancing concept due to their conditions (868). Psychiatric facilities that primarily provide health to patients with mental health problems could not safely do so during the pandemic. Due to the risks in these facilities, many families and providers preferred to keep patients at home (Gautam et al. 86...