By Ingrid Yeung ‘23
Fear, stress, isolation, and anxiousness became predominant factors of life in the chaotic year of 2020. The COVID-19 forced people to adjust their way of working, studying, and living. Self-quarantine limited many outdoor activities and opportunities. Schools and work turned online, many people who were not able to work online had to risk their health to work, and more even lost their jobs and became unemployed. With more than 30 million confirmed cases, this worldwide pandemic had already resulted in more than 1 million deaths until the end of August. What we don't see behind the numbers of confirmed cases and deaths are people who suffered from the side effects of this pandemic. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBX) Health Index, New York county, which has one of the highest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases, has a 38% greater prevalence of depression compared to the national standard. Currently, a large portion of the population is suffering from unemployment and mounting loneliness, which could lead to depression and other mental health problems.
(European Commission - Europa EU)
The unemployment rate ties closely with mental health issues. As more people lose jobs due to the pandemic, the depression rate rose. The longer people remain unemployed, the more they undergo depression. For people suffering from job losses of three to five weeks, 10% show symptoms of depression. However, for those who are unemployed for a year or more, the number rose to 19%.
The current unemployment rate in the US had reached its historical peak in April 2020, with 14.7%, meaning that in every 10 people you meet, there will likely be one unemployed person. Such a terrible number of unemployed people indicate that there is an evergrowing mental health issue within our society. Governments had made efforts to lower unemployment rates by restarting businesses and giving out subsidies, but they did not seem to provide concrete support for the unemployed population. Therefore, unemployment will remain a vital problem and an essential factor for the rising mental health issues if COVID-19 continues to strike the world.
(Prosperity Connection)
For those working and studying online, the cumulating loneliness is also an essential factor influencing mental health. During quarantine, many had to abandon their normal ways of life, spending most of their time online. The lack of physical activity and communication left people in complete isolation. When quarantined at home, it is normal for people to overthink and stress themselves. A study analyzed Google search queries that contained terms including “panic attack” or “anxiety attack” throughout a time span of 15 years. It shows that the largest growth of those occurrences happened between March 16, 2020 and April 14, 2020, with a total increase of 17%. These were times when the guidelines for social distancing were the harshest and the COVID situation was the most serious around the world. Quarantine and social distance affected our lives negatively since humans are, by nature, social creatures. With a healthy approach to utilize the internet and social media to connect with friends and family, this issue of loneliness could be partially resolved. Many health and mental institutions like the World Health Organization are also setting up new guidelines and providing resources for mental health problems during the pandemic. Yet, rising mental health problems due to social distancing can never be fully resolved unless we are back outside with no restrictions on our activities.
Though in our small community at St. Mark’s we have partially resumed in-person activities, it is important to recognize the rising mental health issues, learn to seek help, and stay healthy mentally. Many students have reported that they felt disconnected from their friends and teachers during online classes even though St. Mark’s had organized community activities online. As a remote student myself, it is apparent that we can do very little only through the screen. Therefore, seeking help from the counselors, taking advantage of online resources, and keeping oneself busy without being overwhelmed are all essential components to a healthy remote learning experience. Mental health issues may remain prevalent as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, but all we need to do is to stay positive no matter what obstacles we face.
Source
Am I having a panic attack? Internet searches for anxiety attacks take off during COVID-19 (Press Release), La Jolla, CA. August 24, 2020, EurekAlert! Accessed August 25, 2020
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate#:~:text=Unemployment%20Rate%20in%20the%20United,percent%20in%20May%20of%201953.’
https://www.soa.org/globalassets/assets/files/resources/research-report/2020/covid-19-mental-health.pdf
https://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/study-covid-19-pandemic-causing-mental-health-issues