24 March 2020. The day when it all began.
No. Not the virus, but the series of endless lockdowns. What was supposed to be a 3 week lockdown, thanks to poor response management and underestimation of the virus’ impact, has been going on for 57 weeks now with no end in sight.
The lockdown has taken it’s toll on every aspect of the society and the virus might be a physical illness, but the lesser known and talked about part is our mental health.
An UK survey taken from March to May showed a jump in depression rates during the coronavirus pandemic by 19.2% during lockdown.
Studies conducted so far in the pandemic consistently show that young people, rather than older people, are most vulnerable to increased psychological distress, owing to their stronger need for social interactions.
A survey conducted shows that, out of the 195 students, 138 (71%) indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Multiple stressors were identified that contributed to the increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive thoughts among students. These included fear and worry about their own health and of their loved ones (177/195, 91% reported negative impacts of the pandemic), difficulty in concentrating (173/195, 89%), disruptions to sleeping patterns (168/195, 86%), decreased social interactions due to physical distancing (167/195, 86%), and increased concerns on academic performance (159/195, 82%). To cope with stress and anxiety, participants have sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either negative or positive coping mechanisms.
When the pandemic began, Academic work grounded to a halt, with auxiliary staff like cleaners, security guards and gardeners suddenly being thrown out of their contractual work. Studies have revealed that this sudden loss of employment, along with financial stress or even distress, could enhance the psychological impact on the working community, shown by symptoms of increased aggressiveness and post-traumatic stress.
On top of all these people, the lockdown was the worst on people who have pre-existing psychological problems such as anxiety and overthinking and also those who live alone, unable to socialize and have no one to talk it through.
Another set of people who are much ignored are the old and needy. Not all are blessed with immediate caretakers or family in their vicinity, hence those people have to provide for themselves, be it food or medicine for themselves during the lockdown, hence they make themselves more prone to the virus or hiring a help which is a financial drain on them, and inadvertently their mental health.
Lastly, but definitely the most important of the lot are the frontline workers. They are the only faction of people who have been working ever since the pandemic begun. Every other section of people got a break and when we got sick, our first question was “Where are the doctors?” , but did someone ask “How are the doctors.” ?
The list of issues which frontline workers faced are inclusive, but not limited to:
- Emotional distress and outburst — Doctors on a day-to-day basis are used to seeing deaths, but come the pandemic, the volume drastically increases and it becomes overwhelming at one point. The recent Oxygen shortage in Delhi and the excessive deaths makes doctors think they have failed their patients, but indeed it is the nation that has failed it’s people. Inspite of all this, frontline workers still make it to their job as they realise that they’re the nation’s last line of defense.
- Anxiety disorders — The pandemic might end, but the horrors they’ve seen never does and it leads to PTSD and even general anxiety, insomnia, etc.
- Depression/depressive symptoms — This is just a corollary to the first point and doesn’t need much explanation.
Sadly, with the inception of the second wave, the nation’s situation is getting worse and there’s nothing much we can do than to social distance, keep ourselves distracted, stay home and pray that this nightmare ends.
