Mental Health – the Next Pandemic
Mental illness never discriminates.
The year 2020 brought sudden and significant changes along with the most crucial – the COVID-19 regulations. We were confronted with the stark reality that most of the year would be spent separated and restricted indoors. Most countries in the world are now struggling with a second wave. COVID-19 brought with it emotional turmoil for many people who formerly anticipated the world to be a protected and reliable place, resulting in adverse influences on their mental health. Unfortunately, people who had a history of anxiety disorders and depression found these feelings to be heightened. In fact, those with pre-existing conditions were more probable to face deteriorating conditions. The ensuing mental ailments originating from COVID-19 have developed a second pandemic. Instead of an improvement in health supports, the need to alienate and isolate has led to the combination or closure of amenities and has led to limited or less accessible health services in an already underserviced and stigmatized sector. Health care systems need to acknowledge mental ailments as a crucial problem and put strategies in place to deal with it.
The tragic news of certain medical workers who committed suicide after working with COVID-19 patients is an indication of the emotional pressure these workers withstand while battling COVID-19. While medical workers endure life or death situations repeatedly in their job, COVID-19 has given rise to unusual challenges to how these workers commonly bear with the pressures of their role. While earlier, they could depend on family and friends for emotional support, many of these workers are separated from their families to prevent potentially spreading the virus.
People’s mental well-being has been negatively affected due to isolation, massive unemployment, anxiety, and intensified tension over the virus. As the coronavirus goes on to spread, this toll on people’s stress levels is improbable to fade.
Telehealth broadens reach to behavioral medical assistance and wellness programs.
Virtual visits can assist people struggling with these stressors to receive access to behavioral medical assistance and wellness programs. With several people in isolation coping with high unemployment, intensified stress, as well as previous mental ailments, the necessity for healthcare is greater now than ever before. Telehealth visits enable patients to be seen without the further tension of leaving their home and assures that they are provided with the care they require at a safe distance. Virtual visits can aid people to feel less isolated, comprehend coping methods, formulate objectives and habits, and give emotional support.
As companies begin to look at re-opening businesses, behavioral telehealth can proceed with bringing assistance to patients that might not contrarily receive care. Before COVID-19, numerous doctors using telepsychiatry repeatedly found that they could meet or help more patients who required assistance through virtual visits. Also, attending therapy and getting the treatment done from home can eliminate the fear of stigma for some patients. Telehealth also allows patients who change residences and with uncertain conveyance access to get care wherever they are. This also provides the means to retain a consistent relationship with a particular provider.
We must not forget that our helpful medical assistance and wellness programs providers and first responders are also patients. No amount of training will equip them for the toll this virus can take on their all-around health. Giving them the isolation to seek out assistance in a time-limited environment should be a preference for their families and employers. Telehealth can be a lifeline. There are mental health providers who are ready to aid them during these tough times.
The need for Mental Health Treatment is now.
As the healthcare system is overfilled with COVID-19 patients, we must remember to also recognize the mental health of our communities. The shortage of accessible behavioral care has long challenged the system. The intense growth of people reporting that their mental well-being has been negatively affected by coronavirus is only heightening the need for accessible behavioral care.
