Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

“Many experts believe there’s going to be a second curve, which is the mental health impact of COVID.” Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization Active Minds

The pandemic has stressed the mental health and well-being of millions of Americans

During this unprecedented time of uncertainty and fear, it is likely that mental health issues and substance use disorders among Americans will be exacerbated. Since epidemics in the past have been shown to induce general stress and anxiety across a population and may lead to new mental health and substance use issues, according to The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Experts warn of an upcoming wave of mental disorders because of coronavirus. In the past, unprecedented times like a pandemic are almost always accompanied by increases in depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, a broad range of other mental and behavioral disorders, domestic violence, and child abuse, according to a recent opinion piece published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health.

“If the country continues to ignore the collateral damage — specifically our nation’s mental health — we will not come out of this stronger.” Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD, chief strategy officer at Well Being Trust.

Preliminary data shows the pandemic has already negatively affected people’s mental health and well-being, particularly college students, according to Catherine Grus, the American Psychological Association’s chief education officer. More than one in three adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. The negative implications on mental health and well-being of social distancing practices and job loss related to the economic recession on mental health is significant and growing

According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, more than half of Americans — 56% –reported that worry or stress related to the outbreak has led to at least one negative mental health effect.

Those negative mental health and well-being effects include trouble with eating or sleeping, drinking alcohol more, frequent headaches or stomachaches, shorter tempers, and other health problems. Among frontline health care workers and their families, 64% reported worsened mental health, as did 65% of those who had lost income.

Another recent report, released Friday from the Well Being Trust, said the pandemic could lead to 75,000 additional “deaths of despair” from drug and alcohol misuse and suicide due to unemployment, social isolation, and fears about the virus.

Disproportionate impact on African Americans and people of color

Additionally, it’s important to address the fact that the pandemic and the economic fallout has disproportionately affected Black Americans and people of color who have experienced higher mortality rates due to the coronavirus, as well as higher rates of unemployment.

Patrice Harris, MD, immediate past president of the American Medical Association, says COVID-19 worsened the mental and physical health problems that African Americans were already having.

“Pre-COVID-19, in the last 8 to 10 years, we have seen an increase in the number of suicide attempts in our African American youth, increased reports of stress and anxiety in African Americans in general and, unfortunately, we have also seen an increase in a [lack of] access to mental health care,” she says. “That is the foundation from which we have entered … [the] COVID-19 pandemic.”

Since the pandemic came to the United States, Harris says, much of the country has shown signs of more anxiety, stress, and worry. “If you add that to the foundation that we have pre-existing conditions around health and equity, then it just adds to the level of stress, anxiety, and trauma felt by the [African American] community.”

Access to needed health care services was a concern prior to the pandemic

It is imperative that our society focus efforts to educate Americans, especially students and people of color, on issues such as stress, depression and anxiety, and provide ways to cope with these maladies. Many Americans will likely require mental health and substance use services. Consequently, the pandemic spotlights both existing and new barriers to accessing mental health and substance use disorder services.

Among households that report skipping or delaying health care during the pandemic, 4% state that as a result, their or a family member’s mental health condition worsened. For people with insurance coverage, an increasingly common barrier to accessing mental health care is a lack of in-network options for mental health and substance use care.

Limited access to mental health care and substance use treatment is in part due to a current shortage of mental health professionals, which will likely be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People look at the pandemic and they tend to be drawn to the negative. If we can help shift people to look at the positive, it really helps because we know that neurons that fire together wire together.” Heather Aston, Program Manager, San Diego Access and Crisis Line

It’s helpful to learn about “distress tolerance” skills, which involve accepting that some problems are beyond one’s control. Instead of becoming mired in feelings of unfairness and anger, people can learn healthier ways of thinking and coping when they can’t escape painful situations like a pandemic and economic recession.

Even with the looming epidemic of mental health issues, experts say that people are resilient and can strive to protect their emotional well-being. People can develop their own psychological tools. Experts offer:

Try to to eat healthy, exercise daily and sleep well.
Try to stay socially connected with friends and families, even if you can’t see others in person.
Limit negative news and social media.

How Americans are coping during COVID-19

References:

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