Catherine Yau

Professor Killebrew

ENGL 21003

19 March 2021

Is the COVID-19 Pandemic Affecting Mental Health Positively or Negatively?

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus began on January 30, 2020. The WHO organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency. The world was frightened by the news of the outbreak, many people began to isolate themselves, panic shop, and people began to attentively watch the news to keep updated on the situation. Many people were unsure about the COVID-19 outbreak because there was a lot of information spread by multiple news outlets. Weeks have gone by, and people were waiting for the government to provide more information on this deadly virus and what further steps should be taken to keep ourselves and those around us safe. The world went on lockdown, people had to stay in their homes for weeks and months. Many people have not experienced a pandemic in their lifetime, which can result in unhealthy ways of coping with the covid situation.

Worsen symptoms in people with pre-existing mental illnesses

Many jobs, schools, and stores are closed, and people’s social life has been limited due to the pandemic precautions and the shutdown of cities/countries. People were shocked by the covid-19 outbreak and were unsure what to do or how to cope with this crisis. During these difficult times, people began to feel anxious because of all of the news circling, many people were concerned that their loved ones would contract the virus, and people are losing their loved ones to the virus. 

(KFF organization)

In the scientific research Pandemics and pre-existing mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis by Kishen Neelam, Venu Duddu, Nnamdi Anyim, Jyothi Neelam, and Shôn Lewis have all studied in the mental health field, discovered that there was a correlation between people with pre-existing mental illnesses and the increase in depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and problems with sleeping. People’s daily routines have been hampered during the pandemic. The routine people had helped with balancing their mental health. While being in quarantine, our daily routines have changed. People began to feel worsened symptoms of mental illness such as anxiety, depression, and other psychotic emotions because they are isolated from their loved ones and society. However, in this research, the authors did not have data on people’s mental health before the pandemic, but they were able to identify worsened symptoms in those who have pre-existing mental illnesses. Living in a toxic household can also play a role in your mental health. Being around toxic people and toxic situations every day during the pandemic can take a toll on your health. With all that has been going on with the covid situation, living under a toxic household can result in worsened mental illness symptoms, such as; depression disorder, anxiety, substance use, or suicidal thoughts.

The mental health of people with pre-existing mental illness is deteriorating during the pandemic, due to the immense amount of stress people are enduring during the covid crisis, and the psychiatric hospitals and utilization services have been limited. Some people are resorting to drugs and other substances to help them feel better. There has been an increase in substance abuse when the pandemic began. The reduced access to help for people who are struggling with mental illnesses and substance abuse contributes to the increase in worsened symptoms during the pandemic. In the KFF organization, they mentioned, 

“A KFF Health Tracking Poll from July 2020 also found that many adults are reporting specific negative impacts on their mental health and well-being, such as difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), increases in alcohol consumption or substance use (12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the coronavirus. As the pandemic wears on, ongoing and necessary public health measures expose many people to experiencing situations linked to poor mental health outcomes, such as isolation and job loss.”

In the graph above, it appears that the pandemic has affected people’s mental health negatively. The numbers show a dramatic increase in mental illnesses during covid.

In times of hardship, people are undergoing many emotions and are still learning how to cope with this situation. There need to be more services provided for everyone to help people get through this pandemic. 

How has the covid pandemic benefited mental health?

Some people view this pandemic as a blessing in disguise because they can finally relax and focus on activities they enjoy. Most adults spend most of their time working and hardly have any time to spend with their loved ones. Despite their busy lives, the pandemic has allowed people to become more appreciative of life before the pandemic, it has also allowed people to reconnect with their loved ones and find different hobbies/passions. An article published by Ed Condran, mentioned many positive positives from this pandemic, Condran mentioned people being more appreciative, improved relationships, and positive attitudes. As we are all experiencing the pandemic, people are more reflective during these times, most people begin to be more appreciative of the things they have taken for granted like, going outside or eating at your favorite restaurant. Although there are many restrictions on social gatherings, people have time to spend with their families and loved ones because most jobs are either closed or online. Not only did the covid pandemic allow people to do what they love, but it also allowed people to explore many new hobbies. It also allowed people to dive deeper into their creativity due to boredom. Many people discovered new things about themselves or new activities that they enjoy plays a pivotal role in keeping people sane during these difficult times.

The overall attitude of most individuals will change positively because people have the opportunity to work on themselves, do things that they enjoy, catch up on sleep, and explore other things they may enjoy. As a result of doing these things during the pandemic, these groups of individuals believe that the pandemic has impacted people’s lives positively rather than negatively.

Conclusion

During the pandemic, people experience different emotions. Some cope with the covid crisis better than others depending on their situation. People with pre-existing mental illnesses are more likely to have unpleasant experiences during the pandemic, because of the time spent isolated and there is limited support provided by the government. Some people who do not have any mental illnesses tend to develop them during the pandemic because of the stress and anxiety they are enduring. However, some individuals take the pandemic as an opportunity to explore new hobbies or to learn more about themselves. Therefore, the pandemic can affect people negatively or positively based on how they go on about the pandemic, and what is going on in their lives.

Citations 

Berman, Robby. “Lockdown May Have Boosted Well-Being for Some.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 17 Feb. 2021, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/lockdown-may-have-boosted-well-being-for-some#Using-these-insights. 

Condran, Ed. “Finding Positives from the Pandemic: 10 Ways Life Might Be Better Post-Coronavirus.” Spokesman.com, The Spokesman-Review, 17 Apr. 2020, www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/apr/18/10-ways-life-will-be-better-post-pandemic/. 

Coronavirus Crisis May Worsen Symptoms In Children With Anxiety, Depression [Radio broadcast transcript]. (2020, May 21). Morning Edition, NA. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A624857455/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=ac95580d

Nirmita Panchal, Rabah Kamal, and Feb 2021. “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use.” KFF, 10 Feb. 2021, www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/. 

Neelam, Kishen et al. “Pandemics and pre-existing mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Brain, behavior, & immunity – health vol. 10 (2021): 100177. doi:10.1016/j.bbih.2020.100177

Pies, Ronald W. “Is the Country Experiencing a Mental Health Pandemic?” Psychiatric Times, Oct. 13AD, 2020, www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/are-we-really-witnessing-mental-health-pandemic. 

World Health Organization. (2020). (Rep.). World Health Organization. doi:10.2307/resrep28154

The Pandemic Has Researchers Worried About Teen Suicide [Radio broadcast transcript]. (2020, September 11). Morning Edition. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A635584112/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=ba88c3e5

van der Velden, P. G., Hyland, P., Contino, C., von Gaudecker, H.-M., Muffels, R., Das, M., & Sirois, F. M. (2021). Anxiety and depression symptoms, the recovery from symptoms, and loneliness before and after the COVID-19 outbreak among the general population: Findings from a Dutch population-based longitudinal study. PLoS ONE, 16(1), e0245057. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A650815059/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=70875872