Covid-19 Effects on Mental Health
Covid-19 has impacted different areas of people’s lives and the biggest impact according to statistics is mental health. People have felt the mental challenges of the pandemic, from quarantine, job loss, virtual school, family loss, loneliness, anxiety, depression, etc.
As explained in the video, negative impacts on mental health have spiked from 34% to 53% since March, and the majority of adults have related that to worry and stress over the coronavirus. These impacts have caused difficulty sleeping, eating, increases in alcohol consumption or substance abuse, and worsening chronic conditions (Chidambaram, 2020).
Stephanie Paige, a law student at the University of Miami, explains in the video how the pandemic has impacted her mentally because of isolation and financially because she lost her job and was having difficulty paying her expenses because her student loans were not enough to sustain her.
Paige decided to keep a connection with her church friends and join groups weekly to chat, she has found hobbies like playing with her dog and going for walks to help ease her anxiety and said that it has all helped her. She recently started a new job that does not require her to leave her home and has also busied herself with that to make sure she is mentally healthy and active.
Unlike Stephanie Paige, there are many people that decide to deal with their problems alone and the CDC encourages everyone to seek help immediately if conditions worsen. In their website, they helplines, websites that connect you with doctors, and articles that teach people how to take care of themselves mentally when they are alone.
Data Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
