Mental Health Challenges Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a once-in-a-generation event that has had a far-reaching impact on the global economy, politics, population health, and social well-being of communities around the world. Some might say that the pandemic has brought out the best and worst in us.

As we have been in the pandemic for more than 2 years, a large number of studies have been generated in that time that have studied the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and well-being. Some people experienced worsening mental health during the pandemic; others actually experienced better mental health, and others experienced little to no change in their mental health. Let me elaborate on each of these results.

Worsening mental health

The most common and expected outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic is that mental health declines during this period of time. And, in fact, a growing number of studies have reported an increase in anxiety, depression, and substance abuse problems during the pandemic. Some have attributed it to the effects of the virus itself and others to the various measures taken to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, including city lockdowns, social distancing, and economic effects such as business closures, unemployment, etc. .

But the pandemic has had different effects on different people , and there may have been some predisposing factors that made some individuals more vulnerable than others. At least one study found that people with pre-existing mental health problems were much more likely to experience worsening mental health during the pandemic.

Improving mental health

While some people experienced increased mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, others actually experienced improvements in their mental health! Human beings can be incredibly resilient, and several studies have found that many people who experience disasters and incredibly stressful events have been able to develop new internal strengths and strive to overcome their experiences.

Findings from studies about the Great Depression found improved population health , increased life expectancy, and decreased mortality for almost all age groups during that era.

Several studies have found that some people have reported psychological growth and development of emotional strength during the pandemic. These studies concerned American veterans, who may be particularly resilient and different from other adults, although this needs more research.

In a nationally representative study of U.S. veterans, we found that more than 40% reported experiencing moderate to large levels of post-traumatic psychological growth during the pandemic.

In another study , three groups of veterans were evaluated over time during the pandemic, and it was found that veterans who recently became homeless, as well as veterans who had a psychotic disorder, reported better resilience. mental health during the pandemic than healthy controls.

There are several theories that can explain this. It may be that threatening situations force some people to "rise to the occasion" and draw on strengths of which they were not fully aware. Another explanation may be, as Nietzsche said: "To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in suffering" , the meaning of suffering can imbue meaning. Also in a strange way, people who were already suffering can find comfort in seeing others suffer along with them during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether through a sense of unity and collective existential anguish, normalizing their anguish.

stay the same

Contrary to the predictions of many experts, suicide rates in several countries and populations did not increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, and suicide rates mostly stayed the same or decreased slightly during the pandemic. Researchers are still trying to understand why this happens, but some of the reasons may be similar to those described above that help people thrive or maintain stability in times of adversity.

In addition to suicide, studies have reported that the prevalence of serious mental illness has remained stable after a year of the pandemic. This is perhaps less surprising as there are several biological and developmental factors that influence the onset or relapse of serious mental illness and these factors exist independently of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One could also look at the notable ways in which mental health support and virtual care could be offered during the pandemic that may have helped millions of people around the world maintain their mental health. And, in fact, new technological innovations and healthcare delivery methods may have been developed during this time that will remain after the pandemic has passed.