COVID- 19 has left a huge impact on people across the globe. Some experts predict that after COVID-19, there is a tsunami of psychiatric illness. Experts have predicted it to be long-lasting. There could be a rise in mental illness after the pandemic because of various factors such as quarantine, social distancing, socio-economic factors, etc.
Impact of quarantine on mental health
People are experiencing emotional disturbance, insomnia, depression, or post-traumatic stress. All this mental instability is present among people after the end of their quarantine period. These are some small-term impacts that are visible right away. But some people are suffering from long-term illness, and whose impact is also seen after some time. It has a wide range, such as anger, depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, and behavioral change. Some people start avoiding other people or crowded places after the end of quarantine. These are some psychological symptoms that could take months to resolve, and they require professional treatment.
Josh Gibson MD says that social distancing has led to increased loneliness and anxiety among people as they were not allowed to come in contact. This affected so many people and increased a phenomenon known as Hikikomori, and it will aggravate more because of the various socio-economic factors. Hikikomori is a condition where individuals themselves avoid people due to fear of different infections.
There are other issues as well that adds to mental health problems in the post covid era. Some of the most important factors are economic recession, social inequalities, and various other socio-economic factors.
Economic Recession and Social inequalities
Different organizations like World Bank Organization have predicted a steep recession in the global economy after COVID-19. This will adversely affect the mental health of vulnerable groups of people as it is associated with an increase in different psychological problems like distress, anxiety, substance abuse disorder, and suicide. The recession is also the main reason for unemployment, low economic status no job security. These are some of the problems that trigger various mental problems.
Unemployment and low job security are also some of the reasons for high rates of suicide, and it has increased significantly in the last decade and is going to increase in the post covid time.
No one has not felt stress in covid times. The one group that has affected more than most others are frontline workers and healthcare professionals.
Mental Challenges of frontline workers
The symptoms of the psychological illness include depression, insomnia, anxiety. These symptoms are prevalent in various frontline workers. These symptoms are prevalent for the next three to four years among them and are hard to overcome as they have firsthand experience of the same. There are many cases where post-traumatic stress was visible among doctors, nurses, and other frontline workers.
Conclusion
In this post-pandemic era, these mental health problems can persist for a long period and keep increasing with time per Josh Gibson MD.So, it is important to seek professional help from doctors and psychiatrists. The best way to deal with such problems is to give support and address bigger problems like global recession and the stigma related to mental health.