Mental health will continue to be a threat even after the Pandemic
Psychiatric authority affirms that the effects of COVID-19 on mental health can be similar to those of World War II .
The social and economic crisis that the pandemic represents globally has a profound and direct effect on mental health. / Photo: Unsplash
LatinAmerican Post | Vanesa López Romero
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Leer en español: Mental health will continue to be threatened even after the Pandemic
What do the experts say?
According to Dr Adrian Jame, President of the UK's Royal College of Psychiatrists, the COVID-19 pandemic represents the greatest threat to mental health after World War II .
The expert affirms that the combination of the disease and the social and economic crisis will result in a profound and direct effect on mental health. Furthermore, this impact is believed to continue even after the coronavirus is under control.
As #mentalhealth teams continue to do amazing work during the pandemic it is important to look after the health of team members. Our BAME guidance will help risk assess + protect vulnerable team members – see: https://t.co/07lAf6c0iS pic.twitter.com/URbdmvijYV
— Royal College of Psychiatrists (@rcpsych) December 21, 2020
James told The Guardian that the pandemic “is probably the biggest impact on mental health since World War II. It doesn't stop when the virus is under control and there are few people in the hospital . That is why, it calls attention to financing the long-term consequences.
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On the other hand, there are cases such as Japan, in which 2,153 suicide deaths were reported in October alone (a number that exceeded total deaths from COVID-19). Dr. Michiko Ueda, an expert in suicides at Waseda University in Tokyo, says that this figure is high even for a country where there is a high suicide rate and it should be alarming to other countries, then, due to the pandemic.
What are the numbers?
A survey made by UNICEF shows the great impact that the COVID-19 crisis has had on adolescents and young people in Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization asked 8,444 people between 13 and 29 years old. 27% of the sample reported having anxiety and 15% depression in the last 7 days , 30% say that this is due to their current emotions and the financial problems they are going through. Additionally, 1 out of 2 respondents say they feel less motivated to do activities that they usually enjoy.
On the other hand, 43% of women feel pessimistic about the future, compared to 31% of men. Likewise, 3 out of 4 have felt the need to seek professional help.
Emergency behavioral health admissions to psychiatric institutions saw a 300% increase due to the pandemic . It should be taken into account that, surveys throughout the world, have shown that the groups most affected by the pandemic are ethnic minorities in which life expectancies are greatly reduced due to mental health.
This is why mental health institutions have focused on calling for attention to mental health now more than ever. For this, there must be financing programs that allow constant education in which mental health and its consequences are demystified, and it will help, not only those who have this type of disease, but also those around them so that they can support them. and accompany them healthily.
