COVID-19 Is Taking A Mental Toll,
But We Can Fight Back
By Wes and Anna Hessel
Coronavirus Cuts Deep
As we move into summer, we leave Mental Health Awareness Month (May) behind. We are now looking forward to longer, warmer days, and the associated activities. But, the cold chill of COVID-19 and the resulting restrictions are creating problems well beyond the physical illness. Researchers are now documenting emotional and psychological issues related to the coronavirus. An article in psychologytoday.com looked at the mental and the physical effects of the illness. Studies in China found lingering physical symptoms such as myalgia and dizziness. On a self-rated health status questionnaire patients also noted significant mental disturbances related to the pandemic. People described increased occurrence of anxiety, stress, and depression. In a study group of over 1250 individuals exposed to the coronavirus, more than 33% exhibited insomnia, 45% had anxiety, 50% reported depression, and almost 72% described distress.
Long Term Effects
The SARS-CoV epidemic in 2003 showed the emotional cost is unlikely to be a passing problem. Researchers in Hong Kong looked at 90 survivors of that virus. The study group was considered well-educated with a mean age of 41. Thirty percent of them were health care professionals. One in ten in that study had at least one family member die of SARS-CoV. Overall, close to 60% had some form of mental disorder – over 6% a type of agoraphobia, 13% had a panic issue, more than 44% suffered from major depression, and nearly 48% suffered from PTSD. When re-examined 2½ years after recovery, 3% still suffered from agoraphobia, almost 8% still suffered from a panic disorder, 13% major depression, and 25% displayed PTSD.
