Impact of Coronavirus on Mental Health (Research Paper Sample)

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Impact of Coronavirus on Mental Health
Towards the end of 2019, the world received a chilling report on the outbreak of a new pandemics, the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). The first case of the virus was reported in the Chinese' Wuhan City with retrospective analysis estimating that the first symptoms were experienced around the beginning of December in the same year CITATION Wor20 \l 1033 (World Health Organization). As of the date of this article, the disease is still prevalent ravaging economic and health structures in many nations around the world, poor and rich alike. Currently, the global caseload stands at over 104 million worldwide with over 2.4 million fatalities reported so far according to information gathered from the John Hopkins University of Medicine website. As the disease continues spreading adverse health and economic impacts toward the affected countries, there is even more alarm concerning grave consequences on non-salient aspects such as mental health and psychological well-being of the affected individuals. In this article, the researcher addresses the impact of coronavirus on mental health. Generally, the author supports the position that the disease has had negative consequences on the mental health of the affected individual in significant proportions.
Throughout the world, the information provided to the public only focuses on the physical impacts of the virus such as new cases, fatalities, and the associated economic consequences. As earlier stated less information exists analyzing its effect on psychological well-being with only a handful of studies so far that analyze the implications on mental health at length. As with any pandemic, the outbreak of coronavirus caused lots of social disruptions including increased stress, anxiety, stigma, and xenophobia. Rapid transmission of the novel virus saw the enforcement of regional lockdowns and curfew hours among different states to help curb the spread of the disease. Stringent measures were also enforced such as isolation, adherence to social distancing, and the closure of public meeting places such as schools, workplaces, places of worship, and entertainment joints to help break the chain of transmission. These restrictive measures indisputably have resulted in the deterioration of social and mental health of the affected individual in various capacities across the world.
Effects of Coronavirus Lockdown Rules on Mental Health
As more people are forced into isolation with directives to stay at home in a bid to limiting the flow of the virus, numerous governments have ignored important aspects of providing mental health support to prevent people from sinking into depression. As pointed out by mental health experts, when the health systems across the world continue the racing fight against the virus, they should set up a framework for the management of other diseases such as mental health which are normally exacerbated during a pandemic. Also, it is worth noting that the psychological state of a person contributing towards community health varies greatly between individuals, and may depend on social standing and professional background that makes it important to establish social support structures within the society, especially during the current trying time if the outbreak (Javed et al., 1).
Disease controlling measures such as lockdown and self-isolation is also likely to increase the chances of developing mental health challenges. A recent review established that separation from loved ones, boredom, loss of freedom, and the uncertainties, which are the main features of the government control measures, are likely to lead to the deterioration of an individual's mental health status. The broadband of research has sought to investigate the impact of isolation and on mental health deterioration. An American surgeon pointed out the significant link between the two aspects stating that there is a greater possibility of physical and mental illness as a result of isolation. Additionally, research on the psychological effects of quarantine during the pandemic established that such measures may lead to negative mental health outcomes, with ideation to suicide being more prevalentCITATION Cze20 \p 1 \l 1033 (Czeisler, Lane and Petrosky 1). Under these challenges, timely measures must be instigated in the management of such conditions as when people are put in new environments that they are not accustomed to, problems such as the potential damage to their mental health are more likely (Javed et al., 2).
In a poll tracking study, conducted in late March 2020, momentarily after the widespread enforcement of lockdown measures, it was established that 47 percent of people who were forced indoors reported negative mental health effects with tendencies to worry and stress over the coronavirus situation. The rate was significantly lower, at 37 percent, for those who were not forced into such sheltering places. Of the former group, a majority reported a significant negative impact on their health based on increased stress levels and worries compared to the control group where only 13 percent of such tendencies were relevantCITATION pan20 \p 3 \l 1033 (Panchal, Kamal and Orgera 3). A graphical representation of the poll is presented in figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Percentage of adults who report coronavirus-related stress and worries with negative implications on their mental health based on their sheltering status (Source: Panchal, Kamal and Orgera 5)
For those already living with delicate mental health status, the restrictive rules put forth by governments to control the spread of the virus has worsened their state putting them at greater risk of further deteriorated mental health conditions. With the lockdown measures, free movement of people is restricted and this measure may hinder the efforts of people seeking medical interventions to their psychological states. Also, numerous services within the health sector, not regarded as essential, were suspended in several health facilities. As such, an individual diagnosed with a mild mental condition may have been denied healthcare services within the existing hospitals, which may have put them at a greater danger of acquiring acute symptoms of their psychological state due to delayed care in appropriately managing their conditionsCITATION pan20 \p 4 \l 1033 (Panchal, Kamal and Orgera 4).
Anxiety over the Coronavirus Situation and the Impacts on Mental Health
The coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented period of uncertainty where fear grip most people on the probability of loss of loved ones, sources of income, and even the thought that one could succumb to the disease. To cope, Czeisler, et al., (2020), suggest that people have resorted to a variety of health risk behaviors such as drug and addiction and an increase in smoking instances with serious repercussions on their state of psychological well-being. According to the researchers, drug and substance abuse has increased more than threefold during the pandemic that the level it has been for over 19 years. Indulging in such health risk behaviors is linked to the possibility of exacerbated incidence of mental health deterioration among people who were more susceptible to such conditions. Additionally, epidemics have shown general trends to induce widespread levels of stress within the affected population. Similarly, the coronavirus pandemic may have triggered such levels of anxiety thus the prevalence seen in drug and substance abuse, which is a critical triggering factor in deteriorating mental health CITATION pan20 \p 4 \l 1033 (Panchal, Kamal and Orgera 4).
Statistically, one in three adults in the U.S has been reporting symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. On weekly averages, more cases associated with such distress have been reported and increased from the month of May through to July 2020 There reported incidences of anxiety and depressive disorder averaged at 36.5 percent every week, up from 11 percent in January when the cases of Coronavirus was still news in the United States. At the same time, the study report commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established that 13.3 percent of adults in the U.S. increased their use of substance and drugs as a way of coping with stress brought about by Covid-19CITATION Cze20 \p 2 \l 1033 (Czeisler, Lane and Petrosky 2). At the same time, 10.7 percent of the adult population in the country contemplated suicide as a result of the novel virus. These statistics present the significant negative effects of Coronavirus on mental health in the general population in the U.SCITATION pan20 \p 6 \l 1033 (Panchal, Kamal and Orgera 6). Figure 2 below shows the average share of U.S adults reporting signs of anxiety and depressive disorder during the Coronavirus period from May-July 2020.
Figure 2: Average adult population reporting anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms during the Covid-19 pandemic between May and July 2020 (Source: Panchal, Kamal and Orgera 2).
Mental Health Risks Linked to Job Losses and Effect on Income Security
One of the most widely discussed aspects of the coronavirus pandemic is its impact on the job security and economic welfare of affected countries and individuals alike. As a result of the virus, cash flows within most corporates and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who collectively are the chief employers of thousands of people in the United States and the rest of the world, have been significantly affected leading to massive losses of jobs with the private sector CITATION Fre15 \l 1033 (Fredman). The virus has also forced many countries into economic recessions, and une...