Mental health issues on the rise as COVID-19 crisis continues

Written By ALYSSA PARKHILL

“Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO was first informed about the new virus in late December 2019, after a number of pneumonia cases sprang up in Wuhan, China. The virus was later named COVID-19, also known as SARS-CoV2. 

On March 11, WHO officially declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. Countries began to respond by putting emergency orders in place as the virus began to rapidly spread.  

Where this new strain of coronavirus originated is yet be discovered, but authorities were able to identify the new virus as similar to other known coronavirus' such as SARS (Severe acute respiratory), which was identified in 2002, and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), first discovered in 2012. 

Though the virus has produced only mild symptoms in some, it has also shown to be fatal in more than 219,000 cases worldwide. The most common symptoms, as stated by WHO, are a fever, dry cough and tiredness. In other cases, some can experience aches, pains, nasal congestion, sore throat, diarrhea and abdominal pain. In more severe cases, individuals have developed respiratory issues, such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Portions of individuals may get infected with the virus but not experience any symptoms at all. COVID-19 is spread through respiratory moisture droplets produced from a person through coughing and sneezing.

It's been shown in several cases that older individuals are at a higher risk of experiencing more severe symptoms than those of younger generations.

“We do see the bulk of cases in individuals aged 35 to 64 years of age, and second in individuals aged 65 and older,” said Interim Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lawrence Loh from Peel Public Health. 

Researchers and scientists are working hard to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, but likely won't be available to the public until mid-2021 at the earliest. 

“There's a number of vaccines for COVID that are being developed all around. I know that there are three potential COVID-19 vaccines that are making their way out to testing in China and United States, as well as a number of other vaccines that are being developed right here at home, in Kitchener I believe,” said Dr. Loh. “Even when they find a vaccine that works, there's still a number of security safety checks that need to happen. We would still be looking at 12 to 18 months to get the vaccine out to the general public.” 

Citizens globally have been ordered to stay at home, work remotely, and keep isolated to stop the spread. The Ontario government closed all non-essential services on March 23 to avoid large gatherings and promote social distancing. But, with so many being isolated for a number of weeks now, mental health and wellbeing is becoming a significant concern.

Psychology professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough Steve Joordens explains the rise of anxiety and mental health issues and ways to keep calm among the pandemic. 

“What most of us are feeling is worry and a lot of people are feeling anxious,” he explained. “The system that we're all feeling is one that is meant to deal with acute stretch. What our brain does is it senses a threat, kicks us into what's called a sympathetic nervous system, which is a fancy way of what we colloquially referred to as the fight or flight reflex. But when it senses a threat, it says, forget all that. I'm going to make you into a superhero. So, our breathing gets heavier, our heart rate goes up, oxygen is pumped to all of our muscles, our pupils dilate so we can see the world better. And we sort of have this ruling that's basically screaming at us to do something.”

The fear of the unknown creates an awkward and uncomfortable energy because we don't know how big COVID-19 is, how long it will last and we can't get away from it, creating that nervousness and anxiety. But many people turn towards positive impactful actions to help their mental state to feel more control. 

“That's what anxiety pushes us to do, is to take control of the situation. We're all dealing with that kind of state right now,” Joordens added. 

A recent poll conducted by Angus Reid Institute showed half of Canadians report their mental health worsening while in isolation, and 10 per cent say their mental health has decreased significantly. In total, 44 per cent feel anxious, 30 per cent are bored while 34 per cent feel grateful. 

“When anxiety is at its worst, it's like a negative feedback cycle between your mind and your body where your mind is having all these negative thoughts and it's preparing your body for action. But when you feel that bodily sensation that makes you feel anxious and you have this cycle going on, what you really want to do is get in there and stop that from happening,” said Joordens.

Loss of human contact plays a key factor in damaging our mental health. Though many are able to connect through virtual technology like FaceTime and video calls, many individuals, especially seniors, lean on human connection to cope.

“When we feel anxiety like this, we want to connect with other human beings. The stereotypical reaction is to hug somebody, but we can't do that. A lot of those in the younger groups are much more tech savvy and can use technology to connect quite easily with other people, whereas some of the older groups, that wasn't their world,” said Joordens. 

He added, “So, I worry that they're going to have the double whammy of being a little more anxious to begin with, but also not having the easy coping strategies available to them that others might.”

Joordens recommends those with family, especially children who also feel the need to have some type of control, connect with those in the older generations who aren't able to make secure connections while isolated, and almost ‘adopt' them during the pandemic. The impact hits home for both parties as children will have the triumph of knowing they're doing something, which improves their mental health, and it builds that connection that many people need. 

One question that remains the hardest for people to answer is, what will everything be like when this is all over? 

“We've never been here before. We cannot draw on past experiences. Virtually everything is speculation,” explained Joordens. “However, on another level we are starting to think of each other as germ bags, as threats. A part of me wonders that if we stay in this disgust phase for too long, how long will the hangover be?” 

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CAMH) has created online resources for healthcare workers who are dealing with working on the frontlines, those struggling in isolation and quarantine and strategies to cope with stress and anxiety during COVID-19. Visit camh.ca to learn more about what resources are available. 

“After being separated for this long and given how much we crave social connection with other human beings, at some level, you would think as soon as we're allowed, we are going to come together again because we really, really need it,” said Joordens.

For more information on different strategies to cope with your mental health please visit camh.ca.