Psychiatrists fear 'tsunami' of mental illness after lockdown

[Firebat]

Psychiatrists are warning of a "tsunami" of mental illness from problems stored up during lockdown.

They are particularly concerned that children and older adults are not getting the support they need because of school closures, self-isolation and fear of hospitals.

In a survey, psychiatrists reported rises in emergency cases and a drop in routine appointments.

They emphasised that mental-health services were still open for business.

'Patients have evaporated'

"We are already seeing the devastating impact of Covid-19 on mental health, with more people in crisis," said Prof Wendy Burn, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

"But we are just as worried about the people who need help now but aren't getting it. Our fear is that the lockdown is storing up problems which could then lead to a tsunami of referrals."

A survey of 1,300 mental-health doctors from across the UK found that 43% had seen a rise in urgent cases while 45% reported a reduction in routine appointments.

One psychiatrist said: "In old-age psychiatry our patients appear to have evaporated, I think people are too fearful to seek help."

Another wrote: "Many of our patients have developed mental disorders as a direct result of the coronavirus disruption - eg social isolation, increased stress, running out of meds."

Dr Bernadka Dubicka, who chairs the faculty of child and adolescent psychiatry at the RCP, said: "We are worried that children and young people with mental illness who may be struggling are not getting the support that they need.

"We need to get the message out that services are still open for business."

Dr Amanda Thompsell, an expert in old-age psychiatry, said using technology to call a doctor during lockdown was difficult for some older people.

They were often "reluctant" to seek help, and their need for mental-health support was likely to be greater than ever, she added.

'Clear priority'

Mental-health charity Rethink Mental Illness said the concerns raised were supported by evidence from people living with mental illness.

In a survey of 1,000 people, many said their mental health had got worse since the pandemic had started, due to the disruption to routines that keep them safe and well.

"The NHS is doing an incredible job in the most difficult of circumstances, but mental health must be a clear priority, with investment to ensure services can cope with this anticipated surge in demand," said the charity's Danielle Hamm.

She said it could take years for some people to recover from the setbacks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52676981

 

[MenInG]

Apart from the clinically diagnosed issues, am sure there are effects on 'regular' people as well which may well go unnoticed.

 

[The Viper]

There will be a significant rise in mental illnesses due to the isolation and lack of normalcy. Loved ones of people are separated and that lack of love and support will have a toll on people.

 

[Rana]

In UK, the Government’s uncertainty and the Media’ opportunity to exploit fear will be a major reason to mental illness developing.

There is no certainty to when things will go back to normal. Unions are trying their best to cancel the re opening of schools, this will delay the planned re opening of the entertainment industry in July.

The media looks for very small reasons to strike fear and concern in the public to once again put a pressure on the government to enforce draconian restrictions. That in it self is very much harmful to the younger generation hoping to resume with real life as soon as possible.

Why was the BBC running rampant with the story of the R rate increasing above 1 yesterday and not today?

 

[MenInG]

As the coronavirus pandemic upends daily life around the world, an unprecedented mental health crisis is beginning to emerge.

Health care professionals in many countries have described a crisis that is affecting many millions of people, whose lives have transformed even if they are not among those touched directly by COVID-19.

On Thursday, the UN presented a report warning of a coming surge in mental health problems, the latest in a series of similar warnings.

This week, an international survey of almost 11,000 people by Spain's Universitat Oberta de Catalunya found that more than half of all adults had recently felt depressed or hopeless about the future: 57% in the United Kingdom, 67% in Spain, and 59% in Italy.

Read more on

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-3-people-coping-mental-illness-coronavirus-lockdown-2020-5

 

[ElRaja]

i keep a buzz cut and shave my hair and beard fairly regularly, the other day noticed a grey hair in my head and one in my beard for the first time. maybe its a coincidence, who knows....

i usually am super calm, but every few weeks i find myself really anxious, tensed jaw, heart racing a bit, then i kinda walk around and calm down.

i know its great to have family around in such scenarios, but fact is its not normal to spend 24/7 with anyone, even if it is your family.

my appetite and eating pattern is all over the place too, i mean if ur stuck in doors ur way more likely to snack randomly, at least i do.

im not the only one, ive been hearing similar stuff from mates, esp who live in smaller houses, saying they got headaches and what not from constantly staring at walls and screens.

after work every evening i just go walk and keep walking for a few hours just to "reset", i dont know what the long term impact will be, but i deffo feel.... unsettled, but im hoping my coping mechanisms hold.

 

[sweep_shot]

It didn't affect me as I am a naturally introverted person. It didn't make any difference to my mental health.

 

[Firebat]

It is quite an anxious and worrying time, especially for those elders in society. My grandmother has been self-quarantining alone for the last 3 months with no end in sight.

 

[KingKhanWC]

To save the lives of the elderly, young people are being broken.

Ive not adhered to any lockdown rules, continued life as normal, as much as possible.

Time to move on and get back to normal.

 

[MenInG]

The 23-time Olympic swimming champion, Michael Phelps, has said the Covid-19 pandemic is taking a toll on his mental health.

[Phelps] has spoken in the past about his struggles with depression and said that being under lockdown during the pandemic has been a struggle.

“The pandemic has been a challenge I never expected,” he told ESPN in an article published on Monday. “All the uncertainty. Being cooped up in a house. And the questions. So many questions. When is it going to end? What will life look like when this is over? Am I doing everything I can to be safe? Is my family safe? It drives me insane. I’m used to traveling, competing, meeting people. This is just craziness. My emotions are all over the place. I’m always on edge. I’m always defensive.”

 

[LongHorn]

What makes me upset about the mental health thing is self professed introverts claiming the current situation is great and how they are loving that everyone is forced to like them.

Just because introverts can be happy with minimal human contact and playing video games for 6 hours at a stretch does not mean everyone is like that....

They are the ones praying that we do not return to what life was like so we can all live like loners and act like that is how we are supposed to live.....

 

[LongHorn]

To save the lives of the elderly, young people are being broken.

Ive not adhered to any lockdown rules, continued life as normal, as much as possible.

Time to move on and get back to normal.

Nothing wrong with protecting the elderly. It needs to be done though on a family by family basis.

Families with elderly members should protect them by minimizing contact with other members who are having to work
Each family will have its own dynamics

 

[The Viper]

Football and coronavirus: PFA study finds 22% feel depressed or considered self-harm

Depression and thoughts of self-harm have affected more than a fifth of current and former footballers surveyed by the players' union during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) spoke to 262 members between mid-April and mid-May to assess the impact of the crisis on them.

It found 57 people (22%) felt depressed or had considered harming themselves.

Among current players, that figure was 6%.

Regular feelings of nervousness or anxiety were reported by 72% of the sample.

The data showed 69% were worried about their career or livelihood, while 9% were experiencing difficulties with damaging addictive habits.

"We have got a number of players who are living from pay cheque to pay cheque and this is having a real impact on them emotionally," said PFA director of player welfare Michael Bennett.

"Also health issues - if we do go back to the season, can it work? Will it work? What about my family? All those sort of 'what if' questions kept coming up.

"From the former players, it was questions about employment. A lot of them are self-employed, coaches, taxi drivers and stuff like that. They were having emotional issues because of the financial impact that they couldn't work."

In the first quarter of this year, 299 players had accessed support, compared with 653 in the whole of 2019, the union said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52685447

 

[ElRaja]

What makes me upset about the mental health thing is self professed introverts claiming the current situation is great and how they are loving that everyone is forced to like them.

Just because introverts can be happy with minimal human contact and playing video games for 6 hours at a stretch does not mean everyone is like that....

They are the ones praying that we do not return to what life was like so we can all live like loners and act like that is how we are supposed to live.....

im an introvert, but that doesn't mean we like to sit alone in doors all day, what you describe is more anti social than introverted, i think the term has been hijacked because saying your anti social is more of a taboo than saying your introverted.

 

[Firebat]

Millions felt 'high anxiety' early in lockdown - ONS

The equivalent of 19 million adults in Great Britain say they had high levels of anxiety in the first weeks of lockdown, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest.

The data covering the period 3 April to 10 May showed:

- The number of people reporting high levels of anxiety more than doubled compared to pre-lockdown levels

- Older people were more anxious than younger people, with those aged 75 and older twice as likely at those aged 16-24 to report high anxiety during lockdown

- Feeling lonely was the factor most strongly linked with high anxiety. Juggling work and homeschooling commitments was a source of stress for parents

 

[MenInG]

Children are developing serious mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress, because of the coronavirus pandemic, a charity has warned.

In a report the Childhood Trust says disadvantage is leaving children extremely vulnerable.

As well as anxiety about their loved ones' health, many children are facing social isolation and hunger. Lack of internet access is also setting disadvantaged children back.

 

[MenInG]

Scientists have warned that doctors may be failing to diagnose a potentially serious string of brain disorders linked to the coronavirus.

Severe neurological complications - including inflammation, psychosis and delirium - were discovered in 43 cases of patients with Covid-19 by researchers at University College London (UCL).

Individuals suffered either temporary brain dysfunction, strokes, nerve damage or other serious brain effects, the study says.

"Whether we will see an epidemic on a large scale of brain damage linked to the pandemic - perhaps similar to the encephalitis lethargica outbreak in the 1920s and 1930s after the 1918 influenza pandemic - remains to be seen," Dr Michael Zandi, from UCL's Institute of Neurology, said.

The BBC's medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, recently reported that it was becoming increasingly clear that coronavirus can trigger a huge range of neurological problems.

 

[MenInG]

The UK falling into recession is "terrible news" for the many people's mental health, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr Adrian James, has said.

It comes as doctors are seeing a rise in people reporting severe mental health difficulties, according to a group of NHS leaders.

James said the "looming economic crisis will widen existing health and social inequalities and worsen the mental health problems they bring".

"Those already unemployed, those living in poverty, young people, single-parent families and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are likely to be hit the hardest."

The government should invest further in mental health and social welfare services, James said, if it is to avoid the most "devastating" consequences of the economic crisis.

 

[Firebat]

Depression doubles during coronavirus pandemic

Twice as many adults in Britain are reporting symptoms of depression now compared with this time last year, Office for National Statistics figures suggest.

One in five people appeared to have depressive symptoms compared with one in ten before the pandemic.

The conclusions are based on a survey of more than 3,500 adults followed up over a 12-month period.

They were asked the standard set of questions used to assess depression.

People were asked to consider the previous two weeks and say how often they had experienced a range of symptoms, including changes in sleep or appetite, a loss of interest and pleasure in doing things, and difficulty concentrating.

Almost 20% of people met the threshold for depression, based on their responses, in June 2020 compared with just under 10% in July 2019.

While the measure of depression used is a well-known screening questionnaire though, Prof Elaine Fox at the University of Oxford, said: "It is important to remember that this does not give a diagnosis but rather an indication of everyday depressive feelings and behaviours".

A small number of people (3.5%) saw an improvement in their symptoms.

But 13% of people surveyed had newly developed symptoms of "moderate to severe" depression over the survey period.

People under 40, women, people with a disability and those who said they would struggle to meet an unexpected cost of £850 were the groups most likely to show symptoms of depression.

Of those surveyed who were experiencing some level of depression, people reported feeling most bothered by feelings of stress or anxiety.

Dr Charley Baker, an associate professor of mental health at the University of Nottingham, said: "It's unsurprising to see these rates of low mood and depressive symptoms emerging...The people highlighted as struggling the most are those who are already more vulnerable to low mood, anxiety and poorer wellbeing.

"It's important though to avoid over-pathologising what might be seen as reasonable responses to the current pandemic," she said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53820425

 

[PakLFC]

I listen to Sura Ar Rahman daily to keep myself happy, content, healthy and at peace. Psychiatrists do not know the power of spirituality, faith and prayer.

 

[MenInG]

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people around the world with ill mental health was staggering.

According to the latest estimates, close to one billion people have a mental disorder such as depression or anxiety.

With the continuing pandemic, and the health and economic consequences becoming increasingly apparent, concern for our mental health, both now and in the future, is growing.

Fear and anxiety have increased
Although we do not yet have a complete picture of how the pandemic has affected people's mental health, and indeed this picture will change over time, it is clear that the impact is widespread.

As the infection spread throughout the world, so did fear - of being infected or becoming ill ourselves, and of seeing family and friends affected.

Anxiety levels have gone up too as our daily routines changed substantially, as we tried to balance our work lives with home-schooling, and as our access to care for other health conditions became more difficult. This is to say nothing of the isolation felt by people living alone or without regular contact with their usual networks.


As the months have gone on, and many of us have been able to return to some semblance of a normal life, some of the initial worry and anxiety has eased. But this is by no means universal and questions remain: When will this be over? Will I be able to keep my job? If I lose my job, will I be able to find another?

What we can do to protect our mental health
We know that a hug cannot be replaced by hours of video conferencing. Physical contact is essential for human beings. But we are in the unique and unprecedented position of having to sacrifice some of the things we would typically do to stay safe.

Fortunately, there is much that we can do to protect our mental health during these uncertain times.

1. Have a routine: Keep up with daily routines as much as possible, or make new ones. Get up and go to bed at similar times every day. Keep up with personal hygiene. Eat healthy meals at regular times. Exercise regularly. Allocate time for working and time for resting and make time for doing things you enjoy.

2. Stay in touch: Social contact is important. Keep in regular contact with people close to you by telephone and online channels if you cannot see them in person. Even if it is just talking to a neighbour over the fence or across the balcony, the social contact can help you stay connected to the people around you and feel part of a community. Help or support others in your community, too, if you can.

3. Avoid alcohol and drugs: Limit the amount of alcohol you drink or do not drink alcohol at all. Do not start drinking alcohol if you have not done so before. Avoid using alcohol and drugs as a way of dealing with fear, anxiety, boredom and social isolation.


4. Minimise newsfeeds and screen time: Stay informed about what is happening, but restrict the amount of time you spend checking on the latest news if it makes you feel anxious. Check in once or twice a day. Be aware of how much time you spend in front of a screen every day. Make sure that you take regular breaks from on-screen activities. Use your social media accounts to promote positive and hopeful stories and correct misinformation wherever you see it.

5. Reach out when you need help: Talk to someone you trust. If you feel overwhelmed with sadness or anxiety, seek professional help.

More investment needed
On average, governments spend less than 2 percent of their health budgets on mental health. This is not enough.

Relatively few people around the world have access to quality mental health services. In low- and middle-income countries, more than 75 percent of people with mental health conditions receive no treatment for their condition at all. The serious gaps that still exist in mental healthcare are a result of chronic under-investment over many decades in mental health promotion, prevention and care.

Now is the time to redress the balance and scale up investment in mental health, at all levels. Our futures depend on it.

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/f...virus-toll-mental-health-200820152747760.html

 

[Technics 1210]

The largest contributing factor to 'Mental Illness' post C19, is debt.

Anyway, we need to stop labeling every mental state an illness.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Mental illness is a serious issue but this pandemic has exposed many problems within modern society and one of those is that people these days are simply unable to spend a lot of time by themselves

 

[Bigboii]

Mental illness is a serious issue but this pandemic has exposed many problems within modern society and one of those is that people these days are simply unable to spend a lot of time by themselves

Humans are social animals so I think the highlighted sentence is true for any generation in human history

 

[Firebat]

Coronavirus: Europe experiencing 'pandemic fatigue'

Covid is taking an emotional toll across Europe with rising levels of apathy among some populations, the World Health Organization is warning.

Survey data reveals the scale of this "pandemic fatigue", estimated to have reached over 60% in some cases.

Many people are feeling less motivated about following protective behaviours after living with disruption and uncertainty for months, says the WHO.

Although weary, people must revive efforts to fight the virus, it says.

Until a vaccine or effective treatments are available, public support and protective behaviours - washing hands, wearing face coverings and social distancing - remain critical for containing the virus.

Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, with more than 35 million confirmed cases in 188 countries and more than one million deaths.

Dr Hans Henri Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, says fatigue is to be expected at this stage of the crisis.

"Since the virus arrived in the European region eight months ago, citizens have made huge sacrifices to contain Covid-19.

"It has come at an extraordinary cost, which has exhausted all of us, regardless of where we live, or what we do. In such circumstances it is easy and natural to feel apathetic and demotivated, to experience fatigue.

"I believe it is possible to reinvigorate and revive efforts to tackle the evolving Covid-19 challenges we face."

He says there are strategies to get us back on track, with communities at their heart:

- Understand people by measuring public opinion regularly and acknowledge their hardship
- Involve communities in discussions and decisions as part of the solution
- Allow people to live their lives, but reduce their risk by looking at innovative ways to meet continuing societal needs - for example,
delivering meals to vulnerable people or organising virtual catch-ups

He highlighted virtual celebrations during Ramadan or floating cinemas as successful new approaches that could help people adapt to the new conditions imposed by the pandemic.

The UK does its own regular survey on coronavirus and social attitudes and behaviours, based on a poll of around 2,200 adults.

Latest data suggests:

- nearly nine in 10 adults across Great Britain say they have enough information about how to protect themselves against Covid -
similar to June
- eight in 10 who have met up with others say they have always or often maintained social distancing - similar to July
- more than nine in 10 adults say they use a face covering to slow the spread of coronavirus - again, similar to July

YouGov also tracks public attitudes and says the majority of people are still supportive of restrictions and measures to reduce the spread of the virus, based on surveys of more than 1,600 adults.

Strongest support comes for the measures that are less restrictive on groups of people meeting, with 85% supporting the toughened rules around wearing face masks, the advice to work from home when possible (85%) and pubs operating with table service only (82%).

Support for other measures is slightly weaker, though closing pubs at 22:00 (69%), reducing capacity at weddings (62%) and limiting indoor sport to six people (61%) are all still backed by a majority of the British public.

Disapproval of government handling of Covid continues to rise, however. Around 65% now say the government is doing a bad job, compared with 20% in late March when the country went into lockdown.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54417547

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Big overreacting. Lockdown is fine, it hasn't really impacted me or my family. Learn to entertain yourself while being alone.

 

[Madplayer]

I hope the mental distress gives rise to travelling and tourism again.

Man the pandemic has killed the tourism business. Just when i thought getting involved in tourism could be a good career move because "gar firdous barroye zameen ast, hameen asto hameen asto hameen ast
Absolute disaster.

 

[Savak]

Big overreacting. Lockdown is fine, it hasn't really impacted me or my family. Learn to entertain yourself while being alone.

It has impacted others. I can count a few suicides i know off especially when people are in isolation. Solitude might be peaceful for some but detrimental to others.