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Joel Eldridge

ENG 1201

Prof. Morean

18 April 2021

Why Covid-19 is at the Center of the War on Mental Health.

Over the course of the past year, the number of people suffering from mental

illnesses has greatly risen due to COVID-19. Why have the cases of depression and

anxiety risen so dramatically? What are risk factors linked to the spike in mental illness?

What demographics are most at risk? What will some long-term mental effects be of the

pandemic? What new ways have been introduced to combat the rise, and were they

successful? With an increase in the number of people who identify as having depression

and/or anxiety, more social awareness for these conditions, and new ways to deal with

mental health issues, change in the way we deal with mental health is greatly reflected on

the events of the past year.

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Since surfacing in 2019, containing the spread of COVID-19 has been prioritized

globally. COVID-19 didn’t hit the U.S. until March of 2020, by that time the World

Health Organization had officially declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic.

From there people across the world were told to stop going to work, and confine

themselves to their homes to stop the spread of coronavirus by means of isolation. The

pandemic has likely impacted mental health in a number of ways, including widespread

social isolation as a result of necessary safety steps. Social isolation and depression have

been linked to poor mental and physical health. Dating back prior to the coronavirus

disease, the widespread experience of isolation became a public health issue due to its

connection to reduced health. A KFF Health Tracking Poll conducted in late March 2020,

determined that people taking shelter in one place have a higher chance of developing

anxiety/depression compared to those not sheltering in a singular place. Keep in mind this

was before the official stay at home order was in effect. In doing so, millions of people

have had their lives change in dramatic fashion. The staying home, social distancing,

missing holidays, etc. collectively people have been more on edge due to COVID-19.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time a pandemic has caused symptoms of

depression/anxiety in recent years. If we take a look back at the SARS and MERS

outbreaks of 2003 and 2012 we can start to see a pattern forming. Researcher Elisabet
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Alzueta writes, “...quarantine measures were imposed in Asia and Canada during the

SARS and MERS outbreaks in 2003 and 2012. Temporary home confinement measures

taken to avoid rapid infection in the population had a significant mid‐ to long‐term

detrimental effect on mental health” (2). This isolation was on towns and cities. When

Coronavirus hit, the disease shut down entire nations. The change in population affected

is a major contributing factor as to why the cases have risen. Not to mention the fact that

Coronavirus became such a major phenomenon, with such a short rise people in the U.S.

especially were not ready for the events to come. This unprepared mentality only caused

more stress than needed.

Different demographics have been affected in different ways. When surveyed in

January of 2021, 41% of adults in the U.S. taking the survey were reported to have

symptoms of anxiety and/or depression (Panchal 3). The Center of Disease and Control or

CDC reported that in June of 2020, 13% of adults admitted to new or increased substance

abuse and 11% considering suicide. You may be asking yourself, what demographic is

most susceptible to these thoughts and actions? Even before the pandemic, people who

have poor physical health have a higher likelihood to have to deal with severe mental

health problems. Young adults have faced new challenges, as throughout the past year,

anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts have plagued them. People in

the age range of 18-24 have experienced numerous pandemic related issues; including
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shutdowns of universities, job loss, and a transition to home confinement. All of which

can contribute to a worsened state of mental health. A survey presented by the Kaiser

Family Foundation (KFF) finds, “throughout the pandemic, a large share of young adults

have reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder – 56% as of December

2020 – compared to older adults” (Panchal 8).

As discussed previously, job loss is a major factor when we discuss people's

mental health. Unfortunately, thousands of Americans have experienced job loss.

Unsurprisingly, this has generally taken a large toll on mental health nationwide. Those

who experienced a job loss during the pandemic have been shown to have a higher

likelihood of mental health issues, when being compared to those that do not. The

increased amount of worrying and high stress resulting from the uncertainty of job

security has negatively impacted communities nationwide. Another observation being

that people who make less, on average have increasingly higher percentages of negative

mental health issues.

Children also make a large number of people suffering from mental health issues,

as a result of Coronavirus. From the time you are six years-old to eighteen, you are going

to school 5 days per week, a majority of the year. While attending, you come into contact

with hundreds of people every day. To combat the risk of increased spread, many schools
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across America have shut down, and moved to online. Transitioning to an online learning

environment means for many, a lack of socialization, direction, and normalcy. With these

changes children and parents are encountering continuous disturbance and changes to

their every day schedules. For example, several guardians with college-matured children

are presently extra concerned about their childs’ academic enthusiasm and overall

well-being, compared to before the pandemic. Even parents have been affected

differently. Women with children in almost all cases have worse symptoms of anxiety

and/or depression, when being compared to men with children.

This however does not come as a surprise, as even before the pandemic the stress

put on mothers was always viewed as more than their male counterparts. For the duration

of the pandemic, women have measured a higher rate of anxiety, depression, and suicidal

thoughts. Among women in the workforce, more than 25% are considering location of

employment some place else or decreasing their hours, with many referring to the

pandemic crisis and family responsibilities as the justification to their claim. Even earlier

than the pandemic, women had been in all counts more likely to express emotional

well-being problems, along with actual dysfunction.

Going back to college students, emotional issues amongst the younger generation

is the direct result of the global pandemic. With universities getting shut down, many
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students found themselves without purpose. They also lacked resources to help deal with

internal turmoil. A great deal of students have also been shown to have an educational

hiccup, as the pandemic has interrupted the learning schedules of many. This has led to

the increased use of drugs and alcohol amongst people in this age range. The misuse of

these substances can worsen mental issues and only cause future problems.

Substance abuse and misuse is a common theme among young adults. It’s no

secret that a majority of college students experiment with drugs and alcohol. You can go

to any party, at any campus in the U.S. and see this on display. What happens when you

take away that social environment that encourages these behaviors. People start to use

these substances by their lonesome. Substance use has only elevated amongst the youth

in the pandemic. That is being associated with greater emotional distress. Suicidal

thoughts and actions is just one more fear for teenagers and young adults. It was a major

contributor of deaths in teens before the pandemic, and those numbers have only grown.

When taking a look at communities of color, more problems ensue. Black and

Hispanic adults have been linked to higher levels of stress and worry when comparing

that to the statistics of white adults. This finding is attributed to the higher rates of cases

and deaths in communities of color, as well as economical struggles that have been

plaguing them for years. This is only further proven by the fact that people of color are
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less likely to receive benefits like health care. Black parents have also reported higher

rates of turmoil in their relationships with loved ones.

As we take a look back in history, we see a common theme: psychological distress

outlasting physical distress. Whether that is mass PTSD after Vietnam, or mental health

problems due to a COVID-19, emotional/psychological distress far outlast present day

trauma. The financial decline and lack of social interaction, will continue to contribute to

suicide rates and drug/alcohol abuse as make our way out. Nobody has ever seen

anything like this, that will also be another factor as to why so many people will carry

this with them for the rest of their lives. Taking a step back, while Coronavirus has had a

greater death toll in the elder generations, yet the younger generation has rates of anxiety

and depression far higher. The younger generation is being affected in a way not seen

before. There is a vaccine for COVID-19, there is no vaccine for psychological distress.

This will take some people months to overcome, and others years.

With any tragedy or hardship there seems to always be a bright spot. COVID-19

has been no exception. Mental health topics and debates have been in the mainstream

media more so than ever. It is important to note that mental health issues have never been

in the spotlight. With the attention comes solutions. The thought process is, with

psychological health being in this spotlight, this will pave ways for new health
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organizations, techniques, and better government funding. However, there is always the

possibility that it doesn’t play out like this. Further understanding of severe psychological

patients is needed in order to understand what COVID-19 is doing in different ranges of

mental health. Specifically we need to understand individual cases of mental health better

and how they react with situations brought on by the pandemic. A focus on emotional

health, would mean a change in healthcare policies and better financial backing advocated

by the U.S. government. The convincing required for powerful backing from therapists to

productively train and form public communication has been stuck in a stagnant. With

these things in mind, the future is bright for mental health treatments, it might just take

some time.

As we slowly start to make our way out from under the pandemic, it is not a secret

any longer that COVID-19, good or bad, has changed the way we deal with mental

health. Demographics of all sorts have been affected differently. However, young or old,

black or white, as people we have all collectively faced hardships. While the physical

symptoms of coronavirus will fade, psychological problems caused will stick around for

a lot longer. With all the mainstream spotlight mental health has had lately, there is no

denying COVID-19 goes hand in hand.

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Works Cited

Alzueta, E., Perrin, P., Baker, F. C., Caffarra, S., Ramos, U. D., Yuksel, D., & Arango,

L. J. C.

(2021). How the COVID‐19 pandemic has changed our lives: A study of psychology

correlates across 59 countries. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(3), 556–570.

https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23082

Buchdahl, Hannah. “COVID-19’S Impact on Mental Health and How Communities Can

Move Forward | CDC Foundation.” Www.cdc foundation.org, 8 Mar. 2021,

www.cdcfoundation.org/blog/covid-19s-impact-mental-health-and-how-communities-can

-move-forward. Accessed 26 Apr. 2021.

Czeisler, Mark É. “Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation during the

COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 24–30, 2020.” MMWR. Morbidity and

Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 69, no. 32, 14 Aug. 2020,

www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm, 10.15585/mmwr.mm6932a1.
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Davenport, Stoddard, and T. J. Gray. “Recent Issues in Mental Health

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Holingue, Calliope, et al. “Mental Distress in the United States at the Beginning of the

COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 110, no. 11, Nov. 2020,

pp. 1628– 1634. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2020.305857.

Nirmita Panchal, Rabah Kamal, and Feb 2021. “The Implications of COVID-19 for

Mental Health and Substance Use.” KFF, 10 Feb. 2021,

www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-h

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