Mental health in a pandemic

If you’ve recently decided to step back from social media due to the spike in distressing content, or if you’ve found yourself mentally fatigued despite (or because of) staying home, you’re not alone. Many of us have had to come up for air or help someone else take a breather.

We need this, because mental health experts are concerned that the COVID-19 public health emergency could eventually lead to a mental health crisis, particularly affecting those who are at risk of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide.

Now is a time when looking out for mental wellness—yours and others’—is all too crucial.

The Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the pandemic could turn out to be “a perfect storm” for those at risk of suicide. Certain factors associated with COVID-19 can elevate this risk; foremost of them are economic stress, social isolation, decreased community support, and barriers to mental health treatment. The British medical journal The Lancet echoes this, listing other factors such as bereavement and increased domestic violence.

The mental wellness of medical and health care workers is of special concern. Even before the 2019 coronavirus outbreak, high suicide risk was already noted within this group. Now that they are at the frontlines of a massive public health emergency, burdened with extreme stress, swamped at their facilities, worried by the shortage of protective equipment, and stigmatized by the ignorant, they deserve further mental health support.

I’ve heard some people try to discredit these projections on mental health, saying there aren’t many suicide incidents reported so far during the quarantines. One particular Facebook post from a religious blog posits that people are forced to “toughen up” during hardships, and implies that “the possible greatest solution” to depression is “how you deal with contentment.”

Here’s why this is dangerous thinking: It ignores the reality of mental health issues just because the signs are not immediately observable. Mental health is a legitimate health concern, yet many are still prone to summarily dismiss it as a matter of “contentment.” Brushing off the struggle of persons with mental health issues and downplaying the necessity of professional interventions could eventually snowball into a deadly crisis.

In fact, various studies have found that suicide rates don’t increase during or right after a catastrophic episode, but months later. There is a brief literature review of such studies in a bulletin from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration titled “Traumatic Stress and Suicide After Disasters.” The bulletin shows that during a disaster, there is a “heroic” phase followed by a “honeymoon” phase of community cohesion, but these are drastically followed by a phase of disillusionment where emotional responses are at their lowest.

This is what mental health professionals are trying to mitigate. They recommend that specific measures be taken to help vulnerable individuals cope with the mental toll of the pandemic and prevent the crisis that’s looming in the horizon.

Friends and families can check in regularly, maintaining meaningful relationships through phone and video. Mental health providers can continue their services through telehealth (the remote delivery of services through telecommunication). Governments are called on to provide safety nets for those struggling financially and those in need of mental health care access.

In the Philippines, it is a welcome development that there are now more mental health phone lines and telehealth services that people can access from their homes. If you or a loved one needs to talk to a trained responder, these are some places to contact:

The National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline (24/7 free service):

0917899-USAP (09178998727); 7-989-USAP (7-989- 8727)

Hopeline Philippines (24/7 hotline):

0917-558-4673 (Globe); 0918-873-4673 (Smart)

02-88044673 (PLDT)

2919 (toll-free for Globe and TM)

In Touch Crisis Line (24/7 free hotline):

+63-2-8893-7603; +639178001123; +639228938944

Philippine Mental Health Association Online Support (psychosocial consultations and group sessions for frontliners):

https://www.facebook.com/PMHAofficial/

Instead of ignoring the science and the advice of mental health experts, we should use it as a guide in navigating these challenging times. The projected mental health crisis is not inevitable, says The Lancet. Let’s look out for ourselves and for each other.

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