Mental Health and COVID-19
With many returning to work in recent weeks, it may feel that normality is almost restored. However, the uncertainty of the past three months has had a detrimental effect on the mental health of the Australian public, with organisations such as Lifeline experiencing an estimated 25% rise in the number of calls received (Lifeline, 2020).
In addition to physical illness, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused heightened anxiety, reduced socialisation, and a loss of income for some. But what is being done to maintain and ensure our wellbeing through this time? This paper will discuss the various ways COVID-19 has affected our mental health and the ways in which society is adapting to manage this new way of living.
Isolation
For many people, working from home has become the new normal. And while this is to preserve our physical health, this has led to reduced socialisation and human interaction. Isolation is one of the most problematic aspects of working from home. No matter how many Zoom calls or Teams chats you have, the informal information sharing that occurs in the workplace is missed. Research has shown feelings of isolation and stress to be associated with working from home (Eurofound, 2017), as employees feel a lack of emotional support and help from their colleagues. Furthermore, those who work from home some of the time experience less isolation than those who work exclusively from home (Beauregard, Basile & Canonico, 2013). This may suggest partially working from home is beneficial for employers and employees alike, as coming into the office occasionally may improve the mental health and wellbeing of employees. However, given the current situation it should be considered that, for some individuals, commuting may cause more anxiety and so coming into the office should ideally be left to the discretion of the employee, where possible.
Whether you have been working from home or not, it is likely you have recently been spending more time at home than usual. Lockdowns and Government-advised “stay at home” messages have meant people are unable to see friends and family members outside of their household. Naturally, this also increases isolation and can seriously affect your mental wellbeing. Despite restrictions slowly lifting and small gatherings being allowed, research from previous pandemics suggests people may continue to avoid crowded spaces (26%) and others who are coughing and sneezing (54%) for at least a month after isolation has ended (Reynolds et al., 2008). If you do not feel comfortable meeting friends or family face-to-face, World Health Organisation recommends staying connected via telephone, email and social media, being aware of your own needs and feelings, and engaging in activities that you find relaxing and beneficial for your mental wellbeing (World Health Organisation, 2020).
Anxiety
Although the impact of COVID-19 has been less severe in Australia than many other countries, including European countries and the United States, you do not need to live in a highly effected area to feel increased anxiousness. Exposure to a conveyor-belt of bad news in the media can have a negative psychological impact (Blendon et al., 2004).
Some of the reasons for increased anxiousness may include constant health worries for ourselves and our loved ones, financial worries, fear of being in public places or using public transport, and uncertainties regarding the future. In a recent survey, only 21% of Australian participants reported good mental health (van Agteren et al., 2020). This survey also found the number of people experiencing at least one form of problematic mental health rose from 52% prior to COVID-19 to 79% during the pandemic, with depression rates almost doubling. The authors claim this is a “significant deterioration of mental health” within the Australian public (p.4). These figures may be explained by the restrictions associated with COVID-19, such as the closure of gyms, places of worship and offices, leading to a loss of purpose or meaning for some.
Unemployment
Our career plays a large role in our mental wellbeing as it is a source of socialisation, income, and routine in our lives. Becoming unemployed can cause emotional distress at any time, but the unexpected nature of COVID-19 has meant many people (in some cases, multiple people per household) have found themselves suddenly unemployed. Research shows unemployment can increase the risk of anxiety and depression which, in turn, becomes a barrier to reemployment (Price, Choi & Vinokur, 2002). This emphasises the importance of maintaining good mental health during this tough period.
Young people have been particularly affected at this time, with limited graduate-schemes becoming more competitive than ever and career prospects being re-evaluated. One example of this is a report by The Prince’s Trust (2020), investigating the unemployment rates and mental wellbeing of young people (16-25 year olds) in the UK. It was found that 29% of young people feel their future career prospects have been effected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 33% feeling that everything they had worked for had “gone to waste” and 49% worrying it will be even harder to find employment post-pandemic. Prior to lockdown, 38% of young people reported not feeling in control of their lives, which increased to 47% during lockdown. 25% claimed there was “no point” planning ahead. Despite the UK being more severely affected by the pandemic than Australia, it should be considered that Australian universities closed (shifting to online learning), and many sectors predominantly employing young people (for example, hospitality and retail) had been closed until recently. Therefore, it may be suggested that Australian young people are likely to feel similarly to their UK counterparts.
For those experiencing the emotional and financial strains of unemployment, Heads Up have collaborated with Beyond Blue to create an informative booklet which can be found at: https://resources.beyondblue.org.au/prism/file?token=BL/0373.
What is being done?
In addition to things we can do for our own mental health, such as exercise, meditation, or talking with our loved ones, the Australian Government and many independent organisations have been working hard in an attempt to mitigate the risks to our wellbeing.
A new partnership between Smiling Mind and the Australian Government has been formed to develop a new mental health programme specifically for healthcare workers. The program will focus on and address stress management, resilience and decision making under pressure. Furthermore, the NSW Government has released new guidelines for employers, to support the mental health needs of their employees. These guidelines include: Encouraging employee’s to stay in contact with each other when working from home; ensuring employees are disengaging from work and logging off at the end of the day; and offering flexibility (for example, with their work hours), where possible. Finally, extra funding from the Australian Government has been allocated to critical support services, such as Lifeline and Kids Helpline, to ensure they can meet increasing demand throughout this period. Keeping busy has been a common coping strategy for many people during lockdown, especially for those who are newly unemployed. Free online educational courses, provided by various universities on websites such as Coursera and Edx, have become extremely popular in the past few months. One course in particular, “The Science of Wellbeing” offered by Yale University, has seen over 2.7million students sign up. This demonstrates the public’s desire to learn about mental wellbeing and potentially understand how to take care of their own.
For those who have continued working over the past few months, SafeWork NSW has released a “recovery@work toolkit”. This aims to provide tips and resources to ensure people are protecting their mental health, whether they are working from home or returning to the workplace. This toolkit can be found at:
COVID-19 has proven the public’s resilience and has highlighted the importance of our mental health and wellbeing. With restrictions being lifted and the outside world slowly returning to normal, mental health must remain a priority to ensure those in need of support continue to receive it.
References
Beauregard, A., Basile, K., & Canonico, E. (2013). Home is where the work is: A new study of homeworking in Acas –and beyond. Acas. Retrieved from http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/f/2/Home-is-where-the-work-is-a-new-study-of- homeworking-in-Acas_and-beyond.pdf
Blendon, R., Benson, J., DesRoches, C., Raleigh, E., & Taylor‐Clark, K. (2004). The Public’s Response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Toronto and the United States. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 38(7), 925-931.
Eurofound. (2017). Working anytime, anywhere: The effects on the world of work. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_544138.pdf
Lifeline. (2020). Australian Government provides additional funding to increase access to Lifeline crisis support services throughout COVID-19 outbreak. Retrieved from https://www .lifeline.org.au/static/uploads/files/media-release-australian-governmentprovides-additional-funding-to-ensure-lifeli.pdf
Price, R. H., Choi, J. N., & Vinokur, A. D. (2002). Links in the chain of adversity following job loss: How financial strain and loss of personal control lead to depression, impaired functioning, and poor health. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(4), 302-312.
Reynolds, D. L., Garay, J. R., Deamond, S. L., Moran, M. K., Gold, W., & Styra, R. (2008). Understanding, compliance and psychological impact of the SARS quarantine experience. Epidemiology and Infection, 136(7), 997-1007.
The Prince's Trust. (2020). Young People in Lockdown. London: The Prince's Trust. Retrieved from https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/Document_News_YPIL.pdf
van Agteren, J., Bartholomaeus, J., Fassnacht, D., Iasiello, M., Ali, K., Lo, L., & Kyrios, M. (2020). Using Internet-Based Psychological Measurement to Capture the Deteriorating Community Mental Health Profile During COVID-19: Observational Study. JMIR Mental Health, 7(6).
World Health Organisation. (2020). Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf
Author:
Freya Lingard
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