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Research paper on Mental Health and the Covid-19 Pandemic
Info: 1857 words Sample Manuscript Service
Published: 07th Aug 2023
Tagged: Medicine & Healthcare
One of the main stressors that undoubtedly will contribute to widespread emotional distress and increased risk for psychiatric illness associated with health care providers are the uncertain prognoses, impending severe shortages of resources for testing and treatment as well as for protecting responders and healthcare providers from infection, imposition of unfamiliar public health measures that infringe on personal freedoms, large and growing financial losses, and conflicting messages from authorities. As part of the pandemic response, healthcare professionals play a crucial role in managing these emotional consequences.
Public health emergencies may have an impact on the health, safety, and well-being of both individuals (causing, for instance, unease, confusion, emotional isolation, and stigma) and communities (due to financial loss, closures of businesses and educational institutions, a lack of resources for medical assistance, and insufficient distribution of essentials). In both those who contract the disease and the general population, these effects may result in a variety of emotional responses (such as distress or psychiatric conditions), unhealthy behaviours (such as excessive substance use), and non-compliance with public health regulations (such as home confinement and vaccination). According to extensive studies in catastrophe mental health, a fact that will undoubtedly be confirmed in areas impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic is that emotional suffering is pervasive in afflicted people.
The majority of people are robust and do not develop psychopathology after calamities. Some people do develop new talents. However, in "conventional" natural catastrophes, technical mishaps, and deliberate acts of mass destruction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) brought on by trauma exposure is a major problem. The current criteria for trauma necessary for a diagnosis of PTSD (1) are not met by medical diseases from natural causes, such as life-threatening viral infection, although other psychopathology, such as depression and anxiety disorders, may result.
Some populations may be more susceptible than others to pandemics' mental impacts. Adverse psychosocial outcomes are more likely to occur in those who have the disease, those who are at higher risk for it (such as the elderly, those whose immune systems are compromised, and those who live or receive care in communal settings), and those who already have medical, psychiatric, or substance use issues. Given their risk of contracting the virus, worry about infecting and caring for their loved ones, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), longer work hours, and involvement in emotionally and ethically challenging resource-allocation decisions, healthcare providers are also particularly vulnerable to emotional distress in the current pandemic. Prevention initiatives such as mental health problem screening, psychoeducation, and psychosocial support
Aside from the strains the sickness brings, widespread home-confinement orders (such as stay-at-home directives, quarantine, and isolation) are novel to Americans and raise questions about how they will respond personally and socially. It may be helpful to consider the findings of a recent study on psychological sequelae in samples of people who had been quarantined and of healthcare professionals. This study found various emotional effects, including stress, depression, irritability, insomnia, fear, confusion, anger, frustration, boredom, and stigma associated with quarantine, some of which persisted after the quarantine was lifted. Some of the specific stressors were the length of incarceration, lack of supplies, difficulty obtaining medical treatment and drugs, and ensuing financial losses. (2) Distress will probably increase in the present pandemic due to the prolonged confinement of huge portions of the population at home, variations in the stay-at-home orders given by different jurisdictions, and inconsistent advice from government and public health officials. In the early 2000s, a study carried out in SARS-affected communities revealed that while community members, affected people, and healthcare professionals were motivated to abide by quarantine orders to lower the risk of spreading the disease and protect the community's health, emotional distress tempts some to consider disobeying their directives. (3)
Large-scale house confinement in this crisis severely limits opportunities to evaluate psychological needs and provide assistance during direct patient interactions in professional practice. Telemedicine provides psychosocial therapies, which are increasingly provided in primary care settings. Covid-19-related stressors, such as exposure to infected sources, infected family members, loss of loved ones, physical distance, secondary adversities (such as economic loss), psychosocial effects (such as depression, anxiety, psychosomatic preoccupations, insomnia, increased substance use, and domestic violence), and indicators of vulnerability (such as preexisting conditions), should all be questioned as part of psychosocial assessment and monitoring. Others may benefit from supportive therapies intended to promote well-being and improve coping (such as psychoeducation or cognitive behavioural approaches), while some individuals will require referral for professional mental health evaluation and care. Suicidal thoughts may surface due to the escalating financial crisis and other unknowns surrounding this pandemic, necessitating urgent contact with a mental health specialist or a referral for potential emergency psychiatric hospitalization.
On the milder end of the psychosocial spectrum, many of the experiences of patients, families, and the general public can be appropriately normalized by disclosing typical responses to this stress and emphasizing that people can cope even in the face of challenging circumstances. Healthcare practitioners can direct patients to social and mental health awareness, provide advice for stress management and coping (such as organizing activities and upholding routines), and advise patients to seek professional mental health treatment when necessary. Contact with pandemic-related news should be monitored and minimized since it can be emotionally upsetting. Open conversations should be encouraged to address children's responses and worries because parents sometimes underestimate their children's discomfort.
The unique nature of SARS-CoV-2, poor diagnostics, restricted treatment choices, a lack of PPE and other medical supplies, increased workloads, and other growing problems are all causes of stress for healthcare professionals and can potentially overload institutions. Self-care for healthcare professionals, including those who provide mental health care, entails learning about the illness and its risks, keeping an eye on one's stress responses, and getting the right help with one's obligations and worries in both one's personal and professional life, including, if necessary, professional mental health intervention. Healthcare systems will need to evaluate responses and performance, change assignments and timetables, adjust expectations, and develop mechanisms to give psychological support as required to handle the stress on individual providers and overall operations.
It is crucial to deliver assessments and interventions for psychosocial issues where most Covid-19 patients will be diagnosed and treated by personnel with little to no expertise in mental health. Ideally, state and municipal planning, processes for recognizing, referring, and treating severe psychosocial repercussions, and providing the capacity for expert consultation will address the organizational-level integration of mental health issues into Covid-19 care. (4)
First responders, healthcare workers, and health system leaders should all get education and training on psychological concerns. The mental health and emergency management communities should produce and disseminate evidence-based materials on grief support, death notification, and covid mental health triage and referral. Risk-communication initiatives should consider the complexities of new issues, including preventative guidelines, vaccination accessibility and acceptance, necessary evidence-based pandemic treatments, and various psychosocial challenges. Mental health practitioners can assist in the creation of messages for trustworthy leaders to present. (4)
The effects of the Covid-19 epidemic on people's emotional and social functioning and individual and societal health are grave. In addition to providing medical care, already overburdened healthcare professionals also play a crucial role in assessing the psychosocial needs of their patients and providing psychosocial support to patients, other healthcare professionals, and the general public. These tasks ought to be incorporated into general pandemic health care.
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References
- Trauma- and stressor-related disorders. In: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association, 2013:265-90.
- Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet 2020;395:912-920.
- DiGiovanni C, Conley J, Chiu D, Zaborski J. Factors influencing compliance with quarantine in Toronto during the 2003 SARS outbreak. Biosecur Bioterror 2004;2:265-272.
- Pfefferbaum B, Schonfeld D, Flynn BW, et al. The H1N1 crisis: a case study of the integration of mental and behavioral health in public health crises. Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2012;6:67-71.
