Dr . Lakshmi Yatham , professor and head of the department of psychiatry at UBC and regional head of psychiatry for Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care , explores the psychological toll of COVID-19 and offers his advice on combatting stress and anxiety as society adapts to the new normal .
What has been the psychological toll of COVID-19 ?
From facing fears of contracting the virus , coping with extended separation from loved ones , and combatting the everyday emotional and financial repercussions of COVID-19 , the pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on our mental health and well-being .
We are really just beginning to grasp the psychological toll of COVID-19 . While the estimates of the impact vary , data emerging from different parts of the world suggest that between a third to half of the population are reporting significant anxiety symptoms , up to a third are describing depressive symptoms , a quarter are reporting substance use , and up to 20 per cent are experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms .
The impact on mental health appears to be greater in those working on the frontlines and those with preexisting mental illnesses . Further , COVID-19 affects multiple body systems , including the brain , which means the full direct impact of the virus on mental health is yet to be fully determined .
Are we facing a global mental health crisis ?
Whether we ’ re going to experience a global mental health crisis will largely depend on how the pandemic evolves . The longer it continues , the greater toll it ’ s going to take . Without new treatments , without a vaccine , COVID-19 has the potential to have a massive impact on the mental health of people around the world .
Is this pandemic an opportunity to reimagine and expand mental health support services ?
With COVID-19 , we are talking about the potential for everyone ’ s mental health to be affected . And when the entire population is at risk , you have to start thinking about deploying public health strategies that are effective at the population level .
Moving forward , we need to have mental health be part of an overall public health strategy that involves public health campaigns that promote mental wellbeing , builds resilience and addresses mental health risk factors such as substance use and job losses , and deploys early intervention strategies that leverage advances in digital mental health .
ISSUE 5 : SPECIAL EDITION — RAPID RESPONSE 11