The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the tragic loss of many lives along with social isolation and lack of basic facilities and uncertain future. All these factors combined have caused stresses of health risk among many people who are surviving this dreadful situation. These problems are highly depressing for people suffering from mental health conditions.
Dr. Danish Hussain (MD, MBBS) in Psychiatry has got training from leading institutes worldwide. He got training in addiction psychiatry from Bangalore, Neuropsychiatry from Harvard Medical School in the US and CBT from Pennsylvania, US. COVID-19 has been found to cause complications with depression. People in healthcare or other frontline workers in this pandemic are facing more burdens of working in high pressure environments. So, there are higher risks of COVID-19 exposure to them and their families.
Keep reading to get more details about how this pandemic can cause depression, along with some ways to cope up with.
Effect of COVID-19 on mental health
There is nothing more devastating and saddening than depression. It is a very serious mental condition which affects both body and mind. Depression affects the way people eat, sleep and live. Setbacks are really overwhelming for the person who is dealing with it, no matter how small they seem to others. A person can’t even deal with simple things in daily life and find it hard to focus on work. According to experts, people suffering mental health are more vulnerable in any pandemic as –
- They may not be willing to access treatment
- They might be worst hit by infections
- Quarantine measures keep them from getting normal treatments like practicing some lifestyle changes and visiting rehabs for therapy sessions.
- They also suffer emotional stress because of social isolation and COVID-19 which make their conditions worse
People with depression may also –
- Have problem to get medications
- Feeling very anxious related to finances
- Face the fear which is unusually intense related to the spread of Coronavirus
- Withdrawing because of social isolation
- Feeling confused when doing errands
- Feeling hopeless and helpless of the future
What you can do to deal with depression?
Experts recommend avoiding the ‘crisis mode’ as much as possible to survive in global emergencies. You can practice various activities to stay grounded in tough times. For doing this, you can –
- Control your news and social media time
- Follow a usual routine as much as you can
- Follow a healthy diet
- Find more ways to be active
- Don’t rely on drugs and alcohol
- Try to get plenty of sleep
- Maintain social relationships
- Figure out what’s in your control
Seek Professional Help in tough times
Dr. Danish Hussain treats his patients with a holistic approach with expertise in treatment of several behavioral health issues in Sanctum Wellness and Healing. He helps patients suffering addiction disorders like depression, personality disorders, anxiety and OCD.