Clearing the Mind

Mental health matters a year into a pandemic

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As COVID-19 continues into another year, so, too, does a secondary pandemic of stress and anxiety that is taxing our mental health.

According to a national survey revealed in August in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about a third of adults surveyed in June reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, about 13% engaged in more substance use, and more than a quarter of participants showed symptoms of trauma or stress disorder stemming from the pandemic.

“Every provider across the nation, everyone’s practice has gotten much busier,” says Dr. David Buxton, a physician certified in adult and child psychiatry and in palliative care. He says that it’s been a perfect storm of mental health illnesses, with high levels of stress from dealing with the virus, loss of employment or reduced work hours, political polarization, and protests over policing and racism all reverberating. Buxton moved to Orlando, Florida, in late 2020 after he assumed duties as executive director for palliative care with Advent Health but continues to see patients in Richmond via telehealth.

Dr. Rajinderpal Singh, a psychiatrist, says that many people are contending with depression, adjustment disorders, anxiety and post-traumatic-stress-like symptoms. There’s also an increase in alcohol abuse, he says. Alcohol is a depressant, and that compounds other problems. We also eat too much in isolation and tend to be more sedentary.

The Kids Are Not All Right

Kids are being socially and developmentally deprived during the pandemic. Education suffers when classes are only offered online, and children also see the impact of what’s going on with their parents and loved ones, or they might be dealing with the loss of a family member to the virus. They’ve also missed critical interaction with friends, the crucial everyday connections and cultural touchstones such as proms and parties that have been canceled.  

“A lot of the kids may have tremendous questions but don’t know how to put them into words, and family members don’t know how to respond,” says Edward Peck, a clinical neurophysiologist with Neuropsychological Services of Virginia. Parents need to try to answer at a level kids can understand.

Singh is concerned about too much screen time. He notes that kids may be online for classwork most of the day, then can be on the internet an additional three to eight hours. Youth ages 10-19 are a special concern because “their emotional development is suffering, big time,” Singh says. Once they return to the classroom, they may have adjustment issues or they may show more attention-getting behaviors.

Some children thrived in remote learning, at least initially. Dr. Bela Sood, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and senior professor for child and mental health policy at Virginia Commonwealth University, works with children coping with anxiety. Many of them found some relief initially, learning from home instead of in class while avoiding social situations, school bullies and similar circumstances that impact their anxieties.  “It gets them out of harm’s way,” Sood says.  

But as with most everyone else, pandemic fatigue has set in for children, and “as it’s gone on, these kids are becoming depressed,” she says.

Mental Hygiene

 Sood notes that as the pandemic drags on, many of us are more irritable. “People have less patience with this thing,” she says. “There is just a whole lot of disruption.”

Unprecedented numbers of cases and hospitalizations across the country continue that disruption, but vaccine rollouts are a cause for hope. “Sometimes, having a bit of good news gives you something to look forward to,” says Dr. Nishant Parikh, a psychiatrist with a private practice who’s also the assistant medical director at Central State Hospital in Petersburg.

Not everyone needs to see a doctor, and there are steps you can take to alleviate the stresses and keep them manageable.  

The first step is to acknowledge that this is an unprecedented disruption. “Just being aware that this is a rough time,” Buxton says. “No one has done this before.”

Peck proposes a “tried and true” approach to maintaining mental health in a pandemic, the same practices that you should follow in everyday life: Maintain a good diet, get outside to play and work in sunlight, and pay attention to all areas of life (physical, cognitive, social, spiritual).

Parents can help their children by taking care of themselves. Look inward, acknowledge your own feelings and process them. Your offspring pick up on your anxieties, so the more that you take care of your own mental health, the better you’re able to be there, serving as the “guardrail on their life,” says Snood.

Validate your child’s feelings — listen to them, don’t just talk at them. “Let them know that you’re there for them,” Sood says.

Mind Your Mental Health

Wellness strategies from mental health experts

  • Look inward: Acknowledge your feelings, and accept that life goes on. The pandemic is here to stay, for now.
  • Stay active.
  • Eat healthy.
  • Limit screen time outside of work to 60 to 90 minutes.
  • Relax and recharge.
  • Have a good routine.
  • Rely on one accurate source of coronavirus information, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization.
  • Focus on the positive aspects of your life.

CONCERNING KIDS

  • Watch for changes in behavior: Is your child listless? Are they no longer playing favorite video games? Any changes in appetite? Are they saying they have a tummy ache or headache?
  • Keep them on a schedule, with structured time throughout the day.
  • Ensure that the schedule includes fresh air and exercise.
  • Get your children to write letters by hand to grandparents and create art projects.
  • Parents model behavior, and kids pick up on your anxiety level. Be a good role model and take care of yourself.  

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Drs. David Buxton, Nishant Parikh, Edward Peck, Rajinderpal Singh and Bela Sood