Coronavirus And Its Impact On Mental Health

The negative impact of the Coronavirus disease has been profound and far-reaching so far. Apart from landing a near crippling blow to the healthcare sector, the impact of the disease has been felt in other areas such as economy, education and tourism. As a matter of fact, there's virtually no area of human endeavor that's been left unaffected so far. 

Yet, as the world continues to count the costs of this disease, recent indicators reveal that the fallout may transcend the material and physical. According to the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr Adrian James, the Coronavirus crisis poses a significant threat to mental health, far greater than any other thing we've witnessed since the second world war. Even when the virus is finally brought under control, life will never be the same, for millions of people. 

The Stark Numbers

In the UK alone, there's been a sharp increase in the number of new reported cases of mental illnesses and scores of others suffering a relapse. As a direct consequence of the crisis, over 10 million people, including 1.5 million children, are in need of new or additional health support. Reports from the NHS Digital indicate that there's a record number of people in regular contact with mental health services, and many hospitals are overstretched at present. 

Why This Is Happening

Dr James gave the probable cause of this alarming statistic as a combination of the disease, its social consequences and its economic fallout. He noted that these factors are putting enormous strain on mental health and the reverberations will continue to rumble on long after the epidemic dies out. Anxiety and depression caused by social isolation, grief after losing loved ones to the virus, economic and financial uncertainties (particularly after losing a source of livelihood) are the headline factors that cause or aggravate mental health issues.