The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which started in Wuhan, China, and spread to many regions of the globe, is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant influence on society, the economy, and individuals. To curb the spread of this COVID-19 disease, community activities must be restricted or even discontinued. Therefore, it not only harms a person's physical health but also their mental health. As a result, it is crucial that we take care of our mental health.
According to a research brief published by the World Health Organization, anxiety and depression surged by 25% globally in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous patients as well as those in hospital isolation
Not only COVID-19-positive patients, but all people, face mental health risks. Why did that happen? This is due to social restrictions aimed at reducing the number of coronavirus transmissions. This social distancing effort turned out to have quite serious side effects. Initially, people will feel bored when they have to stay home a lot. Over time, that boredom can develop into depression and anxiety disorders. Adults will also be more triggered if there is a termination of employment or a business that is on the verge of bankruptcy. Not only adults, but children and teenagers also experience the same thing. Simply sitting at home wastes time better spent with friends and family. Limited communication is one of the impacts of the pandemic. Students, in particular, become inefficient in receiving learning from schools due to a lack of direct guidance from the teacher.
During times of social distancing, teenagers and young adults aged 18–24 are known to feel extremely lonely. Despite the fact that that age is a time for them to develop their identity through friendship, the mental health risk of COVID-19 in adults and the elderly tends to be smaller because there is less need to socialize. However, based on several studies, there are a number of factors that can increase the risk, including:
The female gender is more susceptible to stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
productive age and receive a lot of information from social media or mass media, which can add pressure.
higher education because they are more aware of the importance of health, so they are more susceptible to stress because they think too much about health threats.
still have to work during the pandemic because they are more worried about contracting COVID-19, especially when using public transportation.
decreased income or job loss due to the pandemic
Live in an area with a high transmission rate, or have many acquaintances or family members who are positive for COVID-19.
Therefore, we must also know the signs of mental health problems in everyone. Of course, everyone's mental health problems are different. There are several trends in similar symptoms by age category.
For children and adolescents, they usually become irritable, cry easily, feel lonely, become more aggressive, and so on. It even affects his school achievement in the form of a decrease in academic grades. This must be prevented immediately; it is feared that if this continues to happen, children and adolescents may lose their appetite, often hit, bite, or take other violent actions, and even attempt to hurt themselves. Adults and the elderly also need to be supervised. They usually become dreamy, have no appetite, have trouble sleeping, can't think clearly, commit violent acts, and even attempt suicide.
This social restriction cannot be avoided. Therefore, so that we do not experience disturbances like the ones above, it is necessary for us to anticipate them. Here are some tips to help you stay at home and be happy at home during the pandemic:
Keep in touch.
Thanks to the Internet, we can still chat with friends via telephone or video calls. Take advantage of this technology to maintain communication with other people, including pouring out your heart, which is a burden.
Find entertainment online.