COVID-19 Lockdown and Mental Health

To inform this article, a survey was taken by 30 respondents identifying either as non-binary or female. The majority were in the 18-24 age category with only 13% of respondents outside this category. Due to this majority, respondents included commentary on university life and the increase in anxiety regarding future employment uncertainty in their answers. 53% selected ‘Good’ or above to describe their general mental health. 10% stated they had accessed a service due to the pandemic this year whilst 60% had not accessed any mental health services in 2020 and 30% had accessed services previously to 2020 or had accessed services this year for issues not related to the pandemic.

This year has given rise for concern about the long-term impact on people’s mental health. A BBC report ‘Coronavirus: Children 'developing post-traumatic stress' from pandemic’ quoted Dr Maria Loades, a clinical psychologist from the University of Bath saying lockdown measures are "likely to increase the risk of depression and probable anxiety, as well as possible post-traumatic stress"[1] and Laurence Guinness, chief executive of the Childhood Trust said “many children […] were experiencing "vivid nightmares" about the coronavirus and death - a possible side-effect of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”[1]. A week earlier, another BBC report commented on the open letter, published in The Sunday Times to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson and signed by leading specialists in neuroscience, mental health, and psychology, that warned: "As experts working across disciplines, we are united as we urge you to reconsider your decision and to release children and young people from lockdown” [2]. In a separate article, in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal, neuroscientists warned about the long-term effects on brain development, behaviour and mental health from physical contact absence. Only two survey respondents stated that they weren’t worried about long term impact, ‘if someone’s mental health has been impacted solely because of the lockdown, as things improve it is likely their state of mind will’. This thought process was echoed throughout the survey by some: the issues created by the lockdown will ease when lockdown is lifted. On the other hand, the lockdown has given people time to slow down and find comfort in the calmer routine. However, anxiety is present regarding the adjustments back to the ‘normal’ [normal defined here as ease of lockdown restrictions] whilst others commented about the impact from the lack of physical contact, as one respondent wrote, ‘[it] goes against basic human nature of socialising and having physical contact with other humans’. Respondents also made note that social distancing has created an absence to practice social abilities, in particular for children and the older generations:

‘I hope everyone remembers how we had this opportunity to relax and work on ourselves when going back to the hustle & bustle of the world.’
‘[It] is completely normal to feel different during this time. It is not helpful to medicalise normal responses to abnormal circumstances. But hopefully it ignites a passion to become a more caring society.’

When asked about mental health awareness in media coverage for 2020, some respondents commented that the pandemic has given some rise to conversations in news reports and advertisements whilst celebrities and employers have been providing links to help and advice. Other respondents referenced Carol Flack, one commenting it was ‘only half arsed attempts that trivialise actual mental health problems by promoting ‘wellness’ and ‘self-care’’. Others stated that there was nothing more than the usual ‘be kind’ messages and that conversation around the topic ‘all seems quite performative.’ The overwhelming response was that if you weren’t actively seeking out information yourself, the increase would be ‘nothing that noticeable for most people’.

The Mental Health Foundation organise a Mental Health Awareness Week each year in May. This year’s theme was ‘Kindness’. This theme seemed so off hand; didn’t give an accessible spring board to talk about mental ill health; and would have made more sense for an Anti-Bullying campaign, especially since last year’s theme was Body Image – ‘how we think and feel about our bodies’. Over half of survey respondents either didn’t notice or had no strong opinion on it. In agreement to my own thoughts, other comments included, ‘there could have been more done. There are a lot of ‘awareness’ weeks now that sometimes they become a bit samey’; ‘sometimes I feel these [social media] influencers do it as a tick box thing’; ‘Not well covered by the media’; ‘severely lacking in media’; ‘It wasn’t publicised much’. There was a scattering that did notice it and felt that awareness was increasing, however, the times of events alienated those in the full time employment from partaking. Three comments really stuck out:

‘It is a tokenistic measure put in place by organisations to hold the appearance that they acknowledge and support [Mental Health]. It rarely leads to practical changes. People suffering with their mental health are still stigmatised, holding an awareness week has not proved to change this yet.’ ‘All for show. I didn’t like the theme. It was about wellness not mental illness. [To be honest] probably further stigmatised long term chronic mental illness by focusing on airy fairy surface level stuff.’ ‘I think it’s been hijacked by wellness and self-care and doesn’t serve the people with genuine mental health issues who face difficulties every day in accessing support, treatment and medication.’

‘How do you feel about the pandemic and lockdown?’ Horrendous. Awful. Frustrated. Emotional. Angry. Fed up. Bored. Drained. Upset. Scared. Disappointed. Worried. Lost. Stuck. Sad. Annoyed. Anxious. These words were repeated constantly throughout responses with an overriding frustration with leadership: ‘[the situation was] poorly managed within the UK and a second spike is inevitable’. Respondents expressed annoyance with other people not following guidelines and although guidelines being put in place reduced some anxieties, anxiety has increased from the uncertainty of the whole situation. Media coverage was noted to be insensitive to those with existing conditions, and the absence of human interaction has caused lower moods. There was further commentary on the difficulties in social interaction and completing everyday tasks. Stress came up a lot with a few mentions of running out of things to keep busy after being in lockdown for so long. Given the survey’s cohort, there were many comments about missing out on graduation, university life, and feeling lost not knowing the long term situation or how to plan for the future. There is also the concern for loved ones as restrictions get lifted:

‘I also have a shielded parent which means I can’t see them if I start my life going back to normal which makes me question my decisions but also put financial pressure on myself.’

However, there were some positives. Being in lockdown with loved ones ended up being enjoyable and gave them time to learn about themselves: ‘it’s helped my perspective of my body and food and exercises immensely’. Another respondent was grateful for the time to pause and reflect on not only themselves, but society in general. It has allowed for a greater appreciation for the things that were previously taken for granted although it is still a very scary time.

75% of respondents said that the pandemic and lockdown has caused a decrease in their mental health. The sudden change from being very busy to now having nothing to do, has had a negative impact. Missing the structure of routine was a general comment throughout. Feeling ‘lost’, ‘isolated’, and ‘trapped’ were descriptions that came up a lot as well as ‘anxious’, ‘lonely’, and ‘depressed’. Although some respondents favoured the increase in free time, others stated it has given them more time to think and focus on negative thought patterns. To generalise across the board, the respondents’ mental health fell into the categories of either fluctuating or deteriorating, one respondent commenting ‘my mental health has been on a wild rollercoaster since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. I’ve been going in waves of being stressed then feeling content.’

These two responses from across the survey from two different questions are very interesting to view next to each other and echo thoughts from conversations in my own therapies. People with mental ill health are seeing an increase in others becoming aware of dealing with negative patterns, however some of these patterns are becoming normalised in the mainstream due to pandemic conditions:

‘I think some people with mental health issues will actually cope better than non- mentally ill people as you have to have a lot of resilience and practise coping mechanisms but many others [without] mental health issues will find it worse.’

‘[I have] increased intrusive thoughts and bad habits. [i.e.] checking doors are locked repeatedly, believing my actions can influence events beyond my control. [The] difficulty with [COVID] is that we are being asked to do this (act for others) as a public health measure which legitimises my usually irrational worry about impacting negatively on others.’

As noted in the BBC coverage and other media outlets, specialists are recognising the reduction in physical contact to have long-term effects on the population, a notion also echoed in the survey responses. With de-stigmatising mental ill health, there is still a long uphill battle and a frustration is present with the trivialisation in the media to only cover wellness and self-care causing issues under the surface level to be neglected. Hopefully, the lessons from being forced to slow down will be proven beneficial and show that life can be lived in alternative ways to the rat race most people were and are still consumed by.

Sources:

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-53097289

[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53037702