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WHILE IT IS too soon for us to know the full extent of the psychological and mental health ramifications of this pandemic, we do know that they will be significant and that we will be dealing with the fallout for some time to come.
A review of the evidence on the impact of quarantine – published in March 2020 in the Lancet – highlights that there is likely to be wide-ranging, substantial and long-lasting psychological and mental health effects arising from this pandemic.
Being separated from loved ones, the loss of freedoms, the uncertainty over disease status and even the boredom associated with quarantine can be very challenging. We don’t need a crystal ball to see into the future, we can and must learn from past events.
Research in Sierra Leone has found that people affected by the Ebola epidemic experienced high rates of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
For years after Hurricane Katrina, people in New Orleans who had been affected by the hurricane reported difficulties in going to work during hurricane season, due to reactivated trauma. The SARS epidemic in 2003 also led to high rates of PTSD and depression among patients who had contracted the disease.
Quarantine impacts
Looking to studies of hospital staff, the recent Lancet review points to symptoms of acute stress disorder, exhaustion, detachment, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, poor concentration and deteriorating work performance for who were quarantined during the SARS outbreak. The review highlighted that “the effect of being quarantined was a predictor of post-traumatic stress symptoms in hospital employees even three years later”.
Our frontline staff, here in Ireland, need the support of mental health professionals such as counsellors and psychotherapists, now and into the future, as the full effects of dealing with this pandemic take hold.
Mental health professionals are playing their part alongside the frontline healthcare staff to help alleviate the psychological toll that is being taken on their wellbeing and mental health.
The country’s response to this crisis has been incredible and many people and organisations across all sectors of our society have stepped up to play their part. In addition to numerous individuals, groups and bodies offering critical mental health supports, many our Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) members are offering their services free of charge to frontline healthcare workers.
Life, changing
The effects of this pandemic are being experienced throughout the country with all parts of life being affected. Ireland is struggling to come to terms with the impact of changing work circumstances, financial insecurity, isolation, bereavement, the prolonged uncertainty, and resulting anxiety and trauma caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.
In springtime last year the IACP carried out a nationally representative survey into the mental health and wellbeing of Irish adults. We were keen to find out about how often people say they feel stressed, anxious, depressed and lonely or isolated.
The results tell us that in an ordinary spring almost half of Irish adults can feel stressed, more than a third anxious, and approximately a fifth depressed or lonely/isolated – either ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’. This is by no means an ordinary spring. The current pandemic is stressful for everyone but those who have pre-existing mental health issues may be especially at risk.
Government help is welcome
We at the IACP welcome the recent launch by Minister for Health Simon Harris TD, of a mental health and wellbeing initiative aimed at supporting the diverse mental health needs of the public during the Covid-19 pandemic. It will require policymakers and society as a whole to take the psychological impact of the pandemic, not just its threats to physical health, seriously.
There is an opportunity now to revisit Sláintecare and for counselling and psychotherapy to be enabled to play a more central role in our primary care health system.
The Government needs to commit to a system of state-funded universal access to mental health supports, together with a clearly defined programme of implementation to deliver on this objective.
This is a critical requirement that will be essential in safeguarding the longer-term mental wellbeing of this nation. The IACP strongly encourages the Government to continue to maximise the role of counselling and psychotherapy and is fully committed to helping it address the inevitable mental health ramifications of this unprecedented crisis.
Lisa Molloy is Chief Executive of the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP). Lisa has held senior roles across a number of organisations including the Medical Council of Ireland, Local Government Management Services Board, Eastern Regional Health Authority and Eastern Health Shared Services.
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Whilst we must always be prepared too look after mental health I would be of the opposite opinion in that never in the history of our state have people been given soo much time off for example my 74 year old mother who was still running out Dailly for her local cleaning job has never looked soo well after 9 weeks of cacooning never in her life has she had soo much time too relax rest spend time doing normal almost nomadic way of life, her mental health has never been better, in a certain way this pandemic has been a gift too hundreds and thousands of people and a lesson in life’s most important things nature will always compensate in other ways notwithstanding the losses we have had embrace life and well done too government and everyone who is playing their part
@John Leonard: lots of people have been working more than before though and have less time off that they did before. People with children to look after are working till all hours because they still need to get their 8 hours of work done on top of homeschooling and keeping kids entertained. And some employers seem to think that since you’re at home anyway they can just email you at what should be finishing time asking for something to be done straight away.
@John Leonard: it’s great your mam has not been drastically effected by this pandemic but sadly the severe cuts this wonderful government we supposedly have made mental health services, means that people already suffering and any new cases will stretch services way beyond their means
@John Leonard: A surprising number of people have flourished during quarantine. It’s great that your mother is so well, long may it continue.
I’m in the system. Had my psychiatrist app cancelled on me. Rang for a phone app. Still waiting.
Thank god I’m not too bad. Can’t say that about others.
Be kind.
Mental health is still too much of a dirty word in this country, and sadly this pandemic will only expose more the serious issue mental health will have on people with this almost every day media filled fear stories on the pandemic and the isolation and lack of communication with people because u are basically drilled to believe that everyone has this virus ull meet. But the scariest part is the laid bare reality that we haven’t got the necessary resources to deal with mental health because its funding has been cut for years, but you won’t hear the press grilling Simon or Tony during their press briefings
@Michael Patrick Newell: Suspect that mental health for the vast majority of those suffering symptoms is NOT actually a mental health illness but obvious symptoms of a newly recognised mast cell disorder called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome ICD10 D89.42
Prevalence of the illness in developed nations is estimated by the University of Bonn to be as high as 17% that is one in six.
Causes of the illness are complicated but once “switched on” sufferers then react to triggers in their environment which cause multi system inflammation. It is now recognised that inflammation of the CNS is driving anxiety disorders in particular and MCAS is more than capable of driving CNS inflammation leading to generalised anxiety disorder, panic attacks and even PTSD. Treat the MCAS and these symptoms reduce or even go away.
Unfortunately triggers are now ubiquitous and being driven by man made chemicals including petrol, diesel, kerosene, their exhaust gasses, off gassing polyurethane plastics, foams & rubbers, artificial fragrances, cosmetics, household cleaning products and from the absolutely stupid situation whereby known allergens are allowed to avoid labelling and be hidden in our food, drink & medication.
So to surmise, most of our mental health problems may not actually be root mental health problems and investment in mental health services won’t really help. If you look at how many real clinical immunologists we have in this country you can see why we will be in the manure for the foreseeable future.
Some papers on MCAS linked illnesses.
http://mcas.ie/?page_id=89
#MentalHealthIsnt
@Gavin Tobin:
Thank you for sharing. It was very informative.
I agree for the need to check for longterm solutions but if someone is acute affected he would still need help.
@8-Bit-Relic: Agree 100% acute intervention requires more resources.
But longer term reduction in prevalence of mental health symptoms will come with diagnosing and treating underlying MCAS. The concentration by mental health professionals on ACEs etc attempts to pigeonhole causes treated with expensive and time consuming psychotherapy that is likely not needed for many.
For anxiety in particular clinicians are confusing an environmentally triggered mast cell driven artificial sensation of fear for an actual emotion. This leads to an anxiety blame game where those suffering blame relationships, work, school etc for their anxiety.
I am the first to admit this following comment is all a bit kumbaya but…
One of the takeaways from this pandemic should really be a global realisation, that it’s absolutely awful to live in any situation of hopelessness, uncertainty and without hope for the future, regardless of if the cause is mental health or poverty, things which fortunately the majority of people never have to face.
We should make it a priority to take this watershed moment of the 21st century as a wakeup call, to try harder to focus on the needs of humanity both individually and collectively, protecting the environment and righting the wrongs we have already done on a global scale and addressing numerous social injustices which we allow to continue unchecked in the name of profit and progress.
There’s that big scary mask again, it even left it’s mark on her face. Can you lot put on any positive stories?
Yes, the lockdown makes sense from the virology point of view. However, I would like to hear also other medical voices in the daily medical briefings.
@8-Bit-Relic: you’ll only hear from the ones in bed with the government, when you mix doctors with politicians the result will be lies.
@Tom Fitzgibbons: I have no idea who knows who in this scenario but I would appreciate some attention to mental healthcare beside words. It’s hard enough for someone affected to have a somewhat regular life in a normal situation.
@8-Bit-Relic: cocooning is very difficult being 70 and thankfully healthy and not being able to see family or friends or go anywhere for company almost 9 weeks now. Not even able to take the dog for a walk on the beach which kkis over 5 km away. We are just forgotten.
@Mary Oliver: I agree with you completely.
I hope that everyone stays fine and that mental health is getting a priority in this country
It has been stressful for everybody and there will be mental health issues coming to the fore that had not before.
I have spoken to people like myself who cocooned fairly easily in comparison to most people.
I am used to not being able to go where I want when I want and to do it safely.
I have been managing it for 11 years now and I am good at it.What this has shown is the the able community when they lose something they took for granted get majorly upset and complain.
This has happened others for years and a most people ignored it.
Maybe just maybe this is the chance to build a country that is inclusive for all people.
Journal, stop using photos of nurses and doctors having face mask marks and worsen peoples mental health. I had enough of this’ oh look at them poor things they get face-marks ‘ in a lot of profession you will do much harder damage on a daily basis to your body yet you dont print a picture of broken toe nail ballerina next to bruises joe electrician…theres 1000+ reasons why we honor these heroes but face-marks are a part of their job now. Get the feck on with it.
@GaMran: also yes, Im aware this had nothing to do with the article, but while we are on mental health topic sometimes even these small but consistently printed images can worsen your mood and it is so hard to stay on top of it while the media is bagdering you constantly with images like this.
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