Anxiety, Despair, and the Coronavirus Pandemic

Jeffrey A. SingerPublic health interventions entail non ‐​economic as well as economic trade‐​offs. Some trade ‐​offs can involve other aspects of public health.I havewrittenabout how blanket bans on elective medical procedures combine with the fear already infused in the public to cause crucial delays in necessary health care. This adds to human suffering from causes other than the COVID-19 virus. Many people with chronic conditions, particularlychronic pain patients, are disproportionately affected by reduced access to routine care. Then there ’s the dramatic drop ‐​off in the number of young children receiving crucial scheduledimmunizations against much more dangerous pathogens, because parents, afraid of their children contracting COVID-19, have shied away from pediatricians ’ offices. Yet often overlooked are the great number of people with anxiety and other mental health disorders whose conditions are also made worse –by fear along with lockdown‐​induced isolation and economic hardship.A Kaiser Family Foundation poll early last month found nearly half of Americans stated the public health crisis is harming their mental health. A Disaster Distress Helpline run by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has seen a hugespike in calls since the crisis began. According to theHousehold Pulse Survey, jointly conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and the ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs