How the Pandemic Is Taking Its Toll on Our Mental Health

The year 2020 will go down in history as one of the most devastating in history. Hundreds of thousands have died and millions have been hospitalized due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has changed the lives of so many. No matter where you live, dealing with the effects of economic and physical lockdowns in a community leads to multiple mental health challenges. After months of living with the coronavirus, many people are getting tired, burned out, and more and more frustrated. In America, we face a particular challenge. Our federal government has chosen to take a backseat during the pandemic. Instead of leading the charge in fighting it, they have let the individual states choose their own path. This has led to continuing large numbers of Americans exposed to and infected by the coronavirus. The Pandemic’s Mental Health Toll on Families In a new survey published in the journal, Pediatrics (Patrick et al., 2020), we learn from a study of 1,011 parents just how much of a toll the pandemic has taken on the mental health of families. Over a quarter of people agreed that their mental health has gotten worse. And it’s no wonder — nearly half of people said they had lost access to childcare, a cornerstone of so many family’s stability. Large numbers of people — nearly 40% of those responding to the survey — said they are forgoing children’s doctor’s visits out of fear of the coronavirus. The survey, called the Vanderbilt C...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: General Mental Health and Wellness Psychology Research coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic Source Type: blogs