January-February Issue IV

6 the hourglass | january/february 2021
The psychological
effects of COVID-19
By OLIVIA STEPHAN ‘24 and AUBYN MACKEY ‘24
A
lot came to the public’s attention
in 2020: a deadly pandemic,
a robust social justice movement,
and the extreme political
division of our country. The entire globe
will forever be altered by the true awakenings
we have undergone, but how have our
mental health norms changed?
As humans, we depend on social interaction
for our well-being. In the United
States, the combination of losing all contact
with the outside world and feeling increasingly
stressed, confused, worried, and
hopeless about the pandemic has caused a
catastrophic deterioration in personal mental
health.
In mid-July, 53% of a polled group of
American citizens reported mental health
issues, according to the Kaiser Family
Foundation. We see these unsettling statistics
in every age group, from our grandparents
to our classmates, and sometimes in
ourselves.
As lockdowns began in March 2020,
people started hoarding specific consumer
goods, such as toilet paper, hair dye, and
hand sanitizer. Our world fell into a state
in which people blindly followed others to
create buying frenzies because of the uncertain
nature of our new circumstances.
However, there were upsides to
the situation as well, such as an increase
in community service. In the past, we
might’ve believed that meaningful charity
work happened primarily through donating
money, but together in 2020, we proved
the efficacy of also supporting one another
emotionally.
According to Dr. Corey Seemiller,
writing for The Gen Z Hub, people have
been volunteering, supporting others, and
stepping up all over the world since the
start of the pandemic. We see this in subtle
ways, such as popular social media influencers
promoting a multitude of small
businesses, and in more considerable ways
with charitable organizations, such as food
pantries, clothing drives, and funds for
people struggling with unemployment,
having up to twice as much involvement,
including donations and virtual volunteer
work, since the Pandemic shutdown in
March of 2020.
While we’re currently focused on returning
to normal life, eagerly awaiting the
opportunity to receive COVID-19 vaccinations,
scientists have started to look at possible
long-term effects of this pandemic,
specifically those related to mental health.
BBC notes that mental health impacts
of past disasters, such as the Chernobyl accident
in Ukraine, lasted decades after the
events had passed. The COVID-19 pandemic
similarly might cause negative mental
symptoms. For those with pre-existing
conditions, such as generalized anxiety
disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder,
everyday life in the pandemic can become
more of a struggle. The pandemic caused
bacteria related fears for those with and
without pre-existing conditions due to the
airborne nature of the disease, and more
people are obsessing about miniscule details
of their daily routines.
Pandemics often introduce other
mental health problems such as depression
and post-traumatic stress disorders to
those who have not previously experienced
these concerns, according to BBC. After
the SARS pandemic in 2003, the suicide
rates for those aged 65 years or older increased
by about 30%, as isolating public
health measures often left this segment of
the population feeling lonely and lacking
purpose.
Such isolation has separated us in
both physical and emotional ways. Right
now, many scientists understand that the
observable health effects of COVID-19 are
significant. Still, as predicted by The Common
Fund, we may find that the mental and
social fallout is more long-lasting.
To say we’ve had an interesting year
is a gross understatement. However, it is
essential to reflect on every aspect of it -
the positive, the negative, the physical, and
the mental - as we move forward with our
lives.