"Social isolation, loneliness, health anxiety, stress and economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 epidemic,
This is a perfect storm that hurts people's mental health and happiness. "
The article pays attention to public mental health and puts forward some reasonable suggestions.
20 19 12 to April 2022,
The COVID-19 epidemic occurred nearly two and a half years ago.
Due to the global epidemic of the virus, the virus itself is constantly mutating, and the less toxic it is, the more attractive it is.
Both the government and the people will feel great pressure on the policy of global static management.
In the first year of the COVID-19 epidemic, the World Health Organization pointed out that the global incidence of anxiety and depression increased by 25%.
This gave us a wake-up call. Facing the pressure of virus and policy, we should pay more attention to people's mental health.
Vientiane in the existing society also fully proves that the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic far exceeds the death and disease caused by the virus itself:
1: The virus will not disappear, and the anxiety and stress caused by it can be imagined.
More seriously, the number of people suffering from depression, self-harm or suicide will also increase.
Although there are no specific data on the unfortunate consequences of the epidemic in COVID-19,
You can refer to the SARS epidemic in 2003. Some papers pointed out that during the epidemic, the number of suicides over 65 increased by 30%.
2. Because the government's policy of controlling the spread of the virus has dealt a blow to the economy, it will inevitably increase the unemployment rate.
People are poorer, which has a serious impact on mental health. (Only in occupations where telecommuting is allowed, the health status of the corresponding employees has been improved. )
In the first quarter of 2022, according to the data of the National Bureau of Statistics, the national urban survey unemployment rate averaged 5.5%.
In 20021year, the national urban survey unemployment rate averaged 5. 1%.
Compared with before the epidemic, the registered urban unemployment rate in China in 20 19 was 3.62%.
The increase in unemployment is almost a chain reaction:
The financial situation of the enterprise is not good, layoffs or bankruptcy.
Self-employed businesses can't go on, they can only go out of business.
Free workers also lost their jobs because of the restricted area.
Various circumstances have led to a decrease in income or even no income at all.
Faced with a decrease in income, people need to spend money:
Such as mortgage, car loan, rent, food, medical care, children's education, parents' pension, etc. , no change.
On the contrary, it faces a worse situation because of rising prices.
The pressure is increasing day by day. Without better help, we can only face it ourselves.
In this environment, people's mental health problems need special attention.
As early as 2020, the bbc report quoted an expert paper in The Lancet Psychiatry.
There are eight categories of people who have different experiences of the global COVID-19 epidemic from the general public:
Children, young people and families (school closure, domestic violence, etc. )
Adults and people with potential health problems (loneliness, loneliness, bereavement, etc.). )
People with mental health problems (affected support services, relapse, etc.). )
Front-line medical staff (afraid of infection, high work pressure)
People with learning difficulties (changes in timetable and support methods)
Low-income people (job and financial instability)
Prisoners, homeless people and refugees (social isolation)
People without sanitary conditions (poor living environment)
According to Caixin. com:
In March and April, dozens of cities in China implemented global static management, with more than 60 million people directly affected.
Moreover, the outbreak of the virus is one after another, and the affected population is still expanding.
Based on such a huge population base, the government's services to support people's mental health will also be particularly under pressure.
Academician Lu Lin footballer of IDG McGovern Institute of Brain Science in Peking University once published an article saying:
The epidemic situation in COVID-19 highlights the deficiency in the construction of psychological crisis intervention system in China. We should constantly improve the construction of social psychological service system in the future.
The government has also seen the shortcomings.
Recently, the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued the Notice on Further Mobilizing Social Work Professionals to Participate in Epidemic Prevention and Control:
Local civil affairs departments should guide social work service institutions and social workers to give full play to their professional advantages, rely on the social work stations and services in towns (streets) that have been carried out, pay close attention to the basic living needs, physical condition, psychological and mental state of special hardship groups such as recipients in villages (communities), the elderly, children in distress and the disabled, and provide professional support services such as policy consultation, psychological counseling, crisis intervention and resource linking in a timely manner. Guide social workers to help relatives of the deceased, rehabilitation patients, special hardship groups affected by the epidemic, and frontline epidemic prevention workers better integrate into families, communities and society, and help resolve the "post-epidemic syndrome".
How should we face it ourselves?
You and your relatives may have some symptoms:
depressed
Complex bereavement
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Drug abuse disorder
Anxiety disorder
Remember, these are not individual phenomena, you are not alone, and you don't need to blame yourself for your psychological problems.
Each of us is experiencing a once-in-a-century trauma.
Stress and anxiety are normal reactions to abnormal situations.
If others open their hearts and talk about their struggles,
We should agree with him and say, "This sounds really difficult. We will work out a solution together."
You may like smoking and drinking, but you should keep it at a normal level, try not to drink too much, and you can't let it go.
The British Academy of Medical Sciences made a survey and put forward some suggestions that are helpful to their mental health:
1: Keep in touch with friends and family online.
2. Keep busy, have a good sex life, fiddle with handicrafts, read books, watch movies and improve the home environment.
3. Get your body moving, such as walking, running, physical education class.
4. Stay calm, realize yourself through mindfulness, meditate, pray or keep a pet.
5. Absorb information-manage the reception of news and social media information (pay special attention to limiting the number of news readings, paying attention to reading content, appropriately interrupting social media or turning off information reminders).
6. Maintain daily work through daily plans.
7. Wash your hands: but don't overdo it (especially for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder)
One thing in particular needs to be pointed out,
According to "Psychological Frontier of China", "Research on Psychological Stress and Coping Characteristics of College Students in the Process of Public Health Emergencies";
"The increase in attention to the epidemic is accompanied by obvious psychological stress response, which reflects the relationship between cognition and emotion. Paying more attention (always paying attention, often paying attention) to the epidemic may be a manifestation of anxiety. "
And pointed out that:
"It is appropriate to let the public know, and don't pay too much attention to the epidemic information. Don't drown yourself in the ocean of information and lose self-control, and don't demonize the epidemic. I believe that human beings can finally find a way to defeat the virus, which will help reduce the level of psychological stress. "
As Professor Rory O 'Connor of Glasgow University said:
"More social isolation, loneliness, anxiety about health, stress and economic downturn are a perfect storm that hurts people's mental health and happiness."
In the face of this storm,
Governments and service organizations now not only need to know how to help others correctly,
We also need to know what the long-term impact may be and provide services to help people rebuild their lives.
Academician Lu Lin footballer of Peking University IDG McGovern Institute of Brain Science wrote in China Youth Daily, "Pay attention to post-epidemic syndrome: how to reduce the long-term damage of the epidemic to mental health?" "said:
"The government should take measures to minimize the negative social impact of the epidemic.
Contribute the wisdom of China to the mental health challenges brought by the global COVID-19 epidemic.
Improve human ability to cope with mental health and brain function damage related to major public health emergencies. "
The people are always kind, and they have made great sacrifices while cooperating with the government's epidemic prevention policy. Don't restrain people's mourning, but pay attention to people's mental health.
Some reference materials:
In February, 2022, Volume 4, No.2, Frontiers of Psychology in China, the psychological stress and coping characteristics of college students in the process of public health emergencies were studied.
2022-4- 1, Notice of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Further Mobilizing Social Work Professionals to Participate in Epidemic Prevention and Control.
2020- 10- 10, Xinhua News Agency, World Mental Health Day: Pay attention to the mental health problems caused by the epidemic.
2020- 1- 14, Xinhua News Agency, at the end of 20 19, the national urban registered unemployment rate was 3.62%.
202 1-4-20, China news network, focusing on post-epidemic syndrome: how to reduce the long-term damage of the epidemic to mental health? 》