Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many people cannot leave their homes except to buy food or exercise briefly. They cannot see their friends or family, or go to work, and the near-term outlook is bleak. This combination is the perfect storm for an increase in mental health conditions and we are already beginning to see signs that an associated mental health pandemic is under way.
I am on the front line. I work as a psychological healthcare professional for England鈥檚 National Health Service in a programme called Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT). This is the first point of call for mental health conditions in much the same way that family doctors are for issues with physical health.
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We are anticipating explosive growth in mental health problems that far exceeds our current capacity. Serious societal and economic disruption is nearly always associated with a . Within a month of the 9/11 attacks, for example, around 10 per cent of New York residents showed signs of diagnosable major depressive disorder. During the SARS outbreak in 2003, there was a substantial rise in reported cases of in China, for example, although precise figures remain elusive as mental health problems are still often stigmatised.
A growing number of our patients report that isolation and a general sense of physical, social and economic vulnerability are triggering existing and new psychological problems, and the pandemic is hampering our ability to deal with them.
Due to homeworking restrictions, my colleagues and I are relying almost solely on virtual technology to treat people, which hasn鈥檛 yet been proven at this scale. At the same time, IAPT staff are being diverted into hospitals to bolster overburdened physical healthcare wards.
In my London borough, where the prevalence of mental health conditions is around twice the national average, an atmosphere of unease about the coming months is palpable. There is often a lag of or between societal crises and the presentation of mental health issues, so things are likely to get worse before they get better.
There is no easy solution to these problems, but just as social distancing and good hygiene can help flatten the peak of the pandemic, we can also do things to reduce the mental health crisis.
There are many ways of trying to maintain your own mental well-being. to the importance of eating and sleeping well, staying active and keeping in regular contact with friends and family. Attempting to maintain a daily routine in which activities are scheduled, and work and leisure are separated, can help to generate a sense of normality.
However, when this isn鈥檛 enough, it is important to seek help. If people notice persistent symptoms of mental health conditions that have begun to interfere with normal behaviour, they shouldn鈥檛 be afraid to request support. Many places still offer a range of therapies online, over the phone and via video calls.
Mental health services could be overwhelmed within months, so the UK government needs to act fast. Increasing funding or bolstering services with retirees, volunteers and workers from other healthcare sectors, as we have seen in physical healthcare, could help. But whatever is done, it needs to be done soon.
