How the Covid-19 Pandemic Sparked Mental Health Awareness

I’m sure everyone remembers that feeling they had when they found out we were all entering lockdown. We were all asking ourselves, what do we do now? How long are we going to be here of? And the list of questions keeps going. I remember I first asked myself, how am I not going to insane? I could not imagine staying locked in the house indefinitely and limited to four or five activities. While some people might have found the free time and isolation liberating or peaceful, some people were fighting to make it through.

During the pandemic 1 in 5 adults in America said that the pandemic had an impact on their mental health. Millions of people lost their jobs when Covid-19 struck and they lost a sense of structure, routine and belonging. Others who may have seen outside life as an escape from some of their troubles were now locked into the house. People were forced to lose their ways of life and find new restricted ones or had everything taken away from them. This may have been extremely difficult for those already suffering from mental health issues. By being confined to their homes this made it hard for individuals suffering to battle their issues and heal because of the confinement and restrictions. Moreover, those who lost their jobs may have experienced anxiety, stress and a multitude of other issues which all can contribute to worsening mental health. Putting situations like this together this exponentially raised rates of anxiety and depression to 65% and 61% among U.S. adults aged 18 to 29 which was six times higher than the 2019 rates (BC News). 

All of this did, however, make people realize that having mental health issues is ok and the stigma around it needs to be eradicated. People saw they were not alone and that other people around them were dealing and suffering with similar issues. This sparked many social media campaigns as people began to raise more awareness for mental health issues. Communities started to realize that some people were fighting battles internally and we needed to band together and show them it’s ok and provide them with the resources they need. We began to normalize getting hep and destigmiazting the issue while seeking resources. Now dialogue surrounding mental health is much more open and promoting positivity. Simultaneously, it has also revealed issues regarding our healthcare system and mental health. We learned in 2020 that “governments worldwide spent on average just over 2% of their health budgets on mental health” (WHO). This has all prompted our communities to take more initiative on mental health issues on helping those suffering by providing themw ith the resoruces they need and making them feel comfortable. While many people may have suffered in the beginning from the Covid-19 lockdown, this helped bring to light an issue that has long been mishandled and misunderstood. As a result, thousands of people have been able to get the help they need while improving their mental health.