scholarly journals COVID-19 and Mental Health

Author(s):  
Tyler Kachulak

This content analysis examined 653 Twitter tweets from two threads in order to explore the ways in which emotional concerns are contextualized during the COVID-19 pandemic and sought to identify coping mechanisms mentioned in tweets following government-legislated lockdowns and social isolation measures. A purposive sampling method was employed to collect tweets possessing characteristics of interest to the present study. An open-coding procedure was utilized to examine any salient meanings or keywords, and the frequency of occurrence of contextualized emotional concerns and identified coping mechanisms was recorded. Results revealed 7 main ways within which emotional concerns were framed, including: COVID-19 Virus, School-Related, Groups/Individuals, Social Institutions, Financial/Work-Related, Mass Media, and Other. Results also revealed 10 themes in which coping mechanisms were identified: Hobbies/Interests, Social Media, Offering Resources, Substance Use, Connecting with Others, Eating, Raising Awareness/Promoting Compliance, Religion/Optimism, Humor/Sarcasm, and Other. Although previous literature has demonstrated that people exhibit psychological distress during a global health crisis, this study adds to the growing body of literature on COVID-19 and outlines the contexts in which emotional concerns arise during a pandemic and how people are coping through these unprecedented times. These findings provide insight into how individuals are sharing concerns about their mental health with others via Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic, and points to the need for psychological interventions specifically oriented towards global health crises in the midst of government mandated lockdown measures.

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (esp. 1) ◽  
pp. 393-408
Author(s):  
André Luiz Pereira Silva ◽  
Doralice Otaviano ◽  
Fernanda Cruz Vieira Ferreira ◽  
Jurema Valkiria Otaviano ◽  
Jussara Otaviano ◽  
...  

Suddenly in March 2020 we found ourselves confined and isolated in our homes, due to a global health crisis arising from a pandemic, caused by the contamination of a virus called COVID-19. This health crisis also generated a crisis in the social determinants of health, especially those related to the economy, education and culture. But it also generated another crisis, the psychosocial crisis, where populations affected by the effects of mental damage caused by the pandemic and isolation, showed important signs of stress. It is in this scenario that the Integrative Community Therapy, previously carried out in person, is renewed and reinvented. This article reports on the experience of implementing the Integrative Community Therapy online in Brazil and presents the results of the Afinando Vidas Pole in the contribution of improving the quality of life and the individual and collective mental health of the Brazilian population.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Waltrich ◽  
Mathew Ling ◽  
Jade Sheen

Objective: Paramedics are routinely called to patients presenting with mental health concerns. Previous literature suggests paramedics find this patient group challenging. However, no study has investigated whether paramedics find mental health presentations (MHP) more challenging relative to other patient presentations, or whether certain paramedic variables relate to their perceived ability to manage MHP. This study investigates differences in paramedics’ perceived ability to attend to MHP compared to other patient presentations, and whether their perceived ability is related to their level of experience or location of work (metropolitan or rural). The study also explores paramedic’s experiences and perspectives of MHP. Method: Operational paramedics in Australia (n = 138) completed a survey assessing their perceived ability to respond to mental health, cardiac, respiratory and trauma-related presentations. A repeated measures ANOVA tested differences in perceived ability between these patient presentations. T-tests and Pearson’s correlations were conducted to determine whether years of experience or location of work related to their perceived ability for MHP. Nine paramedics were also interviewed and a thematic analysis conducted to gain insight into paramedic’s experiences and perspectives of MHP.Results: Paramedics reported a significantly lower perceived ability to respond to MHP relative to each other patient presentation measured. No relationships were found between a paramedic’s perceived ability to respond to MHP and their length of work experience or location of work. Interviews with paramedics revealed four superordinate themes: 1) inconsistent conceptualization of their role, 2) feelings of helplessness and frustration, 3) stigmatized views of patients with a mental illness, and 4) inconsistent views of knowledge and learning relating to MHP. Conclusion: Paramedics believe they have a significantly poorer ability to respond to MHP relative to other patient presentations. Education and training focused on defining a paramedic’s role for MHP as well as reducing stigmatized views of patients with a mental illness may improve paramedic’s care of this cohort of patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Avena ◽  
Julia Simkus ◽  
Anne Lewandowski ◽  
Mark S. Gold ◽  
Marc N. Potenza

COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China in December of 2019 and appeared in the United States 1 month later. Between the onset of the pandemic and January 13, 2021, over 92 million people have tested positive for the virus and over 1.9 million people have died globally. Virtually every country in the world has been impacted by this virus. Beginning in March 2020, many U.S. state governments enforced a “quarantine” to respond to the growing health crisis. Citizens were required to remain at home; schools, restaurants, and non-essential businesses were forced to close, and large gatherings were prohibited. Americans' lives were transformed in a span of days as daily routines were interrupted and people were shuttered indoors. Mounting fear and unpredictability coupled with widespread unemployment and social isolation escalated anxiety and impacted the mental health of millions across the globe. Most (53%) U.S. adults reported that the coronavirus outbreak has had a negative impact on their mental health, including inducing or exacerbating use of alcohol, drugs, gambling and overeating as coping mechanisms. In this paper, we will examine substance use and addictive behaviors that have been used to manage the stress and uncertainty wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. We review the changing treatment landscape as therapy pivoted online and telemedicine became the norm.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S241-S242
Author(s):  
Preetisha Chadee ◽  
Sacha Evans

AimsThe video-based free social media app, TikTok, has grown in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, with half of British children using Tik Tok regularly. With more than 2 billion downloads, it was the most downloaded app of 2020. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is currently found on TikTok via the hashtag #CAMHS. The aim of this study was to explore how CAMHS is represented on TikTok through reviewing the hashtags associated with CAMHS and exploring the themes of videos with the #CAMHS hashtag.MethodThe Tik Tok app was downloaded and a search for the hashtags which featured the word #CAMHS was undertaken. A thematic analysis of the top 100 most popular uploaded videos featuring the #CAMHS was conducted. The number of likes, views and shares of the videos featuring each theme was recorded.ResultVideos with the hashtag #CAMHS had 203.9 million views, followed by: #camhsmeme(s) totalling 43.1 million views, #camhsjokes with 21.4 million views and #camhskids, 12.5 million views. The top 100 most popular videos represented 24% of total viewed videos with the hashtag #CAMHS.The most popular recurrent themes associated with the hashtag #CAMHS in our sample were: raising awareness of mental health symptoms and management (40% of videos), reference to self-harm (27% of videos) and negative perception of CAMHS (27% of videos).Raising awareness of mental health symptoms and management had the most likes (3,694,700) and views (17,435,900). This was followed by videos with themes of reference to self-harm (3,006,300 likes and 14,382,700 views). The most shared themes were: reference to suicide (shared 56,763 times) and videos which portrayed a theme of negative perception of CAMHS (40,628 shares). Videos with themes of a negative perception of CAMHS also garnered 1,762,500 likes and 8,666,900 views.ConclusionCAMHS is actively represented on TikTok through freely accessible unregulated videos. Videos with themes of raising awareness of mental health symptoms and management can potentially allow young people to share their experiences. Nonetheless, popular hashtags such as #CAMHSmemes and #CAMHSjokes, as well as videos featuring themes of negative perception of CAMHS, could potentially undermine the reputation of CAMHS to existing and future service users. The content of these videos should be taken seriously by CAMHS clinicians as it can potentially provide an insight into service users’ experiences of CAMHS on a scale that has not been observed before. Presently these videos are not screened or modulated by the NHS CAMHS service.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Daniel Romeu

Summary The Earth's climate is in a complex state of change as a result of human activity. The interface between climate change and physical health has received significant attention, but its effects on mental health and illness are less understood. This article provides an insight into the psychiatric sequelae of climate change, suggests strategies that psychiatrists can use to take action, and argues that it is their responsibility to do so.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
AISDL

COVID-19 is a novel infectious disease and global health crisis with major psychological implications. Of particular focus are the effects it will have on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as being under-resourced poses many challenges. Vietnam, a country with an estimated population of 97.33 million people, which until 30 July, 2020, had 459 confirmed COVID-19 cases with no fatalities but as of November 4th had 35 deaths, can be viewed as a model LMIC for other countries struggling with COVID-19.


The world is in the throes of a global health, economic, and mental health crisis with severe physical, societal, and economic ramifications. Modern mental health problems are characterized by their complexity, multisystemic nature, and broad societal impact, making them poorly suited to siloed approaches of thinking and innovation. To solve the unprecedented complexities and challenges associated with the current global crisis, a paradigm shift is needed. Convergence science integrates knowledge, tools, and thought strategies from various fields and is the focal point where novel insights arise. In the context of mental health, convergence involves integration of scientists, clinicians, bioinformaticists, global health experts, engineers, technology entrepreneurs, medical educators, caregivers, and patients; synergy between government, academia, and industry is also vital. A convergence mental health approach will lead to improved outcomes for patients and healthcare systems. Predicate examples of convergence science in adjacent fields to mental health provide a model for the path forward. Further, within the field of mental health, there are examples of convergence science currently in action that include early-stage companies, neuroscience initiatives, public health projects, and unconventional funding mechanisms. The world has a historic opportunity to leverage convergence science to lead to a new era of innovation and progress in global mental health. Contributions for this book come from authors affiliated with the Milken Institute, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the National Academies of Science, Medicine and Engineering, Stanford University, and Harvard University. This book is written for practitioners and leaders in mental health innovation, including clinicians, researchers, policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-129
Author(s):  
Nazanin Jannati ◽  
Vahid Yazdi-Feyzabadi ◽  
Roghayeh Ershad Sarabi ◽  
Simin Salehinejad

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health crisis of our time. The mental health and wellbeing of whole societies have been severely impacted by this crisis and are a priority to be addressed urgently. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in many countries worldwide. One way to overcome this situation is to use Telemental health services and people can take advantage of these services to meet their mental health needs. However, there are some barriers to provide Telemental health services, which should be considered by policymakers before the crisis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shohre Ghelich-Khani ◽  
Ashraf Kazemi ◽  
Malek Fereidooni-Moghadam ◽  
Mousa Alavi

Abstract Background Although associated with many successes, oocyte donation can lead to numerous psychological challenges in recipient women. The identification of these challenges during the treatment process is crucial to improve recipient mental health. Thus, the aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of oocyte recipient women. Methods This research was conducted using a qualitative approach and inductive content analysis method. The data collection tool was in-depth interviews. Twenty women with the experience of receiving donated oocyte were selected and entered the study using purposive sampling method and considering the maximum variation. Results Three main categories of psychological challenges were extracted from patient interviews, specifically, distressing psychologic symptoms, social stigmatization, and negative coping mechanisms. The category of distressing psychologic symptoms was shaped based on the subcategories of self-esteem destruction, anxiety and stress, depression and spiritual discouragement. The category of social stigmatization included the subcategories of concern about disclosure, judgment of others, and conflict with religious teachings. And the category of negative coping mechanisms was formed based on the subcategories of aggression and denial. Conclusion The results indicated that the process of treatment with donated oocyte is followed by the experiences of distressing psychologic symptoms, social stigmatization, and negative coping mechanisms in recipient women. As such, paying attention to the socio-cultural factors which affect this process seems necessary to maintain the mental health of these women. Plain English summary Although associated with many successes, oocyte donation can lead to numerous psychological challenges in recipient women. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of oocyte recipient women. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach and inductive content analysis method. The data collection tool was in-depth interviews. Twenty women with the experience of receiving donated oocyte were selected and entered the study using purposive sampling method and considering the maximum variation. Three main categories of psychological challenges were extracted from patient interviews, specifically, distressing psychologic symptoms, social stigmatization, and negative coping mechanisms. The category of distressing psychologic symptoms was shaped based on the subcategories of self-esteem destruction, anxiety and stress, depression and spiritual discouragement. The category of social stigmatization included the subcategories of concern about disclosure, judgment of others, and conflict with religious teachings. And the category of negative coping mechanisms was formed based on the subcategories of aggression and denial. The results indicated that the process of treatment with donated oocyte is followed by experience of distressing psychologic symptoms, social stigmatization, and negative coping mechanisms in recipient women. As such, paying attention to the socio-cultural factors which affect this process seems necessary to maintain the mental health of these women.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Small ◽  
Judite Blanc

COVID-19 is a novel infectious disease and global health crisis with major psychological implications. Of particular focus are the effects it will have on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as being under-resourced poses many challenges. Vietnam, a country with an estimated population of 97.33 million people, which until 30 July, 2020, had 459 confirmed COVID-19 cases with no fatalities but as of November 4th had 35 deaths, can be viewed as a model LMIC for other countries struggling with COVID-19. Employing key tactics such as transparency and effective communication, Vietnam was able to foster strong cooperation between government and citizens, contributing to its success during COVID-19. Moreover, Vietnamese resilience, attributable, in part, to “tam giao,” a coexistence of religious and philosophical Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism through cultural additivity, provides a unique mindset that other countries can learn from to adapt and even build psychological resilience against COVID-19 pandemic's psychological outcomes. We suggest countries prioritize transparency and communication to mitigate stigmatization and psychological distress that can result from quarantine and other interventions while promoting resources that provide accurate scientific information and psychological aid to citizens. We believe that Tam giao could be repurposed to relieve inevitable contradictions between values and lifestyles in the context of this devastating global health crisis.


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