COVID-19 has left a mark on the mental health of every individual who has heard of it. It is worse for the people who have contracted the deadly virus and survived to tell the nightmarish tale of their suffering. Ranging from high fever to shortage and difficulty to breath, COVID-19 patients have endured their fair share of suffering. May we all remain safe from it, as many victims said; they wouldn’t wish it on their worst enemy.
Effect on Mental Health:
Mental health during corona is now being studied deeply and thoroughly by experts. The mental health of those who have actually contracted COVID-19 against those who live in the constant fear of contracting this deadly yet preventable virus. Our focus for this piece is on the mental health of those who have suffered the ill fate but luckily recovered.
The Victims:
Mental health for COVID-19 patients has become a delicate subject. Many subjects have reported been said to suffer from the illusion of still having the novel virus. Even after recovering, the slightest signs of cold or flu have set the recovered patients in a state of panic and anxiety.
They live under the false impression of being susceptible to virus despite having possibly developed the immunity to resist the virus. The recovered patients are being asked to donate their plasma which can help in the treatment of those who have recently contracted the virus or are in a critical state.
Despite this, they are being over-cautious. Those recovered patients who participated in various mental health COVID-19 surveys revealed that they were subjected to complete isolation which resulted in depression and extreme hopelessness. Suicidal tendencies also developed in those patients who were recovering and persisted in many who successfully recovered.
The fear and paranoia created by social media and falsified news fanned the flames even further and people became excessively paranoid and overly afraid. Those who contracted the disease assumed they had no chances for survival and gave up on life.
Even after recovering, many patients reported life appearing bleak and meaningless. A mental health COVID-19 study revealed that isolation had a big part to play in distorting the mental health of patients. Mental stress and anxiety were common among patients along with depressive episodes and self-harm. Many people reportedly abused drugs and alcohol.
Panic attacks and overwhelming emotions that left patients unable to think straight for hours were also reported by many. Regular restlessness and emotional irritability were also associated with COVID-19 patients. Insomnia, sudden weight loss or gain, lack of energy or motivation was also reported. Experts indicated that most of these signs were sprouted due to the psychological effect of the virus on the mental health of the patient. As the virus itself was not responsible for most of these symptoms rather, patients occupied their mind with these thoughts and rendered themselves psychologically and mentally defenseless against this virus.
It is only by developing mental fortitude and taking a stance that COVID-19 patients can help themselves against psychological attacks of this pandemic.