World Mental Health Day 2020
This October 10, World Mental Health Day, we find millions of people in a very particular situation. The coronavirus pandemic faced us with very difficult challenges: uncertainty, fear of getting sick or infecting loved ones, economic instability, loneliness, and changes in habits that affect our lives in an unprecedented way.
The unique circumstances we are experiencing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic can alter our mood and emotional stability. While many people tend to react resiliently to stress, others may have symptoms related to anxiety or depression. INECO Foundation, with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank, conducted an investigation to learn how the pandemic and isolation affect the mental health of Argentines.
The study had two stages. The first consisted of conducting an online survey of more than 10,000 participants during the first week of Compulsory and Preventive Social Isolation in Argentina. The results were striking since earlier than was supposed, 7 days after the isolation began, symptoms of anxiety and symptoms of depression were recognized in the people surveyed.
Although these were questionnaires in which the participants reported their own perceptions – and there is evidence that this type of methodology tends to overestimate the symptoms of mental health disorders compared to a complete evaluation by a professional – the results were surprising.
More than a third of the participants had symptoms of depression or anxiety during the first week after the start of quarantine. Taking as a reference the prevalence data from a 2018 epidemiological study of mental health in the general population, it can be seen that during the first days of isolation there was a significant increase in symptoms of anxiety or depression. Daily stress together with the feeling of loneliness and repetitive negative thoughts were the most frequently mentioned factors. It is striking that the youngest participants were the most affected by the situation. On the other hand, the research allowed to elucidate that although the existence of previous mental health problems aggravated the reactions, even people who had not previously sought treatment showed signs of psychological impact.
In a second stage, 72 days after the isolation began, another survey of similar characteristics was carried out in which it was observed that anxiety symptoms increased slightly, which is in line with expectations, while depression symptoms increased in greater extent. Sadness, listlessness, tiredness, difficulty thinking and concentrating, difficulty sleeping, and appetite disorders are some of the symptoms of depression, but it is worth clarifying that these symptoms are significant when they interfere with our daily lives. It is interesting to note that in the second survey, people also reported having mental fatigue, cognitive difficulties, financial concerns, and intolerance to uncertainty as weighting factors in the emotional impact.
These results are consistent with research throughout the region and around the world. Among these we can highlight one carried out in the United States by scientists from Boston and Columbia University in which similar results were also observed through a survey and using the same instruments as the INECO Foundation study. This research found that reports of depression symptoms tripled with the pandemic. Income and financial stability were key factors mentioned by the participants: the lower the socioeconomic level, the higher the impact on their mental health.
Knowing more about the Mental Health of the population, whether in a normal situation or in extraordinary circumstances such as a pandemic, is the first step to be able to design adequate public policies to reduce the suffering produced by mental disorders and increase the well-being of the population. population. According to the World Health Organization about 1 billion people live with a mental disorder.
That is why this October 10, World Mental Health Day, INECO Foundation with support from the Inter-American Development Bank, share their research to contribute to one of the most neglected areas of public health and advocate for mental health without stigma .