Researcher & Writer: Kashish Jain
Illustrator: Josetta So
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our psychological well being. From the constant changes in our daily lives, the stress of keeping safe and healthy and the lack of social interaction have all undoubtedly changed our behaviours, perceptions and decision making abilities.
To begin with, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic in March 2020. The study explores how the pandemic acts as a major stressor in our lives. In psychology, a stressor is defined as an event or environment which is challenging, demanding or threatening to an individual, examples of stressors include: the death of a loved one, losing your job and suffering from a major injury. According to the diathesis-stress model, such stressors can make troubled
individuals more vulnerable to psychological disorders. The immense impact of the pandemic is further revealed in other studies conducted by the WHO and OECD. In a study conducted by the World Health Organization, it is stated that in the first year of the pandemic, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by over 25%. Another study which took place in the 22 European OECD countries states
that 1 in 5 people have reported feeling lonely and 1 in every 3 people feel left out in society. These statistics allow us to correlate the huge increase in mental health disorders to effects of the pandemic.
As students, the closure of school leads to feelings of isolation, anxiety and loneliness, making you more prone to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. Surveys from Lingnan University in Hong Kong explored how online learning was unsatisfactory with 48% of respondents saying their study pressure increased, creating another stressor for students to deal with. Adding to the already piling stresses of daily school life, there was the additional requirement to keep safe, yet maintain your health and fitness while being isolated and stuck at home. This environment created a lot of extra pressure on students, therefore directly impacting their mental health.
To conclude, we can determine that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our mental health and wellbeing, the effects of which we are likely to experience throughout our lifetime. What’s important is that we acknowledge that we are not alone in this situation as millions of people from all over the world are struggling with the same thing and seek help when we’re feeling lost.
Bibliography
World Health Organization. (2022, June 16th). “The impact of COVID-19 on mental health cannot be made light of”. Retrived from: https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-mental-health-cannot-be-made-light-of#:~:text=A%20great%20number%20of%20people,affected%20much%20more%20than%20others
World Health Organization. (2022, March 2nd). “COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide”. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide