It was in late December of last year that a patient admitted to Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan China with pneumonia, precipitated by an unusual strain of Coronavirus: Covid-19. In the space of two months, there were 75,000 cases in China and by April 2020 the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that there were 1.25 million cases worldwide. The world had not in living memory experienced a pandemic like this, with the only recent example being the SARS outbreak of 2003 which affected 8,422 people worldwide, however in Scotland alone more people than this have contracted Covid-19.
The mental health toll caused by Covid-19 has far-reaching consequences for patients affected by it, front line health workers tackling it, and the general public. For example, patients who are diagnosed with the infection possess the potential for stigmatisation for carrying an illness that may affect other people, and may have to deal with this illness alone without contact from friends or family. In terms of care providers and medics working with increased workloads due to Covid-19 the possibility of physician burnout increases and the stress of having to adapt to new guidelines and ways of working due to the pandemic. In relation to the general public, the hoarding of food and panic buying is potential indicators of panic and the likelihood of anxiety-related conditions increases with staying indoors more.
If you find you are struggling and need help then please get in touch. The number and e mail address are listed on the contact page of the site.
