Dear Editor,
The world we currently live in has become a very strange, unsettling place. Social distancing, home isolation, job loss and insecurity, and the cancellation of sports and other large gatherings has completely changed the way we live our lives. It’s impacting even the most optimistic among us, as we try to stay positive and remain hopeful that we would soon be able to come together again.
Now, imagine how living with this unsettling situation feels when we travel around and see so many mental health cases on our streets. Resolving this situation has never been more important than it is right now. To some extent, we are all experiencing what life is like for someone struggling with anxiety, as we push ourselves to keep going regardless of the disruption we’ve experienced, tied to new working environments and added pressures at home. In addition to dealing with uncertainty, many are also grieving the loss of a loved one, a job, or the normal routine of life as we knew it.
There are many insights to be gained from this challenging time. First, the community has come together without regard to the demographics which often separate us. Secondly, the true heroes among us are those who willingly sacrifice for the benefit and care of others. It is their ability to face the unimaginable that gives us hope for the recovery of loved ones and the future of our professions.
It was recently observed that, during this pandemic, professionals working in the field of behavioural health are dealing with two pandemics at the same time – COVID-19 and mental health. While different, each crisis cruelly attacked the most vulnerable among us, and offered difficult lessons. We are also reminded that we cannot take for granted the need for preparedness, nor can we politicise the payment of its costs. Early in my career, the majority of health services were paid for by employers and Government, without consumers having any significant understanding of the true costs associated with quality of care. While that has now changed somewhat, we cannot allow this shift to arbitrarily limit care to anyone, or advance disparities in the availability of treatment.
But despite the darkness we’ve experienced during this pandemic, I do believe there has been cast a light that would begin to change perceptions of mental illness. Mental health must become a more open topic of conversation in the workplace, as employers try to manage their employees’ fears and anxieties as well as their own. Additionally, COVID-19 has shown us how closely mental health is tied to physical health.
The truth is: we cannot talk about a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) without talking about the mental health repercussions, and we cannot talk about patients who are dying of COVID-19 without talking about grief. We also cannot talk about unemployment or social isolation without talking about anxiety and depression. In this respect, we must applaud initiatives taken by President Ali and the PPP/C Government to distribute the COVID-19 $25,000 cash relief per household across this country, and to offer the one-off cash grant of $25,000 to workers in the entire Public Sector, including those who are currently employed by GuySuCo; in total, some 60,000 employees would benefit.
The pandemic has resulted in economic turmoil for a number of persons, as social distancing and stay-at-home protocols led to many citizens being unable to work. This is a key indicator that this pandemic (COVID-19) shows we must support mental health. Making a cultural shift in the way we view and interact with people will not be easy, but it is time for mental health to stop being stigmatised and start being valued.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how important mental health services are, and how much they are needed. Now is the time to embrace this moment and use it to spur the changes that are long overdue in mental health. We must make mental health care affordable and accessible, especially as the demand for these services continues to rise.
What we need to do as a society is start teaching about mental health in our schools, enforcing the idea that it is okay to get help. Teach those from a young age cognitive therapy skill. Bringing up tomorrow’s kids with a better understanding of mental health issues could save someone from going down a spiralling path. Imagine if the chain of events leading to someone’s mental breakdown could all be changed, starting with this younger generation, and let’s start doing better now.
Sincerely,
David Adams
