COVID-19, isolation threatens mental health
COVID-19 has displaced college students and forced Americans to self-isolate, but the statistics continue to rise for an entirely different epidemic: loneliness.
According to Frank J. Ninivaggi M.D., loneliness “as isolation is a deeply conflicted sense of the fear that one’s perceived inextricable attachments to others are being pulled and split apart, or are absent.”
In short, it is alienation from an environment one would usually consider they belong.
Generation Z (born after 1995) is statistically found to be the loneliest generation.
College students already report a high rate of loneliness and feelings of isolation, which has also been related to higher rates of reported anxiety and depression. The pandemic appears to be compounding this.
A media statement from WHO remarked that measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 come with an unprecedented and “significant social and economic cost.”
“It’s more of a collective trauma,” Sara Schaller, a crisis line counselor, was quoted by NBC News.
Crisis centers are reporting spikes in the number of calls to their hotlines, most of which referencing the coronavirus.
Staying at home brings to light distractive behaviors and partaking in escapism, both of which become more difficult once external activities are limited and residents are ordered to stay at home. Lack of external stimuli turns reflection inwards, and heightened feelings of stress, depression and anxiety are reported.
The CDC provided a list of behaviors to help manage stress, which includes managing the amount of time consuming news about the virus in any media format (social media, reports, newspapers, etc.).
A common coping mechanism suggested by health organizations is connecting with others.
WHO acknowledged this in their press release:
“It is our human nature to care for one another, as we, in turn, seek the social and emotional support of others. The disruptive effects of COVID-19 provide us all with an opportunity. An opportunity to check on each other, to call and video-chat, to be mindful and sensitive to the unique mental health needs of those we care for. Our anxiety and fears should be acknowledged and not be ignored, but better understood and addressed by individuals, communities, and governments.”
Resources for USC Aiken students are available through the Counseling Center.
“We know that all of the concerns about coronavirus and all of the daily changes happening can be very upsetting and anxiety-provoking,” wrote the center in a Student Life email.
“The staff of the Counseling Center is ready to help you through this! Please feel free to call our office at 803-641-3609 from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday). If you are already seeing a counselor, please feel free to call or email them directly to arrange a phone consultation.”
