A registered nurse prepares a dose of Monkeypox vaccine at the Salt Lake County Health Department on Thursday, July 28, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
- Various diseases are on the rise, which may be taking a toll on the nation’s mental health.
- Experts say that anxiety and depression have skyrocketed during the Covid pandemic.
- Taking care of your well-being should be a priority, health experts say.
Monkeypox is now a national health emergency, the United States had its first case of polio in nearly a decade, and BA.5 is the most infectious Covid-19 subvariant since the first wave of the pandemic. These stories seem to have a stranglehold on the headlines and the airwaves, so has the country’s state of mind regarding the disease been put on high alert?
“I think in many ways that’s probably an accurate description,” said Dr. Hal Levine, a psychiatrist and medical director of behavioral health for the Baycare System in Florida. “I think most people find themselves very concerned the more they read and see discussions about these diseases.”
The Biden Administration’s statement on monkeypox last week noted that the virus poses a significant risk to Americans, with more than 7,500 documented cases in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Montana and Wyoming are the only two states that have not been affected by the disease so far.
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Meanwhile, the BA.5 subvariant of omicron was responsible for more than 85% of Covid cases in the US. at the end of July, according to Reuters. It has been shown to overcome the immune protection provided by both vaccination and previous infection.
The two illnesses combined to capture a news cycle last month when a man in California said that was infected with Covid and monkey pox at the same time in the first known case in America.
Whether the barrage of media coverage is justified is up for debate, but the consequences are clear.
“I think in a lot of ways, aside from being a little bit drained from a long series of issues with Covid, people are also not quite sure what to believe in terms of what is the next really serious disease that we’re facing,” she said. Levine. .
The country has been left uncertain and the prevailing mood is fatigue. “The average American just wants to get on with his life and doesn’t prioritize accepted public health preventative measures,” said Dr. Terry Holmes, a psychiatrist and former medical director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Tennessee.
He believes that the virtual learning and work environments instituted during the pandemic led to social isolation and, in many cases, devastated the mental health of children, adolescents, and adults.
“Anxiety and depression complaints are, in most cases, directly or indirectly related to the pandemic,” Holmes said.
If discerning which illnesses are a real threat to our physical and mental well-being has become more difficult, there are still plenty of ways to protect ourselves, Holmes and Levine said. They both agree that following the recommendations of public health officials, such as wearing masks when necessary, is a good step.
Self-care, such as proper diet and regular exercise, play an important role in disease prevention. And just as it is important to see a doctor when physical symptoms arise, Holmes emphasizes the need to monitor our mental state as well.
“If your mood darkens, if your sleep is interrupted, if your energy level drops, your appetite changes and you are gaining or losing weight, if you are losing interest in your usual activities and just have trouble worrying, then reach out. with for help.”
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