Are COVID restrictions ignoring mental health issues?

[yorkie]

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UK face coverings discussion

As face coverings are now mandatory in most public indoor settings from today in most of the UK, this thread has been set up to continue the general discussion of this issue. thanks

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In what way are they extremist?

Do they consider the impact on mental health, deprivation, loss of hope, loss of livelihoods?

Do they recognise the huge impact on disabled people, especially blind & deaf people?

Their approach to health seems very one dimensional, and seems to be that jobs, livelihoods, mental health can all be tossed aside.

 

[StationTown]

Do they consider the impact on mental health, deprivation, loss of hope, loss of livelihoods?

Do they recognise the huge impact on disabled people, especially blind & deaf people?

Their approach to health seems very one dimensional, and seems to be that jobs, livelihoods, mental health can all be tossed aside.

I think, based on who they are, they are always going to be viewing the situation from a predominantly medical perspective. I don't think it's necessarily fair to say they don't give any consideration to the wider health impact or other aspects of the pandemic. I struggle to see how they are extremist. They seem to have taken the view that to protect both vulnerable people and the health service more generally you need to keep infection in the community as low as possible and, at this moment in time, strict measures are required to keep it low. I assume you disagree with this and apologise if you have set your case out previously and I have not seen it, but what are you proposing we do now?

 

[island]

I think, based on who they are, they are always going to be viewing the situation from a predominantly medical perspective.

But what is non-medical about mental health concerns?

 

[Bletchleyite]

But what is non-medical about mental health concerns?

They aren't directly medical - they come later, after failed businesses etc.

 

[Domh245]

They aren't directly medical - they come later, after failed businesses etc.

An inability to think about the consequences of your actions isn't a justification, it's downright shameful. It's like saying "I don't want to pay £40 to get my mechanic to investigate that noise" and then acting shocked when 2 months later once the bill for the major engine failure comes in

 

[35B]

An inability to think about the consequences of your actions isn't a justification, it's downright shameful. It's like saying "I don't want to pay £40 to get my mechanic to investigate that noise" and then acting shocked when 2 months later once the bill for the major engine failure comes in

But there is legitimate room for debate about the relative priorities of different impacts of an epidemic.

 

[StationTown]

But what is non-medical about mental health concerns?

I agree Mental Health comes under Medicine, although it has medical and social aspects to consider so shouldn't be seen solely from a medical perspective. I agree the BMA should be concerned about mental health.

 

[Yew]

I agree Mental Health comes under Medicine, although it has medical and social aspects to consider so shouldn't be seen solely from a medical perspective. I agree the BMA should be concerned about mental health.

Legally speaking, there is parity between mental and physical health.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Legally speaking, there is parity between mental and physical health.

That there may be, but the thing is that with COVID interventions directly affect physical health, but the mental health impact is indirect and delayed.

 

[StationTown]

Legally speaking, there is parity between mental and physical health.

Ok, but what point are you making?

 

[Yew]

That there may be, but the thing is that with COVID interventions directly affect physical health, but the mental health impact is indirect and delayed.

Indeed, the overall short sightedness of only caring about one thing will come back to bite us in many ways over the next few years. Perhaps the only upside is that I see little appetite for austerity in the future.

Realistically, the government is not acting that dissimilarly to a domestic abuser; constantly changing the rules, and making normal behaviours unacceptable.

 

[Wuffle]

I wonder how many with "Hidden Disabilities" which made them unable to wear a mask have suffered because of the harassment by some in positions of authority and by vehement supporters of mask wearing ?

 

[Huntergreed]

Yes, Covid restrictions absolutely ignore mental health (politicians mention it, but they obviously care about their reputation Covid far more).

I say this as someone who has went from a mild anxiety sufferer to someone who has had to move home due to increased panic attacks and is now requiring counselling due to the authoritarian way in which these rules were being imposed in the student accommodation i was staying in.

It’s utterly disgraceful the way young people’s mental health is being disregarded especially, and I hope those responsible for the (inevitable) rise in suicides through winter due to prolonged loneliness, isolation and overly authoritarian approaches to what really isn’t a proportionate response to this are fully held accountable.

 

[MikeWM]

Realistically, the government is not acting that dissimilarly to a domestic abuser; constantly changing the rules, and making normal behaviours unacceptable.

Spot on - I've noticed this for a few months now. The relationship between the government and the individual has become uncomfortably similar to that between abuser and victim. Anyone who is familiar with the way an abusive relationship works should be able to see this very clearly.

Of course in such cases the abuse will *never* end if left up to the abuser, it will just get worse and worse. The victim can only end it by taking back control themselves.

 

[trebor79]

I would argue covid restrictions ignore ALL other issues.

 

[johntea]

My friend wears a cochlear implant so is heavily reliant on lip reading - hard to read through a mask!

 

[MattA7]

The restrictions a impact on both my physical and mental health. I don’t know how I’m going to manage another 6+months of the situation at the moment I’m just taking it one day at a time and hoping it ends Or I find a better way of coping before any serious damage to health is done.

living in a small rundown rural town the travel restrictions are a nightmare. pre lockdown I had evening college classes, attend place of worship in the nearest city and family would visit every 6 weeks. I also attended a anti anxiety support class Now all of that is gone and unfortunately looks like it will be for a considerable length of time.

The only places I’ve been since March is the local supermarket and takeaway a couple of times. depression and anxiety is much higher. My insomnia is worse than ever and I have lost a significant amount of weight even though I was already severely underweight as it was.

more worryingly I doubt I’m alone with such struggles going by some of the posts I’ve seen here.

 

[NorthOxonian]

The restrictions a impact on both my physical and mental health. I don’t know how I’m going to manage another 6+months of the situation at the moment I’m just taking it one day at a time and hoping it ends Or I find a better way of coping before any serious damage to health is done.

living in a small rundown rural town the travel restrictions are a nightmare. pre lockdown I had evening college classes, attend place of worship in the nearest city and family would visit every 6 weeks. I also attended a anti anxiety support class Now all of that is gone and unfortunately looks like it will be for a considerable length of time.

The only places I’ve been since March is the local supermarket and takeaway a couple of times. depression and anxiety is much higher. My insomnia is worse than ever and I have lost a significant amount of weight even though I was already severely underweight as it was.

more worryingly I doubt I’m alone with such struggles going by some of the posts I’ve seen here.

The uncertainty is what gets me the most. The fact that I have no idea how long this will last for, whether there'll be a spike forcing tighter restrictions, or if I'll have to self isolate because someone in my university flat takes ill - it's all playing on my mind.

Having said that, returning to university has really helped my mental health. Both having something to focus on, and being in the South East (where cases are much lower than home, and the atmosphere is far less tense) seem to have helped. And on the weekend I went down to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight - again, that really perked me up.

I don't know what the restrictions are like where you are, but even just taking a day where you break the cycle and do something different might really help your mental state. Is there anywhere nice near your rundown town you can get to?

 

[MattA7]

The uncertainty is what gets me the most. The fact that I have no idea how long this will last for, whether there'll be a spike forcing tighter restrictions, or if I'll have to self isolate because someone in my university flat takes ill - it's all playing on my mind.

Having said that, returning to university has really helped my mental health. Both having something to focus on, and being in the South East (where cases are much lower than home, and the atmosphere is far less tense) seem to have helped. And on the weekend I went down to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight - again, that really perked me up.

I don't know what the restrictions are like where you are, but even just taking a day where you break the cycle and do something different might really help your mental state. Is there anywhere nice near your rundown town you can get to?

thanks. I live in Scotland where restrictions are generally much tighter than England and are often confusing.
I was away to be starting college this year however rejected my offer due to concerns about how the situation may affect the course especially with so called blended learning and zoom classes. I’m hoping to start next year I would like to think normality would be back by Sept 2021. I have considered taking the train into the near by city but not sure how that will work with Sturgeons essential only travel policy.

 

[Scotrail12]

I have considered taking the train into the near by city but not sure how that will work with Sturgeons essential only travel policy.

Take the train anyway. Still a fair number of people on the trains in my area today.

It's really only advice, not actually law. No police in stations, no questioning etc.

 

[DelayRepay]

The uncertainty is what gets me the most. The fact that I have no idea how long this will last for, whether there'll be a spike forcing tighter restrictions, or if I'll have to self isolate because someone in my university flat takes ill - it's all playing on my mind.

I am in the same boat. Normally I am quite a resilient person but I am also worried about how I will get through the next six months. I have been told I won't be able to go back into work until at least February. I am now looking for another job and actually looking at a change of career to do something that won't involve spending all day staring at a screen.

I am worried about my mum up in Yorkshire, who is widowed and lives alone. I am worried about my sister, who works in a care home and has two young kids. She's found it tough. I'm worried about the kids too. I'm worried about my best friend who's been made redundant, and upset that if I want to spend time with him, we either have to sit outdoors in the rain and cold, or break the law. I am worried about others I know whose jobs are at risk, or have already been lost, or who are waiting for medical treatment that's been postponed. And I'm worried about getting ill myself.

I say this as someone who supported the original lockdown, but now feels that the cure is doing more harm than the disease. I accept we can't just 'let rip', but there has to be a better future than the one we're facing?

 

[IanXC]

I think the following thoughts are from papers on this page, but I apologise unreservedly if not all of them are: http://jvalue.co.uk/covid-19.php

There is a long history of economists studying the correlation between recessions and reduction in life expectancy. As a bit of an average of studies it's widely held that living through the Financial Crisis took about 4 months off everyone's average life expectancy.

I've certainly read a study that said based on (admittedly early medical research, which would appear to be broadly right other than 'long Covid') it was broadly correct to say that if a recession caused a contraction in the economy of more than 6.4% then the years of life expectancy lost to the recession would be greater than those lost to the virus. I'll leave readers to compare this to our current economic position and where we might be 12 months after this all started.

There are few, if any, modelled outcomes in the studies linked which result in more years of life lost to the virus than to the recession. In fact most show the loss of life expectancy to the recession to be at least 3 times that lost to the virus.

Another study I've read suggested the optimum R value for the balance between these priorities is 1.4 although I can't think where I read that now unfortunately.

 

[nedchester]

A good article on the effect of mental health:

Talking about how lockdown affects mental health doesn't make you a Covid-denier | Owen Jones

Our mental wellbeing has been needlessly tossed on a bonfire because the UK government has failed to control the virus, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones

www.theguardian.com

 

[Yew]

A good article on the effect of mental health:

Talking about how lockdown affects mental health doesn't make you a Covid-denier | Owen Jones

Our mental wellbeing has been needlessly tossed on a bonfire because the UK government has failed to control the virus, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones

www.theguardian.com

Apart from the entire first half of the article, the seems keen to suggest that anyone who questions the lockdown narrative is some far-right libertarian.

 

[big_rig]

Apart from the entire first half of the article, the seems keen to suggest that anyone who questions the lockdown narrative is some far-right libertarian.

I didn't like the article either for a similar reason - my reading was that it was also trying to make a tenuous argument that if only there was a perfect track and trace system (does one exist in any country on earth? and let's not say South Korea - they have had as many coronavirus cases all year as the UK has in the last day and a half)), life could start going back to normal, with the associated mental health benefits. It is the argument being advanced by Labour essentially - lockdowns are bad, but we should do more of them indefinitely until we develop a unicorn T&T system which means no more need for lockdowns in future. Promise, guv. That kind of political point scoring under the guise of mental health is, ironically, poor for my mental health at least!

The re-writing of history for the lockdown having been something of a charitable act is also highly suspect and not good mental health wise. A bit like how wearing a mask is an act of benevolence, except that you can be fined thousands of pounds for not wearing one. It's like trying to argue that paying tax is an act of charity, as if you were a regular person on a salary you could say to your boss 'actually I'm feeling quite greedy so can I pay less tax, please?'

 

[duncanp]

Yes, Covid restrictions absolutely ignore mental health (politicians mention it, but they obviously care about their reputation Covid far more).

I say this as someone who has went from a mild anxiety sufferer to someone who has had to move home due to increased panic attacks and is now requiring counselling due to the authoritarian way in which these rules were being imposed in the student accommodation i was staying in.

It’s utterly disgraceful the way young people’s mental health is being disregarded especially, and I hope those responsible for the (inevitable) rise in suicides through winter due to prolonged loneliness, isolation and overly authoritarian approaches to what really isn’t a proportionate response to this are fully held accountable.

I am sorry to hear about this.

Do please make use of any counselling and support services that are available.

It is not only young people's mental health that is being affected.

Anyone working in the hospitality industry, or anyone who runs their own business and is affected by the constant rule changes, will also be suffering increased stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, all of which contribute to poor mental health.

Similarly with older people who live on their own, and are prevented from seeing their families by the silly "no household mixing rules", and now can't even go to the pub to meet with other people in certain areas.

Sooner or later, the adverse effects on people's health caused by lockdown are going to become more important than the numbers of new COVID-19 cases (ie the cure will become worse than the disease)

 

[js1000]

Moderator note: posts #1 - #10 originally in this thread:

UK face coverings discussion

As face coverings are now mandatory in most public indoor settings from today in most of the UK, this thread has been set up to continue the general discussion of this issue. thanks

www.railforums.co.uk

Do they consider the impact on mental health, deprivation, loss of hope, loss of livelihoods?

Do they recognise the huge impact on disabled people, especially blind & deaf people?

Their approach to health seems very one dimensional, and seems to be that jobs, livelihoods, mental health can all be tossed aside.

The original poster asks "are COVID restrictions ignoring mental health issues?" Simple answer: absolutely.

As an aside to this, I sense students and under 30s are rapidly losing faith and which has led to a large spike in cases. They feel they are being used as "collateral" in terms of unemployment to protect those from an illness in which the average of death is 82! I feel this indifference is slowly spreading to those in their 30s and 40s who now seeing the damage this is doing to jobs, mental health, relationships and friendships.

We need to continue on a path of "managing" this virus and letting it move through the population but without overwhelming the health service. I don't understand the calls for another lockdown. The last one didn't work so another one won't either. In many senses that lockdown was to simply "buy time" to get PPE in, identify treatments etc in readiness for the next wave.

 

[crablab]

I feel this indifference is slowly spreading to those in their 30s and 40s who now seeing the damage this is doing to jobs, mental health, relationships and friendships.

I think that's correct. Those who are younger and don't have existing medical conditions are less at risk (note: not no risk) and for them they're either losing their livlihood and a normal life, or risking the chance of getting a virus which will be nasty but probably won't kill them. I think the balance is tipping.

 

[SteveM70]

But what is non-medical about mental health concerns?

They aren't directly medical - they come later, after failed businesses etc.

You seem to be overlooking the large number of people with pre-existing mental health issues - it isn’t just about those who develop them for the first time from a Covid-related trigger.

I’ve lived with depression for my entire adult life, and since lockdown began I’ve felt worse, more often. A lot of this is I think due to isolation, and no amount of teams/zoom calls can make up for the face to face interaction I got at work. And I’m one of the lucky ones, with an otherwise stable life (eg my job isn’t at risk), and medication that deals with some of my illness without creating other issues elsewhere.

But do I think the government even considers this? Absolutely not. As Boycie once said to Del Boy, “to be perfectly honest Derek I couldn’t give a monkey’s toss”

 

[bramling]

I think that's correct. Those who are younger and don't have existing medical conditions are less at risk (note: not no risk) and for them they're either losing their livlihood and a normal life, or risking the chance of getting a virus which will be nasty but probably won't kill them. I think the balance is tipping.

And watch this tipping happen even faster now the weather is colder / greyer / wetter - especially in the south-east.