Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world, and its effects go beyond the damage to physical health, affecting the issue of mental balance. The pandemic affects all segments of the population from a cognitive point of view, with more vulnerable people in general being more susceptible to mental trauma due to changes in the world (The impact of COVID-19, 2022). By identifying risk groups and finding weaknesses in state and public health support for the population, it will be possible to reduce the risks to the mental health of Americans associated with a pandemic. To alleviate the strain caused by the pandemic on the mental health of Americans, the state should conduct initiatives to spread awareness and coping strategies to all segments of the population.
Mental Health Challenges for Children
Covid-19, as a stress factor, has affected not only adults but also children, which can inflict trauma on the entire younger generation. Since the beginning of the pandemic, as the researchers point out, the number of visits by parents with their children to doctors for mentally related-reasons has increased significantly (Leeb et al., 2020). The riskiest group is children from 12 to 17 years old, for whom mental problems already existed and were only aggravated by a stress factor in the form of a pandemic (Son et al., 2020). The main psychological issues for adolescents are anxiety associated with the risk of getting sick, difficulties with distance learning, and social isolation from the outside world.
Risks for Individuals with Pre-existing Disorders
The Covid-19 pandemic also poses additional risks for people with pre-existing mental disorders. Having a mental diagnosis increases the risks of illness and associated mortality, especially with disorders such as attention deficit disorder, depression, or schizophrenia (Czeisler, 2020). Ethnic and gender divisions are vital determinants to consider as influencing mental risks, which in turn increase the chance of contracting Covid-19 (Wang et al., 2021). The pandemic and lockdown have also contributed to an increase in drug use by people trying to distract themselves from worries and reduce anxiety (Panchal et al., 2023).
Mental Health Strain on Healthcare Workers
The burden on mental health concerns not only regular people but also medical workers. Stress has increased significantly for this social group due to more working hours (Penninz et al., 2022). An additional complication for mental health is given by the risk of infection that generates paranoia and panic conditions (Bhattacharjee & Acharya, 2020). Finally, the number of tragic cases associated with COVID-19 cannot but cause depression in several health workers.
Strategies for Alleviating Mental Health Strain
To ease the strain on Americans’ mental health caused by the pandemic, the state should allow the medical community to disseminate more valuable information about coping strategies due to the extreme stress of children, adults, and medical practitioners themselves. Coping strategies will help children and adults interact more calmly with COVID-19-related news, focus on positive moods, and regulate their sleep and food to reduce anxiety to the minimum possible.
Supporting Healthcare Professionals
The health community must spread mental balance guidelines for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. The medical community must also combat the stigmatization of healthcare professionals so that they do not feel depressed or alienated and can do their best work. Guidelines can give health professionals advice on visiting therapy groups or counseling psychoanalysts to combat fears of uncertainty or accidentally infecting a family member.
Social Strata
The dissemination of information about mental health should permeate all social classes and ethnic groups. It makes sense to focus on the low-income population, as it has a higher susceptibility to stress and mental illness (Purtle, 2020). This is especially important because of the anxiety caused by many aspects of the daily activities of the poorer segments of the US population, such as the use of public transport or the lack of the Internet to support communication. Particular attention should also be paid to people suffering from drug addictions, as well as warning those who could potentially self-medicate anxiety through substance abuse. In this way, those classes of society whose mental health is under the greatest threat will be affected, which, moreover, can bring the full end of the pandemic closer.
Overcoming Barriers to Information Access
An obstacle to implementing this plan may be restrictions associated with access to the Internet by low-income segments of the population. As a result, these people may be unable to obtain new and valuable information about mental health while in the information bubble (Purtle, 2020). However, it is possible to disseminate such important information through other media channels such as TV or radio. In this way, it will be possible to pay attention to the problem among those segments of the population that most need words of advice.
Bridging the Language Barrier
The language barrier can also act as a barrier to spreading the agenda to counteract the negative impact of the pandemic on mental health. Immigrants and other ethnic and racial minorities represent a population group for which the perception of the English language can be problematic in itself. The solution to this complication can be translating instructions into other languages and using animation and pictograms so that all groups of Americans assimilate information without exception.
Conclusion
Thus, the mental problems caused by the pandemic affect a wide variety of populations. The logical response of the medical community to this would be to prepare and disseminate valuable information about maintaining mental balance, including advice for the general population and minorities. The state should contribute to the maximum in the preparation and dissemination of this information since, in this way, it is possible to reduce the multiple harms of the pandemic and bring the final overcoming of its consequences closer.
References
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Czeisler, M. É., Lane, R. I., Petrosky, E., Wiley, J. F., Christensen, A., Njai, R.,… & Rajaratnam, S. M. (2020). Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic—United States, June 24–30, 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69(32), 1049.
Leeb, R. T., Bitsko, R. H., Radhakrishnan, L., Martinez, P., Njai, R., & Holland, K. M. (2020). Mental health–related emergency department visits among children aged< 18 years during the COVID-19 pandemic—United States. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 69(45), 1675.
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