The Covid-19 pandemic has given way to a mental health crisis that primarily affects vulnerable groups, and governments must develop government policies to counter this, experts said at a virtual meeting recently hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The region will not be able to rebuild itself without full mental well-being, said neuroscientist Facundo Manes, one of the panel participants entitled “Mental Health: The Next Pandemic?”
“The wealth of a country lies in the mental, cognitive and social resources of its citizens. This crisis is a health crisis, but also an economic, moral and ideological crisis, and all of this has an impact on our behavior on an individual and community level, ”said the honorary president and founder of Fundación Ineco.
Manes cited data indicating that fear, anxiety and mental exhaustion are prevalent in the population, and that the four most affected groups are young people, women, the elderly and health professionals.
He recalled that mental health cannot be separated from physical health and that therefore the mental health crisis should be at the center of the debate, as well as the issue of vaccines and the health measures to be taken to live with them. virus.
“If we don’t talk about this, these symptoms, which are temporary, can become chronic. And if they become chronic, it will be another impediment, another obstacle to the social and economic recovery of our region, ”he stated.
Responsibility of Governments
Regarding the government’s responsibility in the face of the mental health crisis triggered by the pandemic, psychologist Fernando Torrente said governments need to think about how to respond to the different levels of problems that will arise.
The professional clarified that there is a global psychological crisis in which there are groups with a higher risk of developing specific mental disorders (as Manes calls, Torrente added people in a more disadvantaged socio-economic situation).
We are more overwhelmed and worried and that leads to us experiencing states of psychological discomfort and in some cases depressive or anxious symptoms, which are the most common, Torrente said. Many of these symptoms are mild and transient, but in a subgroup there are more severe symptoms and these people meet a number of criteria for impairment or pathology.
“Our response must also have a degree,” said the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences at Favaloro University in Argentina.
“When we have a lot of discomfort and stress, it is difficult to present our well-being in groups (…), all of this inevitably translates into the social,” he cautioned.
Fear, resilience and empathy
Fear has spread along with the virus, an emotion that Manes says puts us on the defensive that we can only get out of with information and cooperation.
“It’s a community disease and the way out is community,” insisted the neuroscientist.
But in situations like the present, resilience is also activated in the brain.
“While it may seem like a lie to us because of the pain we are experiencing and the pain and suffering we will still see, many of us and many communities will emerge resiliently,” he said.
Many people will develop empathy and learn that collective wellness is more important than their personal status and success.
However, Manes makes it clear that this depends not only on individuals, but also on how the authorities are dealing with the problem.
“The authorities must communicate transparently and give a certain idea of horizon, of perspective. There are things we can do and there are things the authorities can do, that’s why this is community based, ”said the expert.
Parents
Florencia López Boo, chief economist in IDB’s Department of Social Protection and Health, discussed several studies during her speech that indicate that people with children showed more stress during the pandemic.
These people’s concerns, López Boo said, are mainly related to food, housing and health. Surveys in Latin American countries also showed a huge gap between mothers and fathers: mothers showed a higher level of discomfort. According to López Boo, this was due to the fact that the care for the children mainly fell to women.
The increase in mainly psychological violence complaints and a greater use of physical punishment as a form of discipline were other problems identified in the studies.
Given these data, López Boo said there was a need to “do more to avoid parental stress,” since looking after children and their well-being is taking care of their caregivers and ensuring their mental health.
KNOWING MORE
Attendees.
Facundo Manes, Fernando Torrente and Florencia López Boo discussed the impact of the pandemic on the emotional well-being of the population, especially in vulnerable groups, during the virtual meeting entitled “Mental Health: The Next Pandemic?”