Mental Health – Loneliness

‘IT IS A PARALLEL PANDEMIC’: WHAT LONELINESS DOES TO OUR MENTAL HEALTH 

By Madison Wong

Countless studies have highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected people’s mental health, whether they’re youth or adults. Loneliness in particular has changed how we socialize throughout the day and some experts say people may continue to struggle post-pandemic.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), long before the pandemic, loneliness was considered a growing public health problem, even labelled an epidemic.

Rebecca Shields, the CEO of the organization’s York Region and South Simcoe chapter, says episodic loneliness is something everyone experiences. But when it comes to chronic loneliness, Shields says it is cumulative and can have a dramatic effect on people. Some research has revealed chronic loneliness has the same physical impacts on one’s body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. There’s no one way that people experience it, but you can see that their immune system is depleted and the stress can cause sleeplessness. Chronic loneliness can also impact eating patterns, metabolism and increase mental health risk factors. Many Canadians experience chronic loneliness, including those from marginalized communities, people living alone, seniors, students and youth.

Dr. Shimi Kang, a psychiatrist from Vancouver always tells people social isolation is a form of human torture. It predictably leads to anxiety, depression and eventually even psychosis and suicidal thoughts. Thankfully, the human brain is resilient. If we do those things you’ve all heard a million times: self-care routine; regular sleep, exercise; outdoor time in nature… all of those things are natural antidepressants, they’re brain boosters and they can help us through this pandemic and beyond.

According to the CMHA, ways to cope with loneliness include avoiding comparing yourself to others; giving yourself time, especially when dealing with big life changes or transitions; finding ways to take advantage of time alone, like pursuing a new hobby; and working on your own social connections.  While helping others may be difficult during the pandemic, there are still lots of ways people can help others, like reaching out to people via Zoom or a phone call. Or it can be something even simpler like shovelling a neighbour’s driveway.

But for some, reaching out for help is also needed. CMHA offers free, over-the-phone support for people with mild to moderate depression, anxiety, stress and worry. Additionally, family doctors can also connect people with the right support.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.

Crisis Services Canada’s toll-free helpline provides 24-7 support at 1-833-456-4566.

Kids Help Phone operates a toll-free helpline at 1-800-668-6868 with 24-7 support for young people as well as the Crisis Text Line, which can be reached by texting HOME to 686868.

For a directory of support services in your area, visit Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention.

Read the original article on https://globalnews.ca/news/7650743/loneliness-pandemic-mental-health/  | February 27, 2021