Staying happy and healthy, the two most important things people believe we need in the world to be able to create a foundation for success and wellness. Both of these have been pushed to their limit in the past eight months, putting hundreds of thousands of people on edge, wondering if they'll be able to get through this global pandemic that is COVID-19. Mental health has always been something that has impacted the world greatly since the beginning of time. Some find comfort from spending time with family and friends, going out, or even just enjoying the sun and the outdoors. With the virus (COVID-19) becoming drastic causing millions to become ill and many to even pass away, the world ultimately shut down, closing the doors to many establishments, telling everyone to stock up on food and to stay inside for the foreseeable future. Due to COVID-19, mental health is finally getting the attention it has always needed, but there is still more work to do. Mental health needs to be understood and looked at more seriously and more predominantly in the world, as it is one of the biggest obstacles one can have to overcome.
Coping with stress, depression, and anxiety is one of the best things a human can do to try to stay happy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during late June anxiety and depression symptoms and mental behavior increased by 30.9% (Czeisler) , this only shows a small amount of importance that being able to travel, see loved ones, and even just walk down the street can help one's mental health. The freedom to enjoy the outside world was arguably stripped away from everyone not only in the U.S but across the globe due to COVID-19. Staying mentally happy was something that teenagers and young adults always tossed around. Younger adults have tendencies to argue with themselves over their happiness and wellbeing almost as if it is something that isn't important to them. Over the time of lockdown, many young adults and teens realized that the ability to see their friends were no longer there, this made many people feel very alone as if there was no one that could understand them or to sit and chat with them.
One thing that the COVID-19 lockdown did to families brought them together more than ever. Some would excel and some were destined to fail and fall apart. Consider a newly married couple, one that has been together for no more than six months. Each partner has a full-time job and the only time they spend together is in the evening and early in the morning. Once COVID-19 was labeled as a global pandemic and it was said that everyone must stay home to remain safe, each partner is no longer working and they now spend every moment of every day together. Divorce rates of couples in situations just like this one are at 20% in 2020 while they were 11% in 2019. Those were only newly-wed couples that have been married for up to five months or less. Couples that have been together for years have increased by 34% as well as the hotline for domestic violence/abuse being used 9% more in 2020 as well due to couples reaching their "breaking point" (Brownwell). This is a prime example of how COVID-19 has affected people mentally singularly and when they are with someone who should be known to help them handle their problems.
Coping with the loss of a loved one is something that no one can prepare for. As of October 15, COVID-19 has caused over 216,000 deaths in the United States alone (Rossen). Having to deal with death is some of the most severe pain someone could deal with mentally. At the time of COVID-19, if someone's family member passed, they could not go see them or the family that may reside with them to provide comfort. During the time of lockdown, the use of technology and video chatting sky-rocketed due to people grasping for a way to see the ones they love. Throughout 2020, many people have lost loved ones and have had no way to go to a funeral, see a burial, or even talk to the ones that help them cope.
Although mental health during COVID-19 has been very heart-wrenching, there have been positive factors. One way many young adults coped throughout sadness and tough times even before COVID-19 were video games. Since video games were first created, there has been a huge obsession and addiction to video games and how they've impacted young adults with coping. The video game company Nintendo, responsible for the creation of very famous games such as "Mario" released a game on March 20th, 2020 called "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" (Rosen). This video game was made for the Nintendo Switch and blew up immediately. This game featured things such as creating a house, becoming friends with others on your island and even playing with your friends and family. With the release of "Animal Crossing: New Horizons," the world was finally seeing something positive while everyone was stuck inside, having nothing to do.
Some of the biggest addictions that humans fall servants too aren't only video games, the biggest addictions fall under drugs and alcohol. Men and women all over the world turn to substance abuse for a solution, only to find that it is temporary and runs out quickly. In 2020, alcohol abuse has been increased by 88%, marijuana abuse by 37%, and prescription opioids by 15% (Czeisler). The abuse of drugs and alcohol has obviously been predominant in the livelihood of Americans but it is something that has increased almost just as much as depression and anxiety rates. Most people consider that if someone is an alcoholic to be dealing with something greater internally, this isn't factually true but it is very common, as it is the same for young adults who abuse drugs such as marijuana. Substance abuse isn't something that is going to be easy to solve just as mental health is, both are very sensitive topics and someone that may suffer from one or both issues may be afraid to talk to anyone other than specific friends or family, which due to the COVID-19 outbreak, was no longer possible.
Mental health is one of the most overlooked aspects of ways one can become hurt and start struggling throughout life. There are ways to cope but in some circumstances there is nothing better than being around the ones you love, knowing that one is safe. Aspects of life have been viewed differently since the outbreak of COVID-19 and life hasn't been the same since. There is no way to overcome the ability to never feel something such as sadness and there isn't a definite way to prepare for something that is mentally draining. The only way the world knows how to overcome sadness is to fill oneself with laughter and joy, but even that was stripped away from the world. Mental health should be looked at more and keeping track of friends and family should be a priority of many, as just asking if someone is okay could save their life.
Works Cited
Brownwell, T. W. (n.d.). Divorce Rates and COVID-19. Retrieved November 13, 2020, from https://www.natlawreview.com/article/divorce-rates-and-covid-19
Czeisler MÉ , Lane RI, Petrosky E, et al. Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 24–30, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1049–1057. DOI:
Rossen, Lauren M., et al. "Excess Deaths Associated with COVID-19, by Age and Race and Ethnicity - United States, January 26-October 3, 2020." MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 69, no. 42, Oct. 2020, pp. 1522–1527.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6942e2.
Rosen, Nicole. "Animal Crossing: New Horizons." University Wire, Apr 19, 2020. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2391600258?accountid=26722.
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COVID-19 & Mental Health
Non-FictionThis is a paper I wrote in English 101 and I thought that someone might like to see it... I understand that it isn't perfect, it was a rough draft.
