On 11 March 2020, COVID-19 was classified by the World Health Organization as a pandemic. Many nations have taken drastic steps to stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including placing entire towns under mass quarantine and putting thousands of people under lockdown. Pandemics are known to have psychological effects in addition to biological and societal ones. As a result, the potential benefits of imposing widespread quarantine must carefully weigh against the possible psychological effects. In the first half-year, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected most individuals’ lives on the planet. It’s the first genuinely worldwide epidemic in modern history, and we’ve all been forced to deal with its consequences, personally and collectively.
To deal with this pandemic collectively, many schools offer online classes to students coping with mental illness and OCD. IsBerne Online, Online Middle School, provides online courses to students; who are homeschooling and want to collaborate with teachers and fellow students. Our platform allows you to get your high school graduation from anywhere in the globe while benefiting from a familiar academic framework and a close-knit community. Our teacher-led programs provide students with a world-class educational experience to help them achieve their full potential as they prepare for university and beyond.
COVID-19’s detrimental social impacts have been magnified in many situations when viewed through the eyes of people with mental health disabilities throughout the world.
Some vulnerable groups may be more susceptible to infection and may suffer more negative consequences due to the virus and the procedure. Understanding the impact of the outbreak on people with mental illnesses homeschooling online makes it necessary to safeguard these people, who are a vulnerable group, and provide them with the health care they require.
The COVID-19 outbreak brings on fear and worry. Isolation and quarantine, and other preventative measures can cause patients to experience dread, anxiety, and uncertainty, increasing the risk of stress-related illnesses and exacerbating pre-existing mental disorders. COVID-19 outbreaks have a significant impact on those with mental health issues, leading to relapse and worsening their condition. When compared to the general population, those with mental illnesses are more susceptible to stress. Stigmatization, a lack of physical health treatment, low household income, poor lifestyle characteristics, home instability, and limited social networks are only a few of the variables that disproportionately affect individuals with severe mental illness. Sanctions like lockdown, no-contact, and isolation may exacerbate stress and mental illness in this group. Posttraumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger were all reported in the majority of disaster-related quarantine studies. Access to mental health services is only one element that determines one’s mental health; nonetheless, these are essential for mental illness. Many providers reported difficulty in fulfilling the growing demand before the pandemic. And the lockdown is adding to the strain, which is expected to worsen in the future. There are concerns that individuals may stay away until they are in a crisis, resulting in a deluge of aggravated and untreated mental illnesses following the pandemic. Mental health practitioners are already reporting significant increases in demand and severity of new referrals. According to the charity Mind, over a quarter of those who attempted to access mental health services during a fortnight in April were unsuccessful.
People with OCD suffer from various symptoms, ranging from compulsive concerns of germs and contamination to unwanted and unpleasant intrusive thoughts of harming a loved one, maybe brutally or sexually. For people suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, the current worldwide public health crisis around coronavirus (COVID-19) has raised a slew of new concerns. This is a list of some of the most common issues raised by users:
- Fears about contamination lead to more washing and cleaning.
- Irritable worries of infecting loved ones or the elderly
- Obsessions that are harmful to one’s health, such as “Have I been careless?” Is this to imply that I secretly wish for people to die?’
- Anxiety over one’s health has increased, as has concerns about being more susceptible.
- Fears of not being able to exercise for mental health if you are isolated
It’s essential to note that all of the above are common issues that generate worry in many individuals, including those who don’t have OCD; nevertheless, for those who do have OCD, daily worries can bring additional anxiety and pain.
In reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, several institutions and health care systems reduced regular medical treatments and ordered non-essential personnel to work from home. The resulting imbalance in daily medical treatment is likely to disadvantage already marginalized patients, such as those with severe mental illness and patients with OCD. They require constant inpatient and outpatient care to sustain treatment success and decrease the likelihood of emergencies. The dreaded mental health pandemic must be prevented at all costs.
