COVID-19 AND OUR MENTAL HEALTH

 WHAT IS COVID? 

Corona virus is a large family of viruses that causes illness ranges from cold to other deadly diseases. A novel corona virus is a new strain of corona virus that was not identified in humans before.

CORONA VIRUS OUTBREAK :

On December 2019 WHO was informed of pneumonia of unknown cause  in Wuhan, city of China. Later on it was temporarily known as covid-19 by the authorities. Then this virus spread too fast in the whole world as a deadly pandemic. The major reason was that its treatment was unknown and there was no vaccine known for this deadly virus. 

This outbreak causes too much damage not in the city where it outbroke but in the whole world. Almost every nation, every country, every city, every town has its strain. And it is causing mostly to under developing or developing nations .   

MAJOR EFFECTS OF THIS WORLD

According to all the updates and information collected from the whole world we concluded that covid affected the whole world in all aspects. Here we will took a glance of few major effects of this novel virus and top most will be  effect on our mental health.

EFFECTS OF CORONA VIRUS ON A NATION

Each nation got affected by this virus. As no treatment and vaccine was available for this virus. It is far more than a health crisis; it is affecting societies and economies at their core., it will most likely to

cause poverty and inequality at a global scale.

Although, the effect of this virus may vary from nation to nation according their social and economical resources. It affected the whole nation socially, economically, physically and mentally. Their economy collapsed, they loose their social life, physically they became very weak and mentally very down.

EFFECT ON ECONOMY 

To decrease the spread of this deadly virus, higher authorities decided the implement of lockdown. This lockdown affected the economy of a nation  as a whole. There was a great economy decline. It was a strict lockdown, that affected the import an d export on which the economy of a nation depends. As a result their economy collapsed. They became economically very weak. 

EFFECT ON SOCIAL LIFE

As a result of pandemic, deep inequalities have been exacerbated around the world leading to unemployment and food insecurity amongst the poor countries. However, it is just a beginning as the political, economic and social impact is still unfolding.

This pandemic lead to an increase in poverty, homelessness, unemployment, depression, anxiety and many more. 

EFFECT OF CORONA VIRUS ON MENTAL HEALTH

Mentally, it affected all the human beings. All the negative impacts of covid has a combine effect on the metal health of human being. The major problems that covid has caused are depression, anxiety, negative and suicidal thoughts, bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering conditions or exacerbating ones. Many people may be facing increased level of drugs, alcohol and insomnia. As the pandemic wears on, ongoing and necessary public health measures expose many people to experiencing situations linked to poor mental health outcomes, such as isolation and job loss.

  Meanwhile, COVID-19 itself can lead to neurological and mental complications, such as delirium, agitation and stroke. People with pre-existing mental, neurological or substance use disorders are also more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection, they may stand at a higher risk of severe outcomes and even death. 

The major effect of covid-19 is STRESS that causes the following disorders :

*feeling of fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness or frustration

*changes in appetite, energy, desires and interests

*difficulty concentrating and making decisions 

*difficulty sleeping or night mares

*physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems and skin rashes

*worsening of chronic health problems 

*worsening of mental health condition

*increased use of tobacco, alcohol and other substances

*HOW TO COPEUP WITH STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH DURING COVID-19 OR ANY PANDEMIC OUTBREAK?

 Following are some practices that anyone can follow to maintain mental health

*take care of your body

*exercise regularly

*get plenty of sleep

*stay positive

*avoid excessive alcohol, tobacco and substance use

*continue with routine preventive measures (such as vaccination, cancer screenings and etc) as recommended by your health care provider

*get vaccinated by covid-19 vaccination when available

*adopt healthy activities

*make time to unwind

*connect with others

*connect with your community or faith based organization

DEFFICIENCY IN MENTAL HEALTH; DEMENTIA

 A collective term used to describes various symptoms associated with the mental health is called dementia such as forgetfulness. Its not a single disease but a general terms used to describe symptoms of impairment in memory, communication and thinking. 

FORMS OF DEMENTIA

Dementia is associated with many forms that are progressive with time. These are 

⇾ vascular dementia

⇾ dementia with lewy bodies

⇾frontotemporal dementia

All the symptoms of these forms of dementia get worsen over time.

STAGES OF DEMENTIA

As dementia is followed by many symptoms of other diseases, it progresses in many stages.

⇾STAGE 1 TO 3 ( NO DEMENTIA)

STAGE 1

Stage 1 is associated with no signs and symptoms of dementia. Person works normally as there is no mental disorder or any kind of mental illness. People diagnosed with dementia with no signs and symptoms are associated with no dementia stage but it can be worse as it progresses.

STAGE 2

As the condition progresses little bit, patient enters into stage 2 of dementia that is also known as very mild cognitive decline. In this stage, a person is observed with normal forgetfulness that is often mistakenly observed as major sign and symptoms for aging. So it is difficult to understand and diagnose the early stages of dementia by the loved ones, caretakers and professional doctors of the patient. In this early stage caretaker is about to finding a balance between independence and assistance.

STAGE 3

The last stage in this category is mild cognitive decline. At this stage, care takers and loved ones are able to diagnose early sign and symptoms as this stage is followed by increased forgetfulness and decreased performance in working and difficulty in speech and communication .This stage is also known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). It is very important to take a notice on sign and symptoms for early diagnosis and intervention.     

SYMPTOMS OF MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

⮿decrease work performance 

⮿increased memory loss

⮿trouble concentrating, problem solving and managing complex tasks

⮿driving difficulties

⮿verbal repetition

STAGE 4: EARLY STAGE DEMENTIA

Early stage dementia has only one stage- stage 4 that is also known as moderate cognitive decline.

Sign and symptoms of this stage are noticeable after 2 years and these cam be detected during any medical interview and exam. Patient in this stage has difficulty concentrating on their tasks, forget things and recent events, and will have difficulty managing finances and travelling alone to new places. Patient also faces socializing and withdrawing with friends and family. A caretaker or any loved one must engage himself to the person facing this stage of dementia.

SYMPTOMS OF EARLY STAGE DEMENTIA

⮿misplacing items

⮿forgetting recent conservation and events 

⮿struggling to find a right word in conservation

⮿losing track of the day, date or time

⮿trouble remembering names when meeting with new people 

⮿increased trouble planning or organizing

STAGE 5-6 MILD STAGE DIMENTIA

Mild stage dementia is comprised of two stages, stage 5 moderately severe cognitive dementia and stage 6 severe cognitive decline or middle dementia.

STAGE 5

This stage of dementia needs a complete assistance of normal person. In mid stage dementia sign and symptoms are more clear that includes lost of memory, forgetfulness and confusion in conversation and daily life activities.

STAGE 6

In this stage of dementia, patient start forgetting the names of his loved ones and near and near and dear ones and start forgetting about recent events. Communication is severely disabled and delusion, compulsions and anxiety is more common.

SYMPTOMS OF MD STAGE DEMENTIA

⮿problem sleeping that is confusion between day and night

⮿behavior problem that is behaving inappropriately in social setting 

⮿wandering and becoming lost

⮿difficulty with perception

⮿delusions and/or hallucination

⮿increased aggression and irritability

⮿inability to recall personal history, address and phone number

⮿changes in sleep pattern may begin

STAGE 7 LATE STAGE DEMENTIA

The final stage of dementia includes only one stage. Stage 7, very severe cognitive decline lasts for 2.5 years. In this stage person has usually no ability to talk and communicate and requires assistance with most activities, including walking. In this stage patient is totally dependent on others. Caregivers will focus mostly on providing comfort and quality of life. 

SYMPTOMS OF LATE-STAGE DEMENTIA 

⮿difficulty eating and swallowing 

⮿considerable changes in weight both in terms of gaining and loosing 

⮿incontinence

⮿gradual loss of speech

⮿restlessness 

⮿angry outbursts due to confusion

⮿increasingly vulnerable to infections, especially pneumonia

Well signs and symptoms may vary from person to person based on age, physical health and etc.

PRECAUTIONS MUST FOLLOWED FOR A DEMENTIA PATIENT 

FOOD

Lessen the use of

⇾red meat

⇾butter and margarine

⇾cheese

⇾pastries

⇾fried and fast food

EMOTIONAL HELP

⇾stay connected with the patient

⇾ encourage emotionally 

TREATMENT

HOMECARE

⇾help the person to stay calm

⇾talk to person

⇾make dressing and grooming easier

⇾help with memory loss

⇾manage sleep and behavior problems

⇾encourage activities that are both stimulating and enjoyable

MEDICATION 

⇾cholinesterase inhibitors

⇾memantine

⇾other medication