Covid 19 pandemic has greatly influenced the mental health of the general population resulting in the development of stress and anxiety.Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper highlighting this problem and suggest some ways to overcome the problem.You are Pritika/ Pratap living at H 19 Dayal Bag colony,New Delhi.
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Answer:
Introduction
The current coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic not only poses a large threat to the physical health of our population, if we fail to act now, it will also have detrimental long-term consequences for mental health.
Though social distancing is a crucial intervention to slow down the destructive effects of the pandemic, it can lead to isolation, decreased physical activity, and increased rumination, which might particularly hurt those with pre-existing mental illness. Further, the stream of disheartening COVID-19 news provides fodder for increased worry and distress, which can be detrimental for people with anxiety disorders. Early cross-sectional surveys in the United States, Canada, and Europe show an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety for the general population, associated with COVID-19 concerns (1). Thus, this crisis is exacerbating existing mental health conditions and creating conditions for the development of new ones. Further, if lessons from other outbreaks such as Ebola (2) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) (3) are any indication, even after an outbreak is controlled, there will likely be a substantial increase in need for psychological support.