How has the pandemic affected those with mental illness?

As a clinical psychologist that I am, when the government decreed the state of alarm on March 14, my thoughts went to people suffering from one (or in some cases, several) mental illnesses. How could they handle themselves in this situation?

Just as people with pre-existing physical illnesses are more likely to become physically ill from the coronavirus, people whose mental health is compromised are also at higher risk of experience worsening mental illness from coronavirus.

No matter what mental illness they suffer from, we can predict that there will be a worsening of this.

Mental illness and anxiety

Anxiety has been very present in all of us during this COVID-19 crisis. It is understandable and people are expected to experience worry and stress right now.

However, for people living with mental health problems, this anxiety can have a much bigger impact, and as I said before, it can mean a worsening of the mental illness they already suffered.

On the other hand, now that we are in the early stages of de-escalation and that we can go out with restrictions, many patients I see in consultation are having enormous difficulties.

The vast majority of society is complying with the measures, however, there is a small percentage that does not comply with them. This has a very big impact for people with a mental illness..

I have patients who are afraid to go out on the street, because they are terrified of encountering a crowd of people who will not let them pass or are afraid that someone will approach them and breach the distance.

Have we ever stopped to think how a person feels with a Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) related to the fear of catching a virus in this situation?

Perhaps he dares to go out into the street, but if someone approaches him, he can have an anxiety attack or you can go home and not want to go out on the street for a long time.

Mental illness relegated to the background, once again

Not without some pain, I observe how in this COVID-19 crisis, mental illnesses, especially the most serious ones, take a back seat.

We are constantly hearing the message that COVID-19 is changing everything. And in many cases, it is. However, in other situations I believe that COVID-19 is simply accentuating pre-existing trends. This is so in the case of serious mental illness.

There have been countless expert interviews and opinion columns on the effects of lockdown on people's mental health. But, as far as I know, there has been very little space devoted to talking about the state of people with serious mental illness..

Moreover, on several occasions different media have contacted me to conduct interviews talking about the coronavirus and the psychological problems what can cause.

In each and every one of these interviews, I have emphasized the people who already had psychological difficulties before the pandemic and how it will affect them.

Unfortunately, none of the articles mentioned these words that I emphasized so much. As I said, this abandonment of serious mental illnesses had already been taking place since before the coronavirus, but now in this delicate situation it is becoming more evident.

In the same way, I can appreciate this lack of interest in caring for people with mental illnesses in that the measures that have been taken to reduce the risks of spread (such as the use of masks, gloves, screens, plastics to cover the furniture ... ) we have taken them without realizing that they can be threatening for these patients.

Imagine how a person who suffers will feel in this environment paranoid schizophrenia. I am not saying that in these cases we should stop using such measures, but rather that what I intend is to emphasize that we have not even stopped to think about how this situation may affect them..

There is also a lot of talk about the importance of developing studies to know the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the mental health of the population.

I hope and wish that there is specific research studying the impact of COVID-19 on people with mental illness. Of course, the effects of this crisis on the mental health of the general population will be profound and long-lasting, and deserve serious attention. But, they cannot be the exclusive focus of the conversation. There has to be a space for mental illness.

A few last words

Finally, I want to end this article by telling you that I am well aware that most people who suffer from a mental illness are going to get ahead, and I also know that once again they are going to give us a lesson in courage and they are going to teach us to fight against adversity.

However, there is another sad reality in which some people will not be able to get ahead or that if they do, they will do it at a very high cost..

Through this little article I have wanted highlight a reality that many people are living. We must bear in mind that not all people are willing to go out, go to bars or interact with other people. Mental illness is part of our society and people who suffer from it should have a place in it.

If after the pandemic ends we want to build fairer societies, we must learn to prioritize people's needs living with severe mental problems.