The coronavirus outbreak has led many people who may have never experienced any periods of poor mental health previously to feel worried, sad, overwhelmed, stressed or helpless.
Although exact figures of those who have accessed support for their mental health during Covid-19 are not available as yet, anecdotally, from listening to family and friends as well as colleagues in the profession of wellbeing support, it would be fair to say that a huge impact has been felt by many.
This situation isn’t going away overnight and living through it can be overwhelming. As we know, some people cope well during stressful times, whilst others are more vulnerable for many reasons. However, everyone has a limit where the pressure becomes overwhelming if it goes on for too long with no release. This is when stress could lead to declining mental health and possibly anxiety or depression.
If someone has never had a mental health problem before they may think how they feel is just something they must put up with or hide, and life can become very dark and lonely for them. This is why mental health awareness-raising is so vitally important; to enable people to recognise signs that they may be developing a mental illness and know that they need to reach out and ask for help. From another perspective, we may need to be the person who notices that a friend, family member or colleague is struggling, and we may need to have the courage to ask if they are ok and to listen with empathy if they disclose a problem.
Depression has many signs and symptoms, and we are all different, so no two people may present the same. However, if we experience these symptoms which make us feel low and depressed for two weeks or more it can be a sign we need to see our G.P. so they can assess us to see if we are depressed.
Some symptoms include:
- Lack of interest in things they used to look forward to
- Behaving or appearing in a way that is unusual to how they presented normally
- Struggling to concentrate, make decisions or remember things
- Overeating or no appetite
- Feeling down or hopeless
- Thoughts of suicide
Some tips that you could use to help someone who you think may be depressed are:
- Tell them you are there for them and want to help.
- Listen to them non-judgementally at a time and place they are comfortable with.
- Ask them what they are feeling and what they think may help.
- Tell them that mental health problems are experienced by many; they are not alone and there is lots of help available.
- Support them to contact their G.P. for an appointment to assess their mental health.
- Gently encourage them to look after their physical wellbeing. Even though this is hard – even a short walk can lift the mood and distract from negative thoughts.
- Ask how they would like you to keep in touch, via text, phone, email, or face-to-face.
- Ensure they have numbers for crisis services if things feel worse during the night.
- Make sure you get some support yourself, as helping someone who is struggling with their mental health can take its toll and you need to take care of your wellbeing too.
If you would like further information on how to access mental health training for your workforce or for managers and directors, either face-to-face or via our interactive webinars, please contact us.