Isolation due to COVID-19 creating mental health crisis – Cleveland Jewish News

It is no secret the COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of Americans in different ways, both physically and mentally. Unemployment, health and loneliness are just some of the catalysts for the largest mental health crisis the United States has seen. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40% of Americans reported struggles with mental health or drug abuse in June 2020.

Jeff Turrell, founder and medical director at Strive Mental Health in Shaker Heights; and Elissa Poggi, owner of Insight Clinical Trials in Beachwood, said there are ways to cope with loneliness and isolation during the pandemic.

Although Turrell said isolation is one of the key drivers in the mental health crisis, there are other reasons behind it, as well.

I mean, certainly there can be anxiety from having a loss of job from an industry that is not able to be set up for in-person encounters, Turrell said. And that can have its own financial worries and anxiety about the next change or move to find meaningful employment. Or how to change a job into a job that can continue during a pandemic can also be a source of anxiety. It can also be a source of opportunity and can help people think of new ways that they could provide services to people and create values.

Poggi said isolation is simply not natural for humans to deal with, especially on a long-term scale.

Humans need to have interaction with other humans, Poggi said. We are social animals. So when the social connections stop, we are not able to meet those needs that we have. So, in place of that, you start having some despair because of isolation. Its hard to look into your own future when youre sitting at home and disconnected from people you work with, or your friends, or social events. Instead of having those connections, isolation starts giving issues, which arise to depression and anxiety.

Because many people havent needed to go to work or other social obligations over the past year, Turrell said its easy for some people to drift away from their usual self-care habits.

So, when people go out, theyre more likely to take note of their physical appearance and self care, Turrell said. Some people, when putting themselves out into the world, prepare with a lot of good self care. Theres value in that, because it drives them towards their own self care and betterment. At home, if someones not planning on seeing anybody for the day, they may not take care of themselves the way that they normally would, and it can be a downward slope to depression.

What makes the current situation even more challenging is the fact that COVID has made it difficult for those with pre-existing mental health conditions to continue their treatment. In some cases, offices have stopped their appointments or moved them to a virtual setting.

I know it has turned into virtual treatment, but that is difficult for a lot of people to do virtual visits, Poggi said. Especially older adults may not know how to use a computer in the ways to get these virtual meetings set up. A lot of people might also not have access to computers or the internet. Theres a large number of people who dont have those things available to them at home. So that made them disconnect from people.

However, there are still things people can do on their own to limit how much the physical isolation harms their mental or physical health.

Poggi recommends keeping connections open with people, either through the internet or through the telephone. She also said people need to try staying active by exercising.

What I mean by exercise is maybe at least walking around the block, Poggi said. Maybe twice a day. It doesnt have to be where they have to be on a treadmill or gym or anything like that. But whatever communications theyve already established with friends and family, they need to keep those open. A lot of people with depression sometimes start isolating themselves. So they have to push themselves to keep the open communications with people that they know.

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Isolation due to COVID-19 creating mental health crisis - Cleveland Jewish News