Hello, I'm Michelle Tapper with the Latest from Science.
The mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for many years
And experts say stress, anxiety and depression are on the rise.
People are dealing with job losses, isolation
and the fear of themselves or their loved ones catching the virus.
There's never been a greater need for mental health services.
Joining us today is Associate Professor and psychologist Dr Jill Newby
from UNSW in Sydney.
Hi Jill. Thanks for your time today.
Thanks for having me.
Now you've been studying the mental health
impacts on people in Australia since the pandemic began, what has you research shown?
So far we've surveyed over 6,000 people in
the community in Australia, especially in the peak of the pandemic, and what we're doing
is we're following them over time to look at how the pandemic impacts their mental health.
But so far we've found that three in four people say their mental health has been worse
since the pandemic has started. And we're also seeing high rates of stress, anxiety,
depressive symptoms, and also higher rates of alcohol use than we would normally expect.
So what sort of problems are people dealing
with and how severe are the mental health issues?
There are a range of different problems that
people are experiencing. Some people are experiencing a lot of loneliness because they're socially
isolated. Other people are really worried about their finances, so that's putting a
lot of pressure on themselves and their families. Other people are feeling stressed and generally
anxious. I mean, some people are really worried about contracting the illness or spreading
it to other people. So there are a range of different problems that people are experiencing
and they can differ in severity. So particularly for people with preexisting mental health
conditions, we're seeing more severe symptoms that they're experiencing, so more severe
depression, more severe anxiety and stress levels.
Obviously people have a lot of things that
they're worrying about right now, but I think one of the biggest issues is just this ongoing
uncertainty about basically everything. Do you have any advice on how to handle that?
Uncertainty is a really tricky one, and we're
notoriously bad at tolerating the unknowns, and for a lot of people that uncertainty is
causing a lot of stress and it has through this whole pandemic. So I think the first
thing is reminding yourself that it's normal and that it's okay to feel like that, it doesn't
mean that there's anything wrong with you to feel really uncertain or more stressed
or anxious than normal. The second strategy or suggestion that I would have is to remember
that there probably other times that you've had to cope with anxiety, or cope with uncertain
times, so you use those coping strategies now. And then the third thing that I would
suggest is making sure you're talking to other people. Share those worries and those concerns
and those uncertainties with other people, because when you talk to other people and
get support you need, that can actually ease the anxiety and the worry for you.
So what if you're feeling high levels of stress
or anxiety during the day? Are there any quick tips to get you through, like breathing or
being in the moment? If you've got any advice?
The most important thing is that it's sort
of the little things that we do each day that can make a big difference to our levels of
stress or anxiety. So I think it's really important for you to learn what makes your
anxiety worse and what makes it better, and then put more things into your day that make
it better. So there are things that we know that universally help with mental health and
ease that anxiety and stress. So if you make sure that you're getting enough sleep and
prioritising the sleep that you're getting, because that can make a huge impact to how
emotional you're feeling. The second thing is physical activity, even small amounts of
physical activity and exercise can make a huge difference to stress and anxiety. Seeking
social support and social connection can make a huge difference. And making sure you're
doing things each day that you find fun or enjoyable or that you do find relaxing and
take your mind off your worries. All of those things can make a huge difference to those
stress levels and the anxiety levels as well.
So try to find a piece of joy in every day,
no matter how small it is.
Yeah, that's right. And I think the other
thing is if you know there are things that make the anxiety worse, then try to figure
out ways that you can cut them out. So we know that consuming a lot of media, being
on social media a lot and reading a lot of news stories that are really alarming and
scary can feed the anxiety. So things like cutting down, or limiting the amount of media
exposure you're getting can make a big difference to the anxiety as well.
So what if you're feeling overwhelmed or you
know someone else that's overwhelmed or your kids can't cope, what should you do then?
There are a few things you can do when you're
feeling overwhelmed. Like the uncertainty, knowing that it's normal and it's okay to
feel like that and not being too hard on yourself if you are feeling overwhelmed. One thing
that we can do is try and ease the expectations and the pressures we're putting on ourselves,
because that can help ease that feeling to some extent. The second thing to do is break
those things up and tackle them step by step. So if you're struggling with a lot of different
things that you're coping with at the moment, even writing them down, tackling each problem
one at a time and breaking them up into smaller steps can make them feel more manageable.
Sharing your problems with other people can help you feel less overwhelmed. And getting
the right support, getting professional support, if you're finding that those little things
aren't working as well as you want
And what types of professional support are
available to people to get help if they feeling that way.
We're in a bit of a unique situation in that
some of the social distancing restrictions are easing, some of them are sort of staying
the same at the moment, so we need different ways of accessing mental health care. So there
are three main ways that we can access mental health care. The first way is online programmes,
using an online programme to teach you about anxiety or stress or depression, and it will
teach you self-management skills that can help you manage those symptoms. The second
way is psychological therapy or counselling. And then the third thing is medications, there
are some medications that help with mental health. What we usually suggest is going to
your GP as a first step, because your GP will know and will be able to help you sort of
navigate the different options and tailor the suggestions to you and what you need,
or what your family member needs if it's your family member who's struggling. But if you're
not comfortable going to the GP, then you can also go to reputable resources, like the
Black Dog Institute website or Beyond Blue, and they will have a list of helpful online
programmes that you might be able to do yourself.
The important thing to remember or to know
at the moment is that when you go to your GP, they can set you up with what's called
a Medicare "Mental Health Plan" and then you can get a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist,
and those sessions, when they're done by telehealth, are free. It's really important to get help
at the moment, it will be free and you can access it in your own home, in your own time.
Jill, that is great advice because obviously
there is a long road ahead for all of us, and taking care of our mental health and those
around us and the people we love, our friends and our family is a priority at the moment.
Thank you so much for your time and for sharing that great advice with us.
You're welcome.
I'm Michelle Tapper, see you soon.