Mental Health
“Depressed puma?” by Tambako the Jaguar is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Why we selected this topic
Our group selected this topic because mental health is an important issue to cover, whether it be in a pandemic or some other catastrophic event. 450 million people currently suffer from a mental illness, according to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) (Stasha). Especially after the outbreak of COVID-19 in the world, monitoring and treating mental health issues has become even more crucial to your health. Your wellbeing is your base code, so if it is corrupted (for example, by some kind of stressor), your cognition will be negatively impacted, and subsequently, your overall ability to concentrate, understand differing situations, and interact with others will be affected. In other words, Thus, it is imperative that this topic be brought to the foreground.
Why this topic is significant
The topic of mental health is extremely important to a person’s wellbeing, and it can affect the overall state of the public’s health, too. It’s been proven that stress, among other factors, can negatively impact someone’s mental and even physical health; for example, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders can all result from stressful environmental factors (commonly referred to as stressors). As COVID-19 is a new pandemic and has generated a large amount of hysteria and stress as a result of the loss of jobs caused by the virus, and the forced modifications to everyday life, the overall state of much of the public’s health has deteriorated, which has led to increased depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, and many other negative symptoms, particularly among adolescences and the working class. Being able to appropriately respond to a life-altering stimulus like COVID-19 will enable individuals to better control their responses to the stimulus, often in a healthier manner. This is an important aspect of mental health, which is covered in the following chapters. In addition, poor mental health can cause people to make more mistakes when working on important job tasks, which can be detrimental to the overall quality of the work, and can even lead to layoffs or other life obstacles. COVID-19 is a new threat to mental health, and in order to deter any possible mental health issues, we must be well equipped with the knowledge necessary to fight it.
How our chapters relate to this larger topic
Each of our chapters relate to the theme of mental health. Included in the chapters are in-depth statistics on the COVID-19 pandemic, including its mortality rate and change over time. Additionally, many real-life stories are included that shed light on the physiological affects of the COVID-19 virus, and several journal entries covering mental health are referenced, too, which is among the lesser talked about topics surrounding. COVID-19. Furthermore, the influence of COVID-19-related hysteria is discussed—a major stress factor that often leads to panic, and therefore, increased anxiety and depression. The mental health of many individuals, particularly adolescences, has been tested throughout 2020 as they battle the virus and the responsibilities of school, work, and home life.
References
Stasha, “24+ Mental Health Statistics You Should Know.” PolicyAdvice, 14 Jan. 2021, https://policyadvice.net/insurance/insights/mental-health-statistics/.
