What You Should Know About Crisis-Related Mental Health in 2023
The coronavirus pandemic has been altering the world in unexpected ways. Shifting to remote work, sheltering in place, and social distancing have impacted virtually everyone’s mental health. As a result, levels of stress, anxiety, and depression have been increasing at alarming rates.
Understanding how an individual’s mental health and environmental factors affect their physical health is important. As a healthcare professional, this helps you provide increased support for your clients.
Discover aspects of mental health issues that may impact your clients in 2023 and how you can effectively provide support.
Skyrocketing Mental Health Claims
The pandemic caused stark increases in demand for mental health support. For instance, many healthcare providers conducted substantially more virtual mental health visits than before the pandemic. Also, many health insurance companies had significant increases in mental health claims between 2020 and 2022.
A higher number of employers requested access to mental health resources for their employees in the past 2 years. Also, many employers reported mental health challenges to their healthcare insurance providers. This shows that mental health support, especially in virtual formats, will continue to be essential for employers to provide for their employees.
Effects of Mental Health on Physical Health
Mental health plays a key role in an individual’s physical health. For instance, experiencing depression increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other long-lasting conditions. Also, experiencing a chronic health problem increases the risk of mental illness.
The increased isolation and loneliness that most people experienced due to the coronavirus likely exacerbated their mental health issues. For instance, the restrictions on going out and the overwhelmed healthcare system forced many individuals to put off seeking mental health support. This contributed to poorly managed or undiagnosed health conditions. As a result, many people turned to self-medication and other unhealthy habits.
As a result, people should be encouraged to seek support for their mental health as they do for their physical health. Asking for help is a sign of strength. Also, gaining the necessary support increases an individual’s quality of life. This makes dealing with issues more manageable.
Isolation and Loneliness Among Employees
Employees who switched from onsite to remote work during the pandemic lost many social connections. These employees no longer experienced in-person conversations and shared meals. Instead, they worked alone from their homes.
Phone calls, emails, videoconferencing, messaging apps, and other means of communication did little to alleviate employee feelings of isolation. The cancellation of gatherings with family, friends, and coworkers did not help either.
Many employees experienced increasing stress from handling childcare and schooling concerns, work interruptions from household members, and other family-related issues. As a result, significant numbers of employees are seeking support groups, therapy, and other resources to improve their mental health. These resources help employees cope with their stressors to maintain productivity.
Is It Time to Find a New Job?
If you have been overwhelmed by work during the pandemic, finding a new job may help. Call PsychPros at (513) 651-9500 or email us today.