Isolation, uncertainty common causes of depression
Lockdowns. Self-quarantines. General anxiety. Uncertainty about a dangerous coronavirus.
The additional stresses of the pandemic are taking a prolonged toll on the mental health of young students and adults.
“One of the things that really hit us was kids didn't just miss out on school in person,” said Alecia Mowrey, a counselor at Butler Senior High School. “Everything stopped for them.
While the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention said that early data from four states indicate that suicide rates declined or saw no change in 2020, worries are that the longer the pandemic goes on, the higher the risk for suicide may be.
Although Mowrey and her staff are not licensed mental health counselors, she said more students sought emotional help or advice from them in the past year.
“One student shared that he felt he lost his identity and needed to find it again,” Mowrey said. “It was very profound that he shared that with me, because they had lost so much so quickly, and he was trying to get back to that.”
The stress levels are also heightened at the university level.
Ken Messina, clinical director of SRU's Student Counseling Center, said a study conducted at the university showed many students were feeling more anxious than usual since the start of the pandemic.
The study received nearly 700 responses.
“One of the biggest issues we're seeing is a general increase in anxiety,” he said. “We had 84% of our students reported slightly worse or significantly worse feelings of anxiety since the pandemic started, and we sent everyone home from campus.”
Donna Lamison, executive director of Butler's chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, said problems with mental illness could have been exacerbated by the pandemic and shutdown orders, leading to increased depression and anxiety in individuals.Lamison said loneliness and isolation are factors that can play into feelings of anxiety and depression, which can be difficult for a person to cope with long-term. In extreme cases, a person might also turn to self-harm.In November 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the proportion of children's mental health-related visits to emergency departments increased from April 2020 through October 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.Children ages 5-11 reached nearly 4,000 mental-health related ER visits per 100,000, and children ages 12-17 reached nearly 6,000 per 100,000, according to the study.According to the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide killed 596 people aged 10-14, 6,211 people aged 18-24 and 8,020 aged 25-34 in 2018, making it the second-leading cause of death in those age groups.Complete data is not yet available for 2020.She also said anyone can be susceptible to mental illness that can lead to self-harm, and NAMI and other groups aim to provide help before a person turns to such methods.Despite the availability of help and programs, Lamison said it can be difficult to determine when a person is in need of help.“We have seen some progress,” Lamison said. “As with anything else, it is slow, but definitely a lot more people are willing to discuss; they are willing to come forward.”
Emily Marks, 20, was studying for her last final exam in anatomy at Butler County Community College in 2012. Her family was looking forward to a weekend trip to Philadelphia. Nothing at the time seemed out of the ordinary, her family recalled.So when her mother, Denise Marks, found her dead April 27, 2012, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the pain and grief of the situation were accompanied by shock.The shock was so heavy because Marks thought her daughter was benefiting from treatment for her mental health. Emily was seeing a therapist and taking medications.“She seemed to be thriving,” Marks said. “It never came up that she was struggling so much. It was absolutely devastating. There are no words to describe the feeling.”Looking through Emily Marks' laptop and assessing her final days, Marks said it was apparent her daughter was stressed from cramming for her tests and hadn't slept well for days.Marks said after the loss of her daughter, she joined the anti-gun violence advocacy group Brady United, with a goal to end to gun violence, self-inflicted or otherwise.“I felt this need to prevent this from happening,” Marks said. “Not only suicide, but for anybody to lose a loved one. We need to remove the stigma of depression, and make it so people feel comfortable discussing this.”
Jen McConnell, NAMI's board president, said uncertainty or stress can be common triggers of anxiety for many. The unpredictably of the coronavirus pandemic, according to McConnell, likely was a negative influence on most people.“Financial insecurity can be a factor,” McConnell said. “In general, anxiety a lot of times affects low-income individuals and families, the elderly and even children. I think people who had never experienced anxiety felt it more in the pandemic.”The effects of one person's mental trauma also can affect others, Lamison said, especially if a person turns to self-harm to cope with their mental pain.“Our focus is to reach out to anyone whose life has been impacted by mental illness,” Lamison said. “Whether that is by diagnosis or if it is by a family member, a loved one, anyone, because there is a ripple effect with mental-health issues. Everyone who is associated, their life is impacted as well.”Marks said she has constant reminders of her grief that she doesn't wish on anyone else.“There will always be an empty chair in my house,” Marks said. “Every holiday, every celebration, you're reminded that the person is not there, and those can be very, very difficult.”Lamison said getting help for people in moments of crisis is crucial, and people should not put off their mental health.
Although many businesses and public spaces are reopening on a wider scale, many people still will struggle with depression or anxiety. McConnell said the pandemic could have inflicted trauma or lasting anxiety that some people may continue to deal with.“With everything uncertain, anxiety will sometimes flare up,” she said. “Anything can be a trigger for it.”McConnell said the organization has support groups and resources to help cope with mental illness, but additionally, she encourages mindful awareness to stay in a moment as a method of escaping intrusive thoughts.“Anything using your five senses, such as hobbies or reading, I encourage,” McConnell said. “Mindfulness exercises can help, too. I teach it as pizza breathing: You breath in like you're smelling a piece of pizza and you exhale out to cool it off. Sometimes you just need that quick distraction.”
