Women and individuals in their 50s and early 60s reported feeling the most stress about COVID-19. According to a recent poll of individuals aged 50-80, most older adults are staying resilient and finding joy despite the pandemic this holiday season. However, mental health clinicians should be aware that a sizeable minority are feeling high stress levels,…
Category: Community News
Challenges and Opportunities Beyond COVID-19
How can recognizing the pandemic’s impact on MSDs help us increase funding, research, and implementation of MSD (Mental health and substance use disorders) treatment? The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on economies, social structures, and health systems, and it has disproportionally affected low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as well as low-resourced, disadvantaged settings…
Exploring the Global Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Key Take-Home Messages COVID-19 is associated with increased rates of common mental disorders. There are higher rates of increased mental disorders for young individuals and for girls and females. There is some evidence of higher rates of alcohol use, especially among those with prior harmful drinking. So far, few data show time trends and relationships…
COVID-19 and the global acceleration of digital psychiatry
One of the most remarkable impacts of COVID-19 on psychiatry is that it has accelerated the digital progression in mental health service delivery. Digital psychiatry has been discussed for some time, particularly in high-income settings.1, 2 But COVID-19 has precipitated the adoption of digital tools in psychiatry throughout much of the world, including in low-income and middle-income…
Many Canadians have made life-altering decisions during COVID-19 pandemic
Some Canadians say they’ve found two silver linings during a global pandemic that has forced them to wipe activities off their calendars during lockdowns — a pregnant pause and the realization that quitting isn’t all that bad. “Anybody who tells me I’m going to quit something, I will champion them all the way,” says Aqsa…
What are the long-term effects of COVID-19 on mental health?
In a recent multinational study published on the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers determine the long-term adverse mental health symptoms associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by estimating acute infection severity. Significance of post-COVID mental health morbidities Several international studies have been conducted on COVID-19 patients to identify the prevalence of adverse mental health symptoms. To this end, previous…
Pandemic fatigue is real and this Quebec help line is seeing a surge in mental health calls
As the daily case numbers for COVID-19 rise again in Quebec, so are the number of calls for help lines. Another round of public health restrictions announced Monday, including the closure of gyms that some say helped with the pyschological effects of the pandemic, is taking its toll on people’s mental health. During an average…
From treatment to mental health toll, studies reveal women are disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
Two separate studies are revealing the toll the pandemic is having on women’s health including a treatment for COVID-19 that may only benefit men. According to a study out of the University of Calgary, the main treatment for severe COVID-19 lung infections, dexamethasone, alters how immune cells work, but while the steroids may help male patients…
Eight ways Omicron changes what you thought you knew about COVID-19
The news about the Omicron wave has been so ubiquitous, it’s easy to forget that the new variant was first identified less than a month ago. There is a lot we don’t know, even as new data — and cases — come in each day. But one thing that has already become clear, experts say, is Omicron is…
Mental Health: Self-Help Strategies that Work Day In and Day Out
The good news is that mental health is something that is now being discussed more and more freely and being recognized as a legitimate workplace hazard in all walks of life including farming. That said, as we deal with the fallout of COVID-19 and the months have turned into years, there are those in the…