“As the nation responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, including developing new telehealth strategies that will have far-reaching effects both for those directly affected and for health care more broadly, there is a recognition that not all adverse health effects are physical. Both the pandemic itself and the socioeconomic side effects have led to a rise in stress and anxiety, adding to the numbers of those already managing mental health conditions.”
“While national attention has been on health agencies’ response to COVID-19, both the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognize the increased stress everyone faces during this crisis and have recommended strategies to mitigate its effects:
- ‘Take breaks’ from the 24-hour media cycle.
- ‘Make time to unwind,’ both also recommend, with NIMH emphasizing that finding ways to have fun and express creativity is important for mental health.
- ‘Connect with others,’ both to keep in touch and to share concerns during this stressful time.”
“For when people do engage with news on the crisis, the CDC underscores the importance of avoiding misinformation and the role everyone plays in consuming and sharing up-to-date and accurate media…”
“Both NIMH and the CDC also counsel anyone who finds that stress is impacting their daily activities for multiple days in a row to seek professional help, which can be done remotely…”
“As telehealth evolves, one area of focus for digital mental health researchers at NIMH is ensuring applications that claim to help those with mental illness undergo rigorous testing to prove those claims are true…” Read the full article here.
Source: Health Agencies Address Mental Health, Stress Amid Pandemic – By James Mersol, April 17, 2020. GovernmentCIO.
