Who would have thought our world would flip upside down in a fraction of a second? The world stopped as the pandemic grew. No more jobs, no more school, no more social interactions. Our daily habits were forced to be put on hold or simply vanish, as we all entered the darkest time of our lives: quarantine. This state of isolation was unknown for so many people. We all thought it would be the easy way out of this pandemic. “Only two weeks!”. In order to save lives, we had to give up healthy habits from our own lives. Consequently, affecting our mental health and much more.
Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.1 This notion is somehow forgotten. We’ve lost the habit of regularly asking our friends how they’re doing. It is not a social reflex our society has acquired, but maybe it should. It can be very difficult for someone to admit the status of their emotional well-being. It is an important and a very delicate situation that sadly became a reality for many people throughout the pandemic.
There are many types of mental illness, such as anxiety disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, and so on2. One of them took a turn during our new reality: depression disorders. Teen depression specifically has been a recurrent problem in our society. Some issues including academic expectations, hormonal and body changes and peer pressure can be a trigger. 3 This illness is not something to be taken lightly. It is proven that it can have serious impacts on a person’s future and requires long-term support and treatment. Depression can have different degrees of severity. While someone may appear generally happy and joyful, they could be suffering with depression. That is why you should always be alert. Someone could intentionally be hiding how they truly feel. Subtle symptoms such as tiredness, insomnia or sleeping excessively, changes in appetite, frequent absences (in school or social life), agitation or restlessness are not indications you immediately associate to depression. Most will usually associate depression with self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts. For this reason, we must be aware of our surroundings and be on the lookout for someone in need of help.
Without a doubt, this obligation of isolation cannot benefit someone vulnerable. Studies and research show that the mental health effects of the pandemic are more likely to have a significant impact on teenagers.4 According to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at Michigan Medicine, a poll shared nationally showed that 46% of parents have noticed signs of a worsened mental health in their teenager since the beginning of the global pandemic in March 2020. Crazy, isn’t it? Almost half of the parents of the United States consider that their teenager is showing signs of depression, anxiety or any other disorder. Although the quarantine was put in place in order to protect lives, it can do incredible damage on someone’s mental health. In fact, one in three adolescents will meet the criteria of anxiety disorder by the young age of 18. That said, it is no surprise that this global trauma has aggravated some people.
This pandemic has forced our society into isolation. Social interactions are essential in a child’s development. Curiously, we seem to forget that it is just as important for teenagers. They are missing some of their best years and are not given a chance to create memories. School in a teenager’s daily life is important socially and academically. School and friends have now become entirely virtual. Online schooling is the best decision to stop the spread of the virus. Home is meant to be a place of security. However, it is the complete opposite for a person suffering with depression. This group must be encouraged to stop isolating and stay busy. Quarantine has made that impossible. As I am writing this, I realize how lonely we all are behind our screens.
That said, mental health and mental illness are not a joke. With the growth of our dear friend the coronavirus, we must be sharp and make efforts to improve our general well-being. I know, easier said than done. Go take a walk, dance, sing, but most importantly call a friend. My intention is not to scare anyone, but your friend may need you, and maybe you need them too. We are all on a quest for happiness and conversations these days, so don’t be afraid. Try something new and find something to do. We will all get out of it, one day. We’re all in this together, literally.
With love and a big hug.
Angélique Prud’homme
Sciences Humaines.
1 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
2 https://medlineplus.gov/mentaldisorders.html
3 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/teen-depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20350985
4 https://www.healthline.com/health-news/impact-of-covid-19-lockdown-on-teens-mental-health
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