Has Covid-19 changed the way we talk about mental health?

The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a much-needed spotlight on mental health. It’s unfortunate that it has taken a catastrophe of global scale to really chip away at the stigma surrounding mental health, but it is perhaps one of the few positive things that have come out of this terrible time. As a society, we are now more tolerant, more understanding, and more empathetic when it comes to mental health.

“We’ve supported loved ones through their pandemic lows and been supported with ours in return.”

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all be affected in some way by the pandemic, be that big or small. Some of us are simply staying at home, trying our best to weather the storm, whereas others have tragically lost loved ones, jobs, and the futures we imagined for ourselves. What we usually rely on to help us get through each day – socialising, physical contact, spontaneity – is suddenly outlawed in the strangest of circumstances.

But do these conversations go far enough?

Because it’s likely most of us will have experienced periods of poor mental health over the last year, our behaviours have changed towards others. We’ve supported loved ones through their pandemic lows and been supported with ours in return. We’ve orchestrated Zoom quizzes until we’ve grown sick of them, just for the chance to see our friends and family. We’ve seen the social media campaigns from charities telling us how reaching out to others can make all the difference, and scrolled past tweets from the Department of Health and Social Care advising us to seek NHS support for our mental health if we need it.

A harsher reality

As a society, we are arguably more adept and comfortable discussing mental health and mental illness now than we were this time last year. But do these conversations go far enough? Do they take into account the nuances of mental illness? And most importantly, do they address issues of inequality, funding, and access to medical help?

Those of us who have previously tried to seek mental health support know how hard it was before the pandemic, never mind now when the NHS is stretched beyond belief. We know what it’s like to leave your GP surgery with nothing but a disappointing leaflet and links to websites you’ve already desperately combed through prior to your appointment. The pandemic makes that 10 times harder.

“As friends, siblings, children, parents, and partners, we alone cannot pull people out of a mental health crisis without medical and professional support.”

Staying connected with those we can’t physically be with is hugely important and helps us provide each other with a little light during this dark time. Talking about our mental health alleviates some of the strain and hopelessness – for a period. These government and charity campaigns remind us that we have someone to turn to, even in the toughest of circumstances.

But really, these campaigns are encouraging us to seek help from those nearby, to place the onus on the individual to solve what is a growing mental health crisis. We can have a Zoom coffee date with our friends and talk mental health; we can go for a socially distanced walk and have a vent; we can check in with people to ask how they are. But as friends, siblings, children, parents, and partners, we alone cannot pull people out of a mental health crisis without medical and professional support.

These campaigns and wider discussions ignore the fact that GPs are turning people away from life-saving treatment because waiting lists are too long. They ignore the fact that people are waiting until they are at crisis point to seek medical help because they don’t want to burden the already strained health service. And they crucially ignore the fact that the mental health services in this country were already critically underfunded and unable to properly function prior to this pandemic.

What needs to change?

“Covid-19 has created a vessel for people to be more vulnerable and open about their struggles.”

We need real change if we’re going to tackle the current mental health crisis. There needs to be a drastic increase in funding for essential NHS and charity services so people can get the support they need. Workplaces must be understanding and government funding should also be in place so people can take paid time off to manage their mental health.

Special attention needs to be placed on vulnerable communities such as those shielding, disabled people, the elderly, ethnic minorities, and marginalised genders, as these communities are inevitably those being hardest hit by the social and economic impact of the pandemic – factors which have a huge strain on mental health.

The mental health crisis that the UK is experiencing wasn’t created by the pandemic: it existed long before and will continue long after Coronavirus becomes a distant memory. But Covid-19 has created a vessel for people to be more vulnerable and open about their struggles and has created a more empathetic attitude throughout society.

Though this alone will not save someone from mental illness, if we all broaden our conversations on mental health to consider how we can bring about real change, the face of mental health support has the potential to be completely transformed.

Samaritans: 116 123

Mind: 0300 123 3393

 

Saskia Harper

Tweet to @saskharp