‘Corona-coaster’: Mental health issues spike during COVID-19 crisis

The coronavirus crisis is affecting people's mental health as they deal with virus fears, jobs losses, financial pressures and isolation. The positive news is that people, like TV presenter Jessica Rowe, are reaching out in their distress and asking for help.

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From virus fears to job fears, isolation to homeschooling worries, financial stress to family stress, Australia’s pandemic lockdown is having an unprecedented effect on our mental health.

And, even amid the good news of lower case numbers and an easing of restrictions, fresh worries about the future are consuming us.

Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman said there has been 26,285 contacts (calls and emails) across both the Beyond Blue Support Service and the new coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service in the past four weeks, a 59 per cent increase on the same period last year.

Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman.

“The speed and scale of what has happened and the changes to people’s daily lives and the job losses and the financial stress and the family stress is at a scale we have never seen before,” Ms Harman said.

“The kinds of things people are talking about on all our channels are the social isolation and the loneliness, people are feeling overwhelmed and worried.

“In the early stages there was a lot of acute health anxiety about actually catching the virus, then we saw it swinging to people having lost their jobs or job insecurity or they were under huge financial stress and, in more recent weeks, with schooling at home, we’ve seen an increase in family stress.”

Lifeline’s Chairman John Brogden said there has also been a massive increase in calls, from an average of 2500 a day to 3200 a day since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Up until a few weeks ago it was all about COVID but, over the last two weeks, COVID has almost disappeared as an issue,” he said.

John Brogden, chairman of Lifeline. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

“I think that reflects that we haven’t had 1000 people a day dying but what we are seeing is a positive outcome about their physical health, they don’t think they are going to die, but people are now concerned for the next state, a lot of people are worried about their finances, their jobs, ‘will I ever get that job again?’, so enormous anxiety.

“People who already have anxiety are now growing in their anxiety, and then there are people who are brand new to the condition of anxiety.

“You may have just bought a new home, signed a mortgage and lost your job the next day, so the anxiety is about what happens next.”

Beyond Blue ambassador and patron of Australian’s for Mental Health Jessica Rowe said she had taken part in a video campaign to let people know there is a way through by sharing personal experiences of mental health issues.

Jessica Rowe has shared her personal experience with mental health in a campaign to help others. Picture. Britta Campion

Tina Arena and Jessica Rowe discuss impact of coronavirus pandemic on mental health. Picture: Instagram

“There is a risk of a tsunami of mental health issues that we haven’t seen before,” she said. “From a personal perspective, I am someone who has experienced it and how you get through it is you ask for help.”

For those like Camilla Martin from Redfern, who had an existing anxiety condition, the lockdown has been challenging.

“The first symptom physically is the tightness of breath, and my ability to take a deep breath is gone,” Ms Martin said.

“That is my first flag, and the much bigger is the negative self-talk.

Camilla Martin has suffered from anxiety and the lockdown has amplified feelings. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“Sleeping has also become a problem. I’m waking up in the night so I’m exhausted, it’s as if my body has the flu. I am so tired.”

She said those experiencing anxiety for the first time should ask for help.

“Other people are feeling the same thing to varying degrees, you’re not the only one and it is no-one’s fault,” she said.

Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service: 1800 512 348; coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au

Lifeline: 13 11 14; lifeline.org.au

Originally published as ‘Corona-coaster’: Mental health issues spike during COVID-19 crisis