scholarly journals Manual Strategies for COVID-19 Prevention and Management of Mental Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 131-150
Author(s):  
Nurul Syuhaida Abdul Razak ◽  
Muhammad Aslahuddin ◽  
Muhammad Hazmi Shafie ◽  
Vidhya Raj Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
District Hospital ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Small Unit ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Good Mental Health ◽  
As Stress

The coronavirus disease outbreak 2019 (COVID-19) is foreseen to precipitate the increase in mental health issues such as stress, depression, and anxiety. This article aims to share and suggest the strategies, experience and actions taken by Hospital Tengku Ampuan Jemaah (HTAJ) as a small unit in a small district hospital through Mental Health and Psychological Support Service (MHPSS) in supporting mental health amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The existing data, literature review on the existing cases, SOPs and recommendations from the authorities and department staffs were reviewed and adjusted for local usage. An online mental health survey was distributed and reviewed. All data and information gathered were organised and transformed into a structured manual procedure. This procedure was implemented, and the feedback received were evaluated. The strategies introduced by MHPSS will help develop good mental health and strengthen the resiliency in the community and frontliners for the fight against COVID-19.

scholarly journals Contact With Nature as a Mental Health Buffer for Lower Income Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber L. Pearson ◽  
Teresa Horton ◽  
Karin A. Pfeiffer ◽  
Rachel Buxton ◽  
Joseph Gardiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Perceived Access

Despite a growing number of research outputs on the importance of nature contact during the COVID-19 pandemic, we know of no longitudinal research conducted prior to and during the pandemic among low-income and minority ethnicity populations, i.e., those that might be most affected. Furthermore, we have scant information about how and to what degree contact with nature might protect mental health or mitigate worsening of mental health during the pandemic. We filled these gaps using a subset of a longitudinal study of n = 86 individuals in low-income, predominantly African American, neighborhoods in Detroit, MI, USA. The study addressed the following research questions: (1) did self-reported use and perceived value of nature change during, vs. prior to, the pandemic; (2) did perceived access to outdoor spaces buffer people against mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression symptoms; or (3) did objectively measured quality of nature views from home buffer people against mental health issues, taking into account relevant covariates and pandemic experiences (e.g., loss of employment, death of a friend/relative)? While attitudes to nature improved slightly from pre- to during the pandemic, we also observed significant decreases in most types of outdoor physical activity and passive enjoyment of nature (e.g., smelling plants/rain). We found a positive association between visibility of greenspace and perceived stress and anxiety, which not only contradicts previous research findings, but was especially surprising given that overall there was a decrease in perceived stress from 2019–2020. We did not detect associations between perceived access/use of nature and mental health. However, higher depressive symptoms were associated with exposure to more COVID-19-related stressors (lost employment, death of friends from COVID-19, etc.). Taken together, our results indicate that COVID-19 may serve to prolong or exacerbate mental health issues, rather than create them, in this population and that low quality greenspace may perhaps limit the ability for nature view to buffer mental health during the pandemic.

Understanding body image from a psychosocial stance: how this connects with patients requesting cosmetic procedures

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 128-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Auer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health It ◽  
Additional Training ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Body Dysmorphia

There are many patients requesting cosmetic procedures who also struggle with mental health issues. These can include body dysmorphia, eating disorders, depression and anxiety. If aesthetic practitioners are able to recognise mental health, it will go some way to protect those for whom cosmetic procedures may not be the most appropriate course of treatment. This article will discuss the factors that contribute to the development of body image. The hope is that it will help practitioners question their own knowledge and understanding of mental health and how it can be connected with requests for cosmetic procedures. Practitioners may also identify areas where they need additional training and or understanding.

scholarly journals Improving Law Student Resilience: An Australian Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-258
Author(s):  
Doris Bozin ◽  
Allison Ballard ◽  
Vicki De Prazer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Law Students ◽  
Professional Lives ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Legal Practice ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Student Resilience ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Law Student

Do university legal clinics, clinical legal educators and health practitioners have a role to play in building the resilience of law students to better equip them to manage their academic studies and their professional lives as they move into legal practice? Given that mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are rife across Australia’s law student and legal professional populations, we wondered if developing a legal clinic model in collaboration with a university-based health service would offer one way to address these concerns.

Mental Health and Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee Yun Lee ◽  
William Hasenbein ◽  
Priscilla Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Older Adult Population

As the older adult population continues to grow at a rapid rate, with an estimated 2.1 billion older adults in 2050, social welfare researchers are determined to fill the shortage of gerontological social workers and structural lag to best serve the baby boomers who are expected to need different services than previous generations. Mental illness impacts over 20% of older adults in the world and the United States. The major mental health issues in older adults include depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social isolation. Depression is considered one of the most common mental health issues among this population; however, the prevalence could be underestimated due to older adults linking relevant symptoms to other causes, such as old age, instead of as possible depression. Like depression, anxiety symptoms are often mistaken as results of aging. It is also difficult for providers to diagnose anxiety in this population due to anxiety frequently being coupled with other illnesses and the psychological stress that comes with old age. Because the presence of loneliness or social isolation can manifest depression and anxiety symptoms in older adults, it is also difficult to separate these two issues. With the anticipated increase of the older adult population within the next few years, measurement tools have been created to assess depression and anxiety specifically for older adults. In addition to adapting assessment tools, interventions tailored to older adults are essential to ensure treatment coherence, even though medications are the go-to treatment option.

scholarly journals A Longitudinal Study on the Mental Health of College Students in Jinan During the Peak Stage of the COVID-19 Epidemic and the Society Reopening

2021 ◽  
pp. 102-110
Author(s):  
Xiaolei Zheng ◽  
Yuji Guo ◽  
Wen Ma ◽  
Hui Yang ◽  
Liyan Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Peak Versus

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> COVID-19, a continuously emerging human-to-human infectious disease, has exerted a significant impact on the mental health of college students. However, little is known regarding the variations in the mental health issues experienced by college students during the peak versus reopening stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in China. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> To assess these issues, an online longitudinal survey was conducted via a WeChat applet. Undergraduates (<i>n</i> = 300) were recruited from 26 universities throughout Jinan in February 2020 (T1 – the epidemic peak stage) and in January 2021 (T2 – the society reopening stage). Their mental status was determined using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 item, and the Insomnia Severity Index. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of the original 300 college students recruited for this survey, 294 responses at T1 and 285 at T2 were analyzed. Compared with responses obtained at T1, college students at T2 showed a greater prevalence of depression (65.3 vs. 51.0%; <i>p</i> = 0.001) and anxiety (47.7 vs. 38.1%, <i>p</i> = 0.019), and experienced more severe depression (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) and anxiety (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). Both males (<i>p</i> = 0.03) and females (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.01) showed higher levels of depression at T2 versus T1, while no differences were obtained with regard to anxiety and insomnia. At T1, Grade 4 students showed greater levels of depression (<i>p</i> = 0.005) and anxiety (<i>p</i> = 0.008) than that of Grade 1 students. While at T2, only greater levels of depression (<i>p</i> = 0.004) were present when compared with that of Grade 1 students. Additionally, Grade 4 college students demonstrated a greater prevalence of depression at T2 versus T1 (<i>p</i> = 0.03), but no statistically differences were present for anxiety and insomnia. No statistically significant differences were obtained among the 4 grades of college students for insomnia at either the T1 or T2. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> With progression of the COVID-19 epidemic, college students showed increasing levels of depression and anxiety, with Grade 4 college students being most seriously affected. It is imperative that intervention strategies be implemented to mitigate against these mental health issues resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic.

scholarly journals Mental health issues of the medical workforce during COVID-19: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Domenicano
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Risk Environment ◽  
Medical Workforce ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Health Disorders

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency. As we write, the world counts more than 10 million positive cases and more than 500 thousand deaths. The difficult conditions faced by healthcare workers helping with the COVID-19 pandemic are leading to severe adverse mental health consequences.The aim of this review is to summarize and analyze the mental health issues that healthcare workers are experiencing during the COVID-19 outbreak. We conduct a systematic literature review to investigate the healthcare workforce’s mental health disorders. About 145 articles were retrieved for the period between January 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020. After screening, 27 articles were selected for full-text examination, 13 were included in the review. Of the studies included, 69% (9/13) and 61% (8/13) investigated depression and anxiety, respectively, although other mental health disorders such as insomnia, distress, stress, and fear were also assessed. Most of the healthcare workers in the studies reported high levels of stress, anxiety, and severe symptoms of depressions.Caregivers are working under high levels of pressure, in a high-risk environment, and are dealing with many physical and psychological challenges. Appropriate actions and well-timed psychological support to protect medical workers’ mental health should be considered.

scholarly journals The curvilinear relationship between the age of adults and their mental health in Iran after its peak of COVID-19 cases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyao Chen ◽  
Stephen X. Zhang ◽  
Yifei Wang ◽  
Asghar Afshar Jahanshahi ◽  
Maryam Mokhtari Dinani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues

AbstractThe emerging body of research on the predictors of mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed contradictory findings, which prevent effective psychiatry screening for mental health assistance. This study aims to identify the predictors of nonsomatic pain, depression, anxiety, and distress, especially focusing on age as a nonlinear predictor. We conducted a survey of 474 adults in Iran during April 1–10, 2020, when Iran had just passed its first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic with new confirmed cases. We found that Age had a curvilinear relationship with nonsomatic pain, depression, and anxiety. Age was associated with pain, depression, and anxiety disorders negatively among adults younger than 45 years, but positively among seniors older than 70 years. Adults who were female, unsure about their chronic diseases, and exercised less per day were more likely to have mental health issues. This study advances the use of age as an effective predictor by uncovering a curvilinear relationship between individuals’ age and mental health issues by using a sample of adults across a wide spectrum of ages. We hope future research on mental health during COVID-19 pays more attention to nonlinear predictors.

Mental health: working from home and the use of technology

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Newey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Contact ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Hr Managers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss why mental health education in the workplace is vital. The paper aims to give HR managers and directors an understanding of mental health education and advice on how to imbed a culture of mental health well-being into the workplace. Design/methodology/approach The feature identifies the issues faced in the UK’s workplace with mental health issues, such as stress, anxiety and depression. The research identifies much desktop research, as well as authors 20+ plus years’ experience of work, in the field as a qualified psychotherapist. The paper also addresses latest research that suggests employees are happier to turn to technology rather than human contact to address their mental health concerns. The feature was drafted during the Covid-19 pandemic when mental health issues were recorded at an all-time high. Findings Mental Health has become a major issue within the workplace, and much work has taken place to rid stigma of mental health issues. It is essential that industry embed mental health education into their organisations to create healthy futures for all. Employees want their organisations to offer support, preferably in an online, always available, service. Originality/value Although there’s much discussion and awareness of mental health issues, mental health education is rarely understood.

scholarly journals Mental health interventions in healthcare workers in infectious disease outbreak-A systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Zace ◽  
I Hoxhaj ◽  
A Orfino ◽  
A M Viteritti ◽  
L Silvetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Psychosocial Counselling

Abstract Background Extended evidence has established that healthcare workers face several mental health problems during a disease outbreak, which could have a long-term impact. To address these issues, elaboration and implementation of psychological/psychiatric interventions or strategies is of utmost importance. In this context, this systematic review aimed at identifying strategies to manage mental health issues in healthcare workers during infectious disease outbreaks. Methods PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus and Web of Science were searched to retrieve pertinent articles published in English until May 2020. Articles reporting measures, interventions, strategies, or recommendations to manage mental health problems in healthcare workers during an infectious disease outbreak, of any study design were included. The quality assessment was performed according to the study design of the included articles. Results Our search strategy produced a total of 2358 articles. After the screening process 33 articles met the inclusion criteria, addressing COVID-19 (40%), followed by SARS (21%) and Ebola Virus (15%). The findings emphasized that organisations should follow an evidence-based approach and establish comprehensive programs to assist hospital staff during disease outbreaks. The preliminary results show that the creation of a psychological response team, training, e-learning, courses, psychosocial counselling, screening instruments and telemedicine activities could improve the capacity of response and coping, and reduce mental health issues in healthcare workers. Conclusions To minimize the psychological impact of future infectious disease outbreaks, evidence-based intervention strategies should be implemented to retain mental health among healthcare workers. Our results may provide the necessary insights that could be applied during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key messages During infectious disease outbreaks healthcare workers are faced with mental health issues, that need to be addressed through tailored interventions offering coping strategies and increase resilience. Mental health related interventions or strategies include the implementation of professional training, psychosocial counselling, courses, and the creation of a psychological response team.

scholarly journals Mental Health /Depression at Workplaces

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (SPL1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asrenee AB. Razak
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Issues ◽  
Good Mental Health ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Job Related Stress

There is an increasing trend of mental health issues in Malaysia. 1 in 3 Malaysian aged over 16 years old is at risk of having a mental health problem, and the trend is on the rise. The burden of mental health disorders on health and productivity, however, has long been underestimated. It is partly due to the cultural stigma attached to mental disorders. The recent 2018 Malaysia's Healthiest Workplace survey reported that more than half of employees in the survey have been affected by job-related stress such as burnout, anxiety, depression, and could lead to suicide. The serious consequences of these mental health issues not only affecting the individual but also lead to negative impacts on the productivity and performance of the company. On the other hand, workplaces that promote good mental health, and support people with mental disorders are more likely to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity as well as could benefit from associated economic gains. It is crucial for the workplace to integrate mental health intervention in their health and wellbeing strategy.  Among the useful intervention is mindfulness training. Mindfulness is not only proven to reduce the work stress but also teaches the employees to appreciate life and positively cope with their job demands. This presentation outlines the benefits of mindfulness and how it can be applied in daily life.

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