Since the first case of SARS-CoV-2 was detected in Wuhan in late 2019, we have learned a lot about how people carry the infection it causes. Now it is no secret to anyone that COVID-19 is dangerous not only for the development of pneumonia, but also for a variety of negative effects, including those affecting the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
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Today, when from the beginning 2 years have passed since the spread of the virus, doctors increasingly began to pay attention to the consequences of the pandemic as a social phenomenon. The cause of concern was a noticeable increase in complaints associated with exacerbation or manifestation of mental disorders: depression, anxiety disorder, various phobias.
Depression
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There is no mystery here. People have been living in limbo for far too long, with restrictions on movement and social interaction being introduced and lifted based on disease levels. Add to this the fear of getting sick and losing loved ones, losing your job or being forever locked in four walls. If at the beginning of the story with COVID-19 people experienced severe stress and frustration, now it's time for apathy, loss of motivation and involvement. The consumption of alcohol and tobacco is growing, physical activity is falling. All this is not the best way to affect the state of mental health.
Separately, it is worth noting the impact of living in a pandemic on the health of older people. It is more difficult for them than others to adapt to new conditions of existence, for example, start working from home or order food online. At the same time, everyone remembers that during major outbreaks of infections in Moscow, people over 65 years of age were canceled as a risk group, their travel cards were canceled, the first of them were not allowed to work in offices and government institutions. In addition, throughout the duration of the pandemic, older people continue to experience a lack of medical care, their children and grandchildren come to them less often. All this contributes to the rapid development of dementia.
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In Russia, experts, talking about ways to reverse the current situation, rely on the development of online consultations for people in need of psychological support. Thus, the Russian Psychological Society and the Russian Academy of Education, together with the Faculty of Psychology of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov organized several hotlines for psychological assistance. In total, more than 1,000 psychologists are involved in the helplines. In addition, work is underway to inform the population about how to build a life in conditions of self-isolation.
Children: the pandemic generation
A study conducted in the UK in the summer of 2020 aimed to show how restrictions imposed due to the pandemic affect the mental health of schoolchildren. There, as in many other countries, including Russia, schools have been closed and children have been transferred to distance learning several times over the past two years.
The new living conditions, as expected, had a negative effect on the condition of children and adolescents: compared to 2017, the number of children with signs of mental disorders increased from 10.8% to 16% among the respondents. In young people over 17 years of age, the risks became even higher, and in this case, girls showed a higher level of anxiety than boys (27.2% and 13.3%, respectively).
Indicators of depression and Anxiety among children doubled during the pandemic
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Blame the stress caused by forced isolation and changes in life. Here and the inability to see peers, and problems with motivation, and difficulties in self-determination due to isolation from social life. Many complained of sleep problems and reduced ability to concentrate, which became especially noticeable after repeated lockdown announcements.
More than others, the pandemic has affected the lives of children from low-income families and families where parents often quarrel. This is not surprising, because if the situation at home is far from ideal and cannot inspire a sense of security, living in self-isolation becomes even more difficult.
Do the smallest suffer?< /h2>
Judging the emotional state of young children and infants is much more difficult, but experts can assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with its limitations on the general and intellectual development of babies.
One of the key aspects affecting the development of preschool children during this period is a significant increase in the time they spend in front of the TV or other digital devices. Even before the spread of the new coronavirus infection, the average screen time for children aged 5 to 10 was about 3-4 hours a day. With the advent of SARS-CoV-2 in our lives, the inability to go to kindergarten, take long walks and attend circles and sections led to the fact that children began to spend much more time on computer games and watching cartoons. At the same time, both of them in large quantities negatively affect the development of speech and learning in general. Of course, how more screen time affects cognitive development, self-control, mental flexibility, or the acquisition of prosocial skills depends largely on the nature of the content consumed. First of all, games and programs intended for adults are harmful. Educational and children's content in moderation, on the contrary, can be useful.
Finally, do the conditions of the pandemic affect the children who were born since the start of the increase in the incidence? Unfortunately yes. Recent studies suggest that by the age of 6 months such babies are characterized by reduced indicators of motor, psycho-emotional and social development in relation to children born before 2020. Of course, there is no question of any significant deviations from the norm. Nevertheless, the dependence can be traced, and it is easy to explain it. These are communication with fewer people (and communication with people wearing masks in the postnatal period), and less access to medical care, and stress on parents.
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