The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t only affect physical health; it had a significant impact on mental health as well. Countries around went on lockdown, which further compounded the issue as people couldn’t go out to unwind or see a therapist face to face as they would before the lockdown.
To determine the effects of mental health therapy during the lockdown, RTT conducted an investigation to identify how people in the United States resorted to coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study evaluated the coping methods people resorted to regarding coping with the mental effects of the pandemic. In this article, we will take a look at the results obtained from the investigation.
What Led to The Increase in Mental Health Therapy During the Lockdown?
The issue of mental health is not something to be taken lightly. Although a lot of people didn’t see it as a big issue before the lockdown, it became more pronounced when the lockdown hit virtually all the countries of the world at almost the same time.
The increase in mental health issues in 2020 occurred because of so many factors. For starters, worry and anxiety are enough reasons to go berserk, especially over loved ones who got sick for whatever reason. It didn’t even have to be the virus, but mere signs of sickness brought about a shadow of trepidation in most homes.
Globally, 2020 also brought about new dimensions of negativity with the killings, protests across countries, kidnapping, among many others. Having all this in mind, it is glaring to the eyes why there has been an increase in mental health issues.
How Did People Overcome Mental Health Issues During the Lockdown?
The increase in mental health issues was intensified during the lockdown, there’s no doubt about that. People had to use various measures to achieve the least form of sanity. The methods employed couldn’t be compared with face-to-face therapy as many people even ended up taking their own lives. To mitigate the issues, families took it upon themselves to find solutions to their problems by doing the following:
Searching How to Become a Therapist:
The pandemic is an event which has affected many people in different ways and one of the impacts would be having the desire to help out other people, not only so that their mental health could be looked after but also their own state of mind. The study revealed that there were nearly 10 times an increase in Google search interest in Mental Health Therapy search queries such as ‘how can you become a therapist?’.
By becoming a therapist, people could mitigate the malicious effects caused by the heightened mental health issues factored in by the lockdown. The rate of suicide, depression, substance dependence could be drastically reduced as well as because people would find someone to talk to. Professional Mental Health Therapy can not only help the person who is seeking help, but it can also help the therapist think about their own mental welfare.
Downloading Online Mental Health Therapy Apps:
Mental health issues are diverse and very versatile which is why people resorted to downloading various Mental Health Therapy apps for guidance. Headspace, Better Help, and Calm were the most commonly used apps which people downloaded during the pandemic.
Out of those 3 apps, Headspace is the most popular and based on approximately 6,000 reviews, it resulted in an average review rating of 4.4 which indicates that users generally found the app to be extremely useful and helpful. Reviews for Headspace had increased significantly by 101% in July in comparison to when the pandemic began to take its toll in March.
Positive reviews on these apps have shown their positive influence in reducing strain caused by Mental Health Therapy issues. Although, we know that these apps cannot wholly replace the efficacy of a therapist’s role, it was in a huge way helpful in combating issues related to mental health during the lockdown.
Are You Still Having Mental Health Issues?
With or without the pandemic, mental health issues have been in existence, and there is nothing wrong with a person owning up and seeking help. It doesn’t matter the magnitude of what you are facing; seeking help will bring you one step closer to being free. Even while on lockdown, you can ask for help, you can consult online doctors from the comfort of your home at any time.
Another option is therapy. Mental Health Therapy can help you get to the cause of the problem and if you can’t find any therapist around you, go online to get tips on steps to become a therapist or sign up for online Mental Health Therapy sections, which are also very cost-effective. Even if all of these do not work as you might want them to, they will provide you with relief, even if it’s for a short while.
