Covid has created a general depression – expert feels

Waiting times to see a mental health expert are shorter now than they were before lockdown, but it’s not necessarily good news. That’s according to one Cavan counsellor who says the pandemic has had a huge impact on people’s lives.

“Before Covid, I had a waiting list,” says Paul Dolan. “But I haven’t had a waiting list since Covid. I’m relatively quiet. I think it’s down to the fact that, in order to seek some counselling or psychotherapy, you have to have hope or a belief that you can help yourself.

“I think Covid’s created a level of general depression. Not clinical depression, but just depression to the point where people feel things are probably not going to get better or that there’s not a lot they can do about their situation.”

Paul says the lack of control people had over their lives during the pandemic left them feeling helpless. “For two years, we had this feeling we couldn’t do anything about our situation”, he said.

“We could wear a mask, you could wash your hands, but in spite of all that, you might get Covid.”

Since lockdown ended, Paul has seen the demographic of his clients change. “I was seeing a wider range of age groups before the pandemic. Now it’s mostly younger people with a maximum age of 50.”

The reason for this change is a concern for Paul who feels some older people have lost their confidence. “Before the pandemic I used to see people aged 65 to 75 in significant numbers at different stages. Now I’m not seeing that age group... I’m afraid this age group are staying at home and only leave to get the bare essentials like a weekly shop.”

The solution according to Paul is more positive social engagements with friends.

“What people have to do is reclaim their lives. We have to start re-engaging with people. We start visiting people again. You ask yourself, how many visitors have you had since the lockdown ended? Then look at how many people have you visited,” he suggests.

Paul also believes it will be a long time before the impact of the pandemic can be fully assessed.

“I think it’ll be a long time before we can get an overview of what the overall effects have been. I think the problem with this is we are talking about this pandemic as if we didn’t go through it ourselves.

“So, you know, it’s very difficult to look at this from outside because none of us are outside it. We’re all inside it. It made us realise how fragile we are and it dented the feeling that we are on top of everything and that medical science had the answer to everything.”

For those who are struggling with their mental health, Paul recommends talking to a professional.

“If people are really struggling they should consider getting counselling. The first step they should take in this regard is to go to their GP who will advise them on the path to take. They should also consider getting their physical health examined.”

Paul also says there are measures people can take on their own to improve their mental well-being, such as exercise.

“Getting active is one of the best things a person can do to improve their mental health. It doesn’t have to be strenuous. A short walk in a quiet place, surrounded by nature can be very beneficial.”

Paul also recommends socialising as a way to improve your health. “People need to wash their face, brush their hair and get out with other people. Meeting friends for a coffee can give you a boost, especially if you can put down your smartphone and engage with people. If you have to go on your own, sitting in a place where there are people present can be of benefit.”

Another Cavan Town-based counsellor believes access to high-speed broadband during the pandemic was key to helping people stay connected.

“If they were suffering from anxiety or stress or a mental health condition, you know, it left them with a forum that they could have someone to reach out to,” said Sean McKiernan.

“I have a young student who didn’t have access to broadband. So as a result, they didn’t have the classroom facility at home that other students had,” he revealed.

“That isolation then led to that student developing social anxiety on returning to school.”

He revealed that another isolated student developed an eating disorder. “They had no school, no online school support, or classroom and that led to hospitalisation. It led to a chronic situation. Before, these two students had been functioning well and were regular school attendees.”

Sean also said that, in some cases, children picked up on their parents’ anxiety.

“In some cases, parents were affected by the lockdown and the anxiety that was in the family home might have been transferred to family members, by parents getting anxious because they couldn’t work or socialise, which could lead to them developing a drinking problem at home, or even drug taking.”

Sean also feelds that some people found it difficult to re-emerge into normal social situations once restrictions were lifted. “Having been confined for so long, they found it hard to open up again.

“It’s like a prisoner who’s released from prison, they find it hard to get reintegrated back into society and want to go back into prison again. They become institutionalised.”

Lockdown also deprived people of a proper outlet to express their grief, which is something Sean experienced firsthand.

“Over the course of the lockdown, my brother died in England. Not only could I not go to the funeral but I didn’t have the communal support from colleagues and neighbours that I usually would have, nobody knew I was grieving only my loved ones. I had to put that grief aside and get on with my life, which many people had to do. Other people had more serious grief than I had to put up with, I was lucky I had the skills to deal with it.”

For Sean this is a far cry from the traditional methods of expressing grief that he remembers from his youth.

“When I was a kid when my mother was grieving, she wore a black coat for 12 months after a death in the family. People also wore a little triangular black diamond on their sleeve, which was an indication that they were in mourning.”