Effect on mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic

Parag Pandya

doi:10.3399/bjgp20X711857

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Catering to just under 29 000 registered patients, I as a GP have been seeing a significant rise in patients seeking help with mental health-related issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen this increase in demand and I believe it is due to three main factors. The disruption in routine has affected the greater population, with the gravest ramifications for those patients who are mentally vulnerable. COVID-19 has seen many of these patients’ support systems crumble, with grave impacts on mental health, and therefore possible increase in suicide rates. Second, loss of income and a lack of money is a major stressor for most people; however, the vulnerable population is more likely to be furloughed and made redundant as the start of a downward spiral, resulting in further distress. Lastly, loneliness is a significant factor due to the stoppage of interaction with extended family and friends, and the reduction of face-to-face contact with clinicians. Although this issue has been highlighted in the news, the full-blown effect of this really hit me when the total number of mental health-related consultations almost doubled during this pandemic. This was extremely frustrating to me, as GPs often see the patient’s health as their holistic wellbeing, and the mental and emotional health of patients during the pandemic were not met. All three of these factors contribute to the decline in a patient’s mental health, sometimes regrettably leading to self-harm and suicide. The coronavirus has taken many lives because of the physical decline in patients’ health, but it may have or will also have claimed many lives because of the emotional, financial, and psychological stress it is continuously causing. We as GPs must strive to ensure that the long-term implications on patients’ mental health due to COVID-19 are minimised as much as possible.

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