Change Your World Week Fall 2021 (Archived)

The problem that my group is addressing is the mental health implications as a result of Covid-19. This issue is occurring nationally as well as all over the world, affecting children, teenagers, and adults. Together we need to address this mental illness to help our nation. Many Americans have been affected by Covid-19 whether it was the loss of income, the unknown of the world, being stuck in their homes for months, and so much more just due to Covid-19.

To begin, the root of this issue seems that the number of individuals with mental health concerns increased tremendously due to the unknown effects of Covid-19. “During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, a share that has been largely consistent, up from one in ten adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019” (Nirmita Panchal, R. K., & 2021, M.). Covid-19 is not something people took lightly, it frightened many individuals causing their anxiety levels to skyrocket. People were scared about what was happening. There was an uncertainty of what the government was going to do to help their communities. The entire situation is likely the cause of increased stress and worry among people.

Secondly, the reason for the mental health illness numbers increase was that they were concerned about their income. “During June 24–30, 2020, U.S. adults reported considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19. Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use and elevated suicidal ideation” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Many people were laid off during this critical time and were stressed about how they will pay their bills or how they would provide food for their families. 53 percent of adults who experienced job loss or lower income reported higher symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, suicide, and substance abuse.

Meanwhile, essential workers were highly impacted because they were at greater risk of catching the virus. 42 percent of essential workers reported having depression, 25 percent suffered from substance abuse, and 22 percent reported having suicidal thoughts. This leads to a negative effect on mental health for them. Being an essential worker requires you to work harder, longer hours mainly due to the shortage of staff. One issue was having to work through a pandemic getting paid less than people who were home on unemployment. These are just a few examples of ways this illness has affected the mental health of the people who were struggling financially.

Furthermore, students of all ages and their parents have also been mentally impacted by COVID-19. In 2020, when the shutdown happened, students went from in person schooling to virtual learning which affected their academic education. Some students could not graduate on time, they were forced to stay home and get accustomed to this new way of learning. They were also impacted because they didn’t have the same access to mental health services. There was a disruption in their routines, stress in the home, and loss of socialization. Parents have struggled more than ever, especially mothers. When the shutdown occurred there was an increase in job loss, as well as a lack of childcare. The results of these economic changes have reported that 49 percent of women with children reported showing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

In conclusion, the statistics show that mental illness has increased significantly just from a survey of 5,470 people. Now imagine if we surveyed more people around the world. “Overall, 40.9 percent of 5,470 respondents who completed surveys during June reported an adverse mental or behavioral health condition, including those who reported symptoms of anxiety disorder or depressive disorder (30.9%), those with TSRD symptoms related to COVID-19 (26.3 percent), those who reported having started or increased substance use to cope with stress or emotions related to COVID-19 (13.3%), and those who reported having seriously considered suicide in the preceding 30 days (10.7 percent)” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This report showed that 13% of adults experienced new mental health illnesses. Add that to the number of people around the world that already had preexisting mental illnesses. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many of American’s mental health status in one way or another. It is still happening today. This is a worldwide issue, and we need to be more aware of the negative effects that have impacted most people worldwide. 

     Some people don’t agree with students receiving resources from schools because that’s their taxes going to something they don’t think should be their issue. In general, the majority of people feel that their federal taxes are too high and they shouldn’t have to pay that much (Gallup). This shows that people, no matter what the money is going towards, feel that taxes are already too high and the thought of higher taxes for the policy would not be a popular one. For example, a town that is predominantly elderly people may not feel the need to put money towards school funding. They could vote for their tax money to go to things more beneficial to them, leaving the schools without money and resources, which puts students at a disadvantage. This could become a major problem, especially during the pandemic because students aren’t only being deprived of resources while they’re at school, they’re even more deprived when schools are virtual. Although this scenario isn’t likely, it could be a possibility. 
    The article Funding Education written by Michigan Radio goes into detail about things that students could be deprived of if funding was limited. In the article it states that the school district would make meals only available to certain students, only allow special education students to ride buses, laying off teachers, increasing class size, ceasing extracurricular activities such as music and sports, and other detrimental changes to the district. Many of the resources just listed contribute greatly to the mental health of students. Many parents stated in a poll that the drastic change in routine greatly affected their children’s mental health (KERA). Things like not being able to do their favorite sport or be around their favorite people caused them to stop enjoying school and life in general. 

          Mental health affects not just people in our community, it affects people worldwide, whether we recognize it or not. Mental health takes a toll on our lives and it is important that we do recognize this and seek help when we need it.

            Organizations such as National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), World Health Organization (WHO), Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), and other organizations, are centered around mental health. Being aware of these resources that are available to people struggling with mental health issues and gaining the support of these major organizations will greater emphasize our goal. 

            The support of political leaders will help us reach our goal as well. The Federal and State governments have set in place regulations and protections for mental health. Throughout the pandemic, there has been an increase of students with mental health issues and there will need to be new regulations and protections in place. 

          Building relationships with the community members will also help our group accomplish our goal. Creating “people power” through connecting with one another will be one of our strongest advantages. Power is not a thing but a relationship. The more relationships our group members make, the stronger we will be in our movement.

     Schools have services for the students, but they should be more accessible. Most students don’t utilize the counseling services even when they are struggling. In a study for an attempt to see the implications of COVID-19, they interviewed and surveyed 195 students at a public university. “Among those who perceived increased stress and anxiety, only 10 (5%) used mental health counseling services” (Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study, Changwon). This could indicate that students are not aware of the services they have. To fix this, schools should enforce a policy that requires each student to complete a survey based on the status of their mental health in order to register for classes. This would ensure that each student is not skipping past the survey. Then, the student will be led to a page where they can set up an appointment with a counselor. If the student chooses not to set up an appointment, they will be emailed the contact information for the counseling services so it can be easily accessed at any time they need.

     Since not all students will feel comfortable enough to speak to a counselor, there needs to be many options. Another beneficial solution would be using small groups in classrooms to help students gain a deeper connection with their classmates. Students are more likely to confide in a friend than in an adult. If the student feels comfortable enough with a classmate, they are more apt to reach out to them for help. Also, with small groups, teachers are able to observe the students more to get a sense of how they are doing. In universities for example, the classrooms have so many students and it would be hard for the professor to notice if a student is really struggling. Smaller classes would help the issue of mental health because students would be more likely to interact and open up to each other if they are in a small group setting (Educators are key in protecting student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, Becker). 

     The last solution is to set up support groups within the schools. It can sometimes feel intimidating talking one on one with a counselor. Some students may avoid this uncomfortable situation, especially if they’ve never attended counseling before. A support group would allow students who don’t feel comfortable in that type of environment to have the chance to talk and open up to other students. A group setting could be a more effective setting for some. Support groups would not be offered instead of counseling, but as a second option, to capture more students. It’s much easier to face life struggles with other people who can listen and relate, than alone. A group would give the student comfort in knowing that they are not alone. Participants are not only able to receive advice, but also have the chance to offer advice and a listening ear to others. (The benefits of teen support groups, 2017).

How will we take action?

• Setting up support groups within schools.
• Text the suicide hotline if you or someone you know needs help. (800)-273-8255
• Reaching out to school boards to put the policies into play. https://bcschools.net/budget-and-salary-transparency-reporting/85-about-us/board-of-education/board-members 
• Conducting a go fund me page to help raise money so schools can afford to have certified counselors to help the students.

Take the poll above to let us know if COVID-19 has negatively affected your mental health. Always remember that your mental health is important and there are services available to you. 

Becker, Marty Swanbrow. “Educators Are Key in Protecting Student Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Brookings, Brookings, 24 Feb. 2021, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/02/24/educators-are-key-in-protecting-student-mental-health-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/. 

Erb, Robin. “Mental Health Crisis: Children at Breaking Point during COVID.” Michigan Radio, 1 July 2021, https://www.michiganradio.org/news/2021-07-01/mental-health-crisis-children-at-breaking-point-during-covid. 

Insight Treatment Staff. “The Benefits of Teen Support Groups: Teenage Counseling Services.” Insight Treatment, 16 Aug. 2018, https://insighttreatment.com/benefits-teen-support-groups/. 

Son, Changwon, et al. “Effects of COVID-19 on College Students' Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study.” Journal of Medical Internet Research, JMIR Publications Inc., Toronto, Canada, https://www.jmir.org/2020/9/e21279/. 

Productions, SDI, et al. “In Therapy, Teen Boy Shares Life Experiences with Group Stock Photo.” Getty Images, https://www.gettyimages.no/photos/teen-group-discussion?assettype=image&phrase=teen+group+discussion&sort=mostpopular&license=rf%2Crm. 

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/

https://heinonline-org.ezproxy.delta.edu/HOL/Page?collection=covidcol&handle=hein.crs/govblhhd0001&id=2&men_tab=srchresults

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/

https://www.change.org/p/kate-hoey-let-s-make-a-change-in-parliament 

Nirmita Panchal, R. K., & 2021, M. (2021, May 25). Mental health and substance use considerations among children during the covid-19 pandemic. KFF. from https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/mental-health-and-substance-use-considerations-among-children-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, August 13). Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic - United States, June 24–30, 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm#:~:text=Younger%20adults%2C%20racial%2F,and%20elevated%20suicidal%20ideation.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, August 13). Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic - United States, June 24–30, 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm#:~:text=Younger%20adults%2C%20racial%2F,and%20elevated%20suicidal%20ideation.

Michigan Radio | By Stateside Staff. (2020, April 7). Staying afloat during the mental health challenges of covid-19. Michigan Radio. Retrieved, from https://www.michiganradio.org/health/2020-04-06/staying-afloat-during-the-mental-health-challenges-of-covid-19.