Mental Health and the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the entire world to take drastic measures in order to prevent mass infection and death. One of the measures taken by many countries was the lockdowns, which prevented people from going outside unless they had essential jobs or very pressing matters to attend to. During this time people were isolated from the outside world, and that put a mental strain on everyone. Many individuals developed mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, etc. and those who already had pre-existing mental conditions got worse. People with a negative mental state were more prone to diseases and health problems, including COVID-19.
Vaccination Problems for Individuals with Mental Illnesses
Individuals with mental illness are more likely to have chronic health problems, putting them more at risk of COVID infection and death. Many of these health problems also make it impossible for this group of people to get vaccinated because of the unknown effects the COVID vaccine may have on their mental and physical health. There are also many people who take a number of prescribed medications for their pre-existing mental conditions and getting vaccinated may have unknown and potentially life threatening side effects. A few studies have been conducted to ensure the safety of patients taking certain prescribed medication, but for most mixes of medication COVID vaccination remains uncertain and therefore dangerous.
Anti-Vaccine Movements’ Impact on Mental Health
Many individuals with mental illness also find the vaccine itself to be worrying, even if they aren’t taking any medication, because of the paranoia and stress caused by anti-vaccine movements. It’s important to note that while science can debunk these conspiracies, this group of people may still feel unsafe and uncomfortable getting a vaccine without being able to understand how the vaccine itself works and its benefits.
Vaccination and Mental Well-Being
There are a few studies that have been conducted in various parts of the world that give a better insight on the mental state of the participants before and after having taken the COVID vaccine. These studies should provide some knowledge and insight as to how individuals reacted when they were given the vaccine and how getting vaccinated affected them in general. Overall, each of these studies found that the participants who got vaccinated experienced better mental health, lower risks of infections, lower hospitalization rates and lower death rates.
