By: Jessica Taylor, LPC
How COVID-19 is Causing Higher Rates of Depression in Healthcare Workers
The negative impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the mental health of our healthcare workers are just now starting to fully come to light; and it is likely that this impact will be one that is lasting. We have already seen an increase in the presence of post-traumatic stress and burnout in our frontline healthcare workers. In addition, a study done in April of 2020 found that 29% percent of the healthcare workers interviewed were experiencing mild symptoms of depression. 17% of them were experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of depression. And 5% of those healthcare workers were experiencing suicidal ideations. These statistics are alarming, especially considering that most of our frontline healthcare workers are expected to continue “pushing through,” working to treat patients of the disease, despite any mental health issues they are experiencing.
If you are a healthcare worker during this unprecedented time, it is important for you to know that risk factors that contribute to depression, the signs of depression, and what you can do about it if you are feeling depressed.
Signs of Depression
Depression does not look the same from person to person. Sometimes the symptoms of depression are blatant. Other times, it is only a few ‘sneaky’ signs that slowly start showing up.
- Changes in appetite
- Sudden weight gain or weight loss
- Changes in quality and/or quantity of sleep
- Exhaustion
- Intrusive negative thoughts
- Thoughts of suicide
- Isolation from others
- Loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed
- Lack of concentration
- Lack of motivation
- Increase in irritability or anger
Risk Factors for Healthcare Workers
The research regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our healthcare workers is ongoing, but here are some of the risk factors that appear to be negatively contributing to mental health issues in frontline healthcare workers.
- Lack of social supports/isolation from family and friends
- Longer/more frequent shifts
- Fear of transmitting the disease to loved ones
- Traumatic experiences at work are happening more frequently
What You Can Do if You Are Struggling with Depression
- Try to implement self-care and coping strategies
- Take a moment to check-in with your body right now by asking yourself these questions: How has your sleep hygiene been lately? Are you drinking enough water throughout the day? What do meals and snacks look like?
- Sometimes it probably feels like there are not enough hours in the day to engage in self-care. But engaging in the activities that help you feel ‘recharged’ are essential to being the employee, friend, and family member that you want to be.
- The easiest way to think about coping with symptoms of depression is making sure that you are doing the opposite (action) of what your depression ‘wants’ you to do. For example, if you are feeling so down that you want to stay in bed all day, get up and take a shower instead. If you are experiencing negative thoughts about needing to isolate yourself, call a friend or ask your partner to watch a movie with you.
- Seek help from a professional
- Meeting with a counselor will provide you a space to process all the thoughts, feelings and experiences you might be holding in for fear of burdening loved ones. In addition, your therapist will hold you accountable in making sure that you are taking care of your body’s basic needs and engaging in self-care on a regular basis.
*If you are feeling suicidal, call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255).