GP warns of rise in mental health issues post Covid
WHILE VACCINATIONS GIVE HOPE MENTAL HEALTH IS A CONCERN
MENTAL HEALTH will be a huge issue when the country comes out of lockdown according to one of the county’s most respected GPs.
Dr Billy Lynch, who runs the Enniscorthy Medical Centre, told this newspaper there has been a marked increase in the number of young people presenting with mental health issues since Christmas and he said it’s an area of concern ‘across the board’.
He said face-to-face social interaction is very important for everyone’s mental health and wellbeing and that young people don’t have the life experience of the elderly.
Dr Lynch said that the fact the Irish are very sociable by nature is adding to the stress and pressure people are under as they try to cope with lockdown.
A MENTAL illness epidemic has broken out across County Wexford as the strain of lockdowns is driving people to depression.
Dr John Cox has been appointed to the Mental Health Commission for a one-year term and says urgent action is needed to address a mental health epidemic in the country.
Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People made Mary Butler the announcement on Thursday after Dr Cox was nominated by the Irish College of General Practitioners.
The Fethard-on-Sea based GP is past Chairman of the Board of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) and past Chairman and Provost of the RCGP Republic of Ireland Faculty. He presently sits on the council of the ICGP and is Secretary of the ICGP Wexford Faculty.
Dr Cox is a GP trainer with the HSE South East Training Scheme and was previously a director of the Irish Heart Foundation.
The Mental Health Commission’s main functions are to promote, encourage and foster high standards and good practices in the delivery of mental health services and to protect the interests of patients who are involuntarily admitted.
There are a variety of types of mental health services which are provided in both in-patient and community settings in Ireland. Services include general adult mental health services, as well as mental health services for children and adolescents, older people, people with intellectual disabilities and forensic mental health services.
Dr Cox said further supports are needed for people who are struggling with months of unemployment and a lack of socialisation.
‘I am delighted and deeply honoured after I stepped down as chairperson of the GP association,’ Dr Cox said. ‘People’s mental health is in a very bad place at the moment. We are dealing with a lot of mental health issues in all age groups. We have the elderly who would be the most extraordinary group. Many of them would have gone to the day care in Ramsgrange which has been closed since the first lockdown. Many have early onset dementia. This is putting huge pressure, usually on the spouses who are trying to care for them.’
People in their teens and twenties are also feeling a loss of purpose in their lives.
Dr Cox said he saw one patient who was used to playing regular sport, which has now stopped, and whose job has more or less shut down due to Covid.
‘All this has had a very negative impact on his relationship and he is now on a low dose of anti-depressants. That, for me, has been a wake-up call. People like him would only ever previously been in with me for a sports injury. He has been a victim of what is going on and I’ve had young ladies in who want to do their exams but are in an awful state about how lockdown is leading to social isolation.’
Like all GPs, Dr Cox has been referring patients to counsellors and he has criticised the inaction of politicians in delivering enough mental health supports for people.
‘While politicians are very quick to look for a new cath lab; politicians can become very
exercised about that. Mental health doesn’t get the same treatment and it doesn’t seem to have the same grip on people’s mentality.’
Dr Cox said there is still a stigma surrounding poor mental health.
‘People have come a long way but there still would be a stigma around mental health. I have even found people who would be very anxious that someone would write down notes at the practice about their mental health, that it would cause problems; whereas they’d have no problem coming in and having notes written about a sprained ankle. All of these issues have been brought into much sharper relief.’
Dr Cox said more needs to be done to provide supports to people, many of whom have been made temporarily unemployed due to the pandemic.
‘I think we could do more for people with mental health issues, definitely. Certainly in the content of the current Covid pandemic. We have a major problem on our hand. Initially it could be to increase the availability of the counselling in Primary Care services which is available to adults over 18 years who are medical card holders and experiencing mild to moderate psychological and emotional difficulties, such as depression, anxiety, panic reactions, relationship problems, loss issues, stress.
‘At the moment there is a waiting list to get seen on that. That is one practical thing we could do and obviously you could reach out to people directly through the media to say that it’s OK to feel vulnerable at this stage and encourage anyone who has had mental health issues to phone their doctors. People say they feel bad about calling because of how busy we are with Covid but if you are feeling morbid about small things and not sleeping well and are depressed, pick up the phone and call us. We are here to help and can direct people to counselling and can see them,’ he said.
Unlike the mental health crisis that arose following the 2009 recession, the current crisis is different in its impact.
‘2009 was a terrible time, I think mainly because it all happened so suddenly. People who found themselves doing so well financially found themselves almost in a state of ruin in the space of a few months. This is a more gradual attrition; a wearing down of people’s mental health.’
Dr Cox said as a member of the Mental Health Commission, he and his colleagues will look more closely at what supports can be provided.
‘It obviously has to be done through education and through the media.’