Mental health aspect of Covid-19 pandemic ‘will be huge’
THE MENTAL health aspect of the Covid-19 pandemic will be huge according to one of the county’s most well-known and respected GPs.
Dr Bill Lynch, who runs the very successful Enniscorthy Medical Centre, told this newspaper that the significance of the mental health aspect of the pandemic is that it’s something that is not age-restrictive and will be felt ‘across the board’.
‘It’s affecting a young age group, children and teenagers,’ he said.
Dr Lynch highlighted the lack of real, face-to-face social interaction as being one of the key points that is leading to mental health issues in young people.
‘We are getting a lot of calls for support and it’s in relation to a lot of young people,’ he said.
At the moment a lot of medical consultations in all practices are being done over the phone or by video link and Dr Lynch highlighted the importance of face-to-face consultation, not just for physical medical issues, but also in relation to people presenting with mental health issues.
Dr Lynch said that while the current situation is not normal for anyone in society, young people are going though their own particular stresses because of how it has affected their
normal routine of interaction with school friends, sports activities and general social interaction.
He said GPs are referring patients presenting with mental health issues to local groups likes Its Good 2 Talk and other stage agencies which can offer assistance in that area.
‘ There are people who benefit from mental health support but that is only after careful consideration,’ said Dr Lynch.
He said there are people who experience acute stress reaction to their current situation and that going forward, even when the country comes out of the pandemic, there will be mental health issues to deal with for many people in society.
Dr Lynch also said there has been a noticeable increase in people presenting with mental health issues since Christmas particularly with young people and teenagers.
He also said that while the measures imposed in Ireland in general might not have been as tough as in other countries the fact the Irish are very sociable by nature is a factor fuelling the increase in mental health issues.
‘By our very nature we are sociable people so I think in general we are taking it tougher than in some other European countries because we are a very sociable,’ he said.
Dr Lynch also said life experience is a factor in helping older people deal with the pressures and stress of lockdown compared to those who are younger.
‘Young people have not been around as long as older people and they don’t have the same life experiences,’ he said.
He highlighted the first target group who received their vaccinations, the over 85s, as being a case in point.
‘ The group that got their vaccinations, those over 85, were around in the ‘30s and they experienced real hardship so they are much more resilient in the face of this pandemic,’ said Dr Lynch.
‘Young people have less life experience and life tools to help them deal with it,’ he added.
Dr Lynch said that while on the one hand people have never been more connected in terms of technology and conversing with one another through digital means ‘ there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction’.
He also said that because of technology people have ‘a tsunami of health information coming at them’ but he emphasised the importance of getting information only from reliable sources.
‘People need to ensure the information they are getting is accurate and from reputable sites and state agencies,’ he said.
Dr Lynch said that while we will get through the pandemic and the rollout of vaccinations is to be very much welcomed people will need to look out for one another going forward.
He said the sight of elderly people almost skipping into the surgery to get their vaccinations was indicative of how much pressure everyone has been under during the lockdown, especially in terms of no social interaction.
However, he emphasised that many young people are particularly vulnerable at the moment through no fault of their own. He said that like everyone they’ve never experienced anything like this before but it’s because they are young with little life experience that some of them feel under pressure and that’s adding to their stress.
While the vaccinations are welcome it looks like mental health services will never have been as important than in the months ahead.
WE ARE GETTING A LOT OF CALLS FOR SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND TEENAGERS; IT’S ACROSS THE BOARD AND IT’S A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE