According to WHO, “Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or

her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully,
and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” Mental health includes our
emotional, psychological, and social well-being which affects how we think, feel, act and helps
determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices (1).
Mental Health is an integral part of our psychological state. It is not just the absence of mental
disorders or illness, but the overall well-being and the state of emotional sustainability of an
individual (2). Mental health is very important as it affects our cognitive abilities,
productiveness, behavior and influences other aspects of our daily life. Furthermore, it influences
how a person would respond to any given situation.
Naturally, people tend to stress over abnormal, unusual or unfamiliar situations which makes a
person more susceptible to mental health disorders. There are various types of mental health
disorders, such as-
 Anxiety disorder
 Depressive disorder
 Bipolar mood disorder
 Obsessive compulsive disorder
 Schizophrenia
Besides these, numerous other mental health disorders affect the soundness of one's mental
health.
Covid-19 has made a dyer impact on every aspect of the world. More importantly, it has put a
heavy mental strain on every person on the planet today. As everyone reacts differently to
stressful situations, just as so everyone will respond to this pandemic differently, depending on
background, community, financial solvency and a huge range of other factors. As mental health
has various aspects to it aside from the mental illness stigmas, various states of stress and mental
detrition is further expected to be seen during this awful ordeal. This unprecedented event
instigates a combination of fear and stress from uncertainty, which is not unlike the high-strung
mental state of people during a war. This ordeal has brought upon a challenging phase for us
mentally and physically by bringing in prodigious amounts of pressure and precariousness
besides the harm it's causing to the affected people.
The mental health issues that people are facing during this pandemic is a huge predicament. In
this pandemic, anxiety disorder has become more widespread among all other mental health
illnesses.
At present, most people are in a constantly excessive state of anxiousness and fear. This is
ultimately developing situations similar to anxiety disorder. Not only that, it is getting harder to
handle for people who have already been diagnosed with anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder
involves distress and disability from abnormal amounts of worry and fear (3). It causes excessive
worry and fear that affects our thoughts, feelings, and even displays physical symptoms, like
shortness of breath, racing heart and sweating, sometimes even headaches and high blood
pressure. All anxiety is not bad anxiety. Low or normal levels of anxiety may act as a motivator
that keeps people more cautious on maintaining personal hygiene and prohibit themselves from
going out. In this case, however, due to this obsessive anxiety, it can diminish one's mental
peace. As people are strictly advised to be in home quarantine, it is natural to feel lonely and
depressed, especially for the elderly, since they are more likely to be affected and sustain more
damage from the virus.
As we are prone to social gatherings and meeting people, social distancing and lockdown can
take a mental toll on us. It is more intense for people who are naturally very fond of interacting.
Even though this new normal is in motion to keep people physically sound it is proving to have
some negative effects on our mental health. Anxiety is also seen among people who generally
fail or take time to cope-up with new situations. Anxiety disorder includes panic disorder which
is characterized by recurring panic attacks, that is, sudden and intense rushes of extreme fear or
discomfort that gradually increases within minutes (4). Presently, the rampant frustration and
anxiety of being affected by the virus or losing someone close may cause people, even those who
were never diagnosed with it, to experience panic attacks.
Mental health illnesses like depressive disorder and bipolar mood disorder are also evident.
The tension of being affected, financial uncertainty, job-security alongside the dramatic
transformation of home quarantine, lockdown, social distancing, disruption of normal routine,
etc. can easily put any person in a highly depressive state. More and more people are feeling
hopeless, miserable, ruminating and helpless to a great extent. During such a grim situation, it's
very natural to experience a variety of emotions. In case of bipolar mood disorder, a person
would feel extreme emotional highs and lows unexpectedly. Meaning, one moment people might
feel relaxed and content, and may feel anxious and alone the next (5).
It has been clear that as the number of cases for the covid-19 climb, anxiety, fear and depression
and other such negative emotions are also rising within people. In order to cope with the
incremental negativities of mental health among the world populace presently, some useful and
applicable ideas that can help to adjust with the current dreadful situation are listed below-
 Creating positive new routines to keep one motivated.
 Staying informed about the dos and don’ts.
 Managing social media and information intakes.
 Taking a break from reading, watching or listening to news about the coronavirus.
 Getting a good amount of quality sleep.
 Staying connected with friends and family through social media, text message or call will
help combat loneliness.
 Eating healthy and well-balanced meals.
 Meditating and exercising regularly can effectively reduce stress.
 Taking up new hobbies or engaging in activities one enjoys.
 Avoiding alcohol and drug intakes.
To conclude, during this pandemic, many mental health problems have been evident that are
deteriorating mental soundness in widespread among people. Therefore, the ways suggested by
many health organizations or institutions should be followed to reduce risk of covid-19 and
mental health problems.
References:
1. Mentalhealth.gov. What is mental health [Internet]. 2019. Available from:
https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health
2. WHO. Mental Health. 2018; Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-
sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
3. American Psychiatric Association. Anxiety Disorder. 2017; Available from:
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/anxiety-disorders/what-are-anxiety-disorders
4. Khan Academy. Panic Disorder. Available from:
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/mental-health/anxiety/a/what-
are-anxiety-disorders
5. Sharp Health News. Bipolar Mood Disorder in Covid-19. 2020; Available from:
https://www.sharp.com/health-news/sadness-and-depression-during-self-quarantine.cfm