Is Covid 19 Causing A Mental Health Crisis

Many of you might have noticed the scary mental health statistics recently. Both depression and suicide rates have been creeping up during the Coronavirus pandemic and domestic violence rates are through the roof. This isn’t exactly a good thing for long-term longevity.

Mental health issues have long been correlated with physical health issues, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and generalised inflammation. Even cancer and autoimmune diseases are often underpinned with previous episodes of low mood, stress, anxiety and other mental health problems.

Because of the clear correlation between mental health and physical health, I’ve made it my mission for the next few months to focus on mental health and how it underpins health in general. In these next few months, I will be speaking to experts in various areas of mental health as well as with regular people who have managed to make the best of not so great situations to improve their own health and happiness.

I’ve also spoken to many people who gained weight, became depressed, are anxious every morning about what life will now bring, have lost their sex drive (in fact I was on Talk Radio last week speaking about this topic) and have generally seen a reduction in their health overall. It’s easy in times of crisis to get bogged down by the negative details of life. It’s true that we are now in very uncertain times. The economy is struggling and there are so many people on the edge of losing their jobs that it can hurt your soul to focus on it, not to mention feel you with fear, boredom, anxiety and depression. But if you give into these negative emotions for very long, unfortunately what comes next is a too rapid downward spiral that leads you to a path that can compromise both your happiness and your health.

What I propose isn’t to isolate yourself from real life and pretend the negative isn’t happening; rather it’s to accept that we are currently in a crisis, while to not accept that crisis into your own life. This means finding some way, whatever it is – and I will show you many ways during this series – to reframe the negative and find the little bit of light hiding within the darkness.

Today’s guest to help me help you onto that path of improved mental health and improved health overall is Dr Bonnie Schneider.

Dr. Bonnie Schneider, believes there is no greater wealth than health, including our emotional and psychological well-being. She earned a Masters and Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University in NY and has worked in a number of settings including: an inpatient unit, psychiatric emergency room, addiction centre, college counselling centre and analytic institute.

Bonnie currently sees individuals in private practice working from a psychodynamic perspective and you can find out more about her and her work here: http://drbonnieschneider.com.
During our interview Bonnie reflects on her professional and personal experiences to share her perspectives and insights on the challenges COVID and lockdown have brought.

If you have any questions on how to work towards better health during this crisis, please book a free 30 minute call with Julia here.

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