to think Covid is changing people in unusual and disturbing ways?

[tttigress]

Have you noticed Covid changing you friends? Effecting their mental health?

Couple of examples of friends who have been very vocal on social media:

Friend1:
previously: quite left wing, into animal rights.
now: sees Covid as a scam, posting stuff from right ring/conspiracy oriented sites, attended a protest where people like David Icke was in attendance, many comments about "do your own research, don't listen to the main stream media"

Friend2:
previously: quite relaxed (maybe too relaxed), bit of a stoner, bit of a drinker, life of the part, quite sociable.
now: hardly leaves the house due to Covid, thinks people should wear masks at all times - even when outside, thinks people are taking Covid nowhere near seriously enough, thinks the media is underplaying Covid, thinks doctors are underplaying Covid etc. Although they think their life is in imminent danger from Covid still smokes and drinks at home

I am am bit concerned about the mental health crisis Covid could be causing

Yes everyone has gone loopy.

@GreenlandTheMovie I agree, it does seem like a sort of social experiment, which has been rushed through without much thought about the consequences. I know I've become more isolated- previously liking to go on long walks, runs & cycle rides, and being pretty sociable, I now seem to spend a lot of time in front of my computer. Let's hope we can return to some sort of normality soon, although I doubt things will be completely normal for some time to come..

I actually can't believe there's people here slagging off people finding a pandemic tough. I have seen my mum and brother once since last Christmas. I haven't seen the rest of my family. You think I'm supposed to be saying 'oh but at least I have modern comforts?!'

@stayathomer

I actually can't believe there's people here slagging off people finding a pandemic tough. I have seen my mum and brother once since last Christmas. I haven't seen the rest of my family. You think I'm supposed to be saying 'oh but at least I have modern comforts?!'

Why are you surprised? it's been the same since April. You're not allowed to express feelings that you're finding it hard or whatever because either PEOPLE ARE DYING or other people lived through a war.

And this perverse self-hatred that people peddle that the UK is a nation of moaners and people in every other country are skipping around their business thoroughly loving the lockdown. (Irrespective of mass protests against them, across the globe).

THAT's the "unusual and disturbing" bit. Or maybe it just shows that a lot of people are a bit thick.

It's just the same kind of people who love to slag off the UK since Brexit etc...

People are complaining about lockdown everywhere, trust me. I have family in a country with barely any lockdown atm (basically similar rules to what we had in Summer, curfew, T&T, masks, distancing) and people are moaning about their kids having to do remote learning. I don't think any country is gleefully skipping through this.

Of course people are complaining everywhere. Like a previous poster, think it was @Gwenhwyfar, I am fluent in another European language and read press and forums from that country. People are complaining about ALL the same things we are complaining about here - being stuck inside, everything shut, lack of schooling, not seeing their family. I was on a Zoom call yesterday with people from the US, Canada, Germany and Norway and we were ALL moaning.

This attitude that the UK is always worst really hacks me off. Mostly because it's such utter bollocks.

This attitude that the UK is always worst really hacks me off. Mostly because it's such utter bollocks

You don't seem to have this attitude on other countries- do they moan on about their country and others being better? I don't think so. It is like a strange trait. Why be so negative about your own country.

I'm particularly worried about a friend who has underlying health issues which would probably cause her to fare badly if she caught covid. Her husband has become a full on conspiracy nut and has 'forbidden' her to have the vaccine becasue he has 'read stuff on facebook line'. DFriend isn't a shrinking violet but I know his attitude is causing her worries.

I feel like it's changed me too. I was a bit of a germaphobe before but I'm worse now. I'll be wearing a mask long after it is all over.

That is concerned about the controlling partner not letting the wife get the vaccine. I have seen threads on here about the opposite situation as well- one not letting the other go out for example and forcing to wear masks at home etc. It seems to be used as a form of coercive control and abuse- scary really. The isolation must make that easier to facilitate as well.

As I understand it, it shouldn't matter if a few people refuse (or are persuaded!) not to take the vaccine. As long as most of the population is immune, the disease can't spread anyway...

Friend’s DH was perfectly normal a year ago! He was furloughed and I think had too much time on his hands so has fallen down the conspiracy rabbit hole. DF is concerned about him. - think she’ll get the vaccine but feels a bit off doing it behind her DH’s back. Tzimi, she has some serious health issues, so would probably be better having a vaccine than relying on herd immunity.

@Tzimi

As I understand it, it shouldn't matter if a few people refuse (or are persuaded!) not to take the vaccine. As long as most of the population is immune, the disease can't spread anyway...

I think it does matter. Some people won't be able to have it for health reasons and it's not 100% effective for those that do. If you then add on those that refuse, we may still having unnecessary problems with CV for some time to come. Who knows how long that will be or how severe.

@knittingaddict We may not have a choice though! If some people can't have the vaccine for medical reasons, or if they refuse, there's nothing we can do. At least it's better than not having a vaccine at all. The experts can work out whether Covid is being tackled based on the uptake & the proportion of people developing immunity.

My SIL is a psychiatrist. Says she’s seeing terrifying levels of psychosis and mania in sections of the population that previously didn’t present to MH services. She describes it as “the shadow epidemic”.

@stayathomer

I actually can't believe there's people here slagging off people finding a pandemic tough. I have seen my mum and brother once since last Christmas. I haven't seen the rest of my family. You think I'm supposed to be saying 'oh but at least I have modern comforts?!'

Absolutely agree, slagging off the country for lack of resilience is a real cheek considering our mental health service is not fit for purpose. You can bet the people who say this also support cutting spending on services to help people be more resilient in the first place. In unprecedented times a whole nation's mental health comes under the microscope and now people are shocked that we are struggling. Well der...

I also think it's indicative of the English attitude to mental illness in general, just get a stiff upper lip, suppress your panic and carry on. Every tat shop in the country sells 'keep calm and carry on' trinkets, it's engrained into our national psyche to look down on others who are mentally ill and treat their diagnosis with a great deal of suspicion. There's a widespread view that strength of character can get you through any crisis. Thereby implying that those who struggle are weak and inferior.

@MostDisputesDieAndNoOneShoots

My SIL is a psychiatrist. Says she’s seeing terrifying levels of psychosis and mania in sections of the population that previously didn’t present to MH services. She describes it as “the shadow epidemic”.

This sent a chill through me. Mental health services are at risk of collapsing as it is.

I think it’s highlighted that a lot of people don’t have good risk assessment skills or are able to properly understand information/instruction.
You only need to look at some threads on here, constant questions of ‘can I do this?’, have so many people lost the ability to think for themselves?
Best part of a year in and we have posters bleaching groceries, never going out, do they not have TV or internet??
Obviously on MN there’s a limit to what you can say, but I’m often tempted to say get a bloody grip.

Another thing I don't agree with is closing down gyms. We all know that regular exercise boosts our immune system and helps us to fight off diseases. I think classifying them as non-essential businesses is wrong- they are essential for our health! As long as we apply social distancing & limit the number of people allowed in at any time, it should be fine. Ok, we can exercise outdoors, which is fine when the weather's nice, but what about in the winter?

It's not just gyms - most competitive sports in Britain except football have been wiped out, or become the preserve of elite/professional level for the best part of a year now.

Park run or your local 10k or triathlon is but a distant memory. And all the children who would have taken up their preferred sport and been encouraged by other kids at local level are missing out.

Mass participation sport has been absolutely decimated by this. My local running group is allowed to resume, but the guidelines are strict - no "mingling" ie talking, hanging around is permitted before or after the activity (which is limited to groups of 15 max), you have to "disperse" immediately after youre finished.

If this goes on for much longer, I think the way that a lot of people function socially will be permanently damaged.

@Tzimi Saint Boris himself said "we need to be fitter to resist the virus".

And in his great wisdom, the stupid fucker snatched away most people's regular exercise and sport.

They are talking about restarting junior parkrun, on the general grounds that the disease is almost always mild (or even asymptomatic) in that age group, and accompanying parents can spread out to a suitable distance from each other

Proper parkrun still seems a distant prospect (except perhaps on the Channel Islands/Isle of Man, where travel restrictions are different and tourists can't just turn up) as they have no control over numbers and the bigger parkruns often have more attending that permitted sports gathering sizes.

Some (paid, numbers controlled) running events are back, but no start line/gun time (all on chip time)

THAT's the "unusual and disturbing" bit. Or maybe it just shows that a lot of people are a bit thick.

maybe less thick than the ones who can't read a post properly?

if that helps: we have NOT been on lockdown since April. Not the UK at least. And we had a very relax lockdown. Which I think is a good thing personally. I reserve my sympathy for the families locked up in their homes for months, not even allowed to take their kids out.

And there's a difference between other countries not happy and loudly complaining against rules they are disagreeing with, which is fair enough,

and the moaning, drama queens who just enjoy making a big deal out of nothing which we have in this country. The UK is embarrassing, and has proven their complete lack of resilience (in general). It's not the same when someone is strongly refusing to wear a mask, or pissed off because it's a pain with glasses, and someone who is having vapour because they "can't" breath. Give me strength.

Fine, but when it's goes hand in hand with claiming they are a superior authority in the world and are drowning in the Brexit chaos... the days of GREAT Britain are long gone. Let's hope we can raise our kids to do a bit better.

I don’t think it’s a case of people “changing”. Their personalities haven’t changed, it’s just the way people are reacting to the pandemic in different ways. This has never happened in our lifetimes before so it hasn’t “changed” us.