Thinking covid anxiety is just as big a problem

[EeeICouldRipATissue]

I thought right from the start of the pandemic that all the lockdowns and constant stay at home messages would create a lot of mental health problems/anxiety and looking at some of the threads on here, and attitudes from some I know in real life, I think it's true.
Don't get me wrong, I have 100% stuck to all the rules right from the very beginning and always have (and will keep on doing so)
I know this isn't AIBU board, but AIBU to think covid anxiety and issues aren't being taken seriously enough or recognised?

HesterShaw1 that's an interesting perspective. Thank you.

I’ve suffered with generalised anxiety disorder and depression most of my life and yes, the lockdown wasn’t good for me at all.

However, I will say that I found being outside and worried about catching covid also set me off on panic attacks.

Then getting vaccinated set me off. And so on and so on.

So for me personally, I don’t think lack of lockdown would have made much difference. The unknown is a problem for people with anxiety disorders and the whole situation is an issue, rather than a specific part of it.

I have a friend who works with extremely vulnerable people with very serious mental health problems, and for them the whole thing has been a disaster… they been cut off from the meagre support systems that society provides to keep them afloat.

But, given that the country was not prepared for a pandemic in any way, shape or form I don’t know what the alternative could have been.

The only thing anywhere in the world that has stopped the spread of covid are tight border controls and obsessive tracking, tracing, testing and quarantine. Without those tools and no vaccine at the time, I do personally still think that there was no choice but to lock down,

Since the vaccine rollout? Different story

"the level of terror so many of us were feeling. "

Just to give an alternative on that view. I never felt terror. I never felt any sort of anxiety. Neither did anyone I know. We did what we were told to do and got on with it. On MN there are lots of people who felt like the above ie terror. But there are plenty that didn't. In my RL I know no one who did anything other than just getting on with it, the best they could.

@bofski14

What has shocked me is how our society has written the vulnerable off. All the people that were shielding are now expected to be back mixing in close contact and forget that they have been programmed to believe they will die from touching a door handle. I was shielding and I don't think I've ever felt so worthless. How many times I heard "bed wetter", "you hide behind your sofa and let the rest of us crack on". I felt like a burden. Whatever happened to #bekind?

I agree with this. I've felt this way all the way through and if I try and share how I feel I just get told that everyone else sacrificed for me and so I should shut up. Be kind indeed.

Covid is not what it was 2 years ago. 2 years ago the mortality rate was far higher and we had no vaccines. Now it has mutated to something far milder and most people have been vaccinated. This is progress. We can’t expect restrictions to remain the same.

From reading this board since the pandemic began, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon re:anxiety. It's seems okay to suffer anxiety related to masks, ongoing lockdowns, isolation, vaccinations - in fact, any kind of of mitigations really. What isn't okay is anxiety around coming out of lockdown, re-socialising, going back to work - even Covid itself. Why does this divide exist?

And this is apart from the healthy/CEV divide - another debate to be had.

@Dishh

From reading this board since the pandemic began, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon re:anxiety. It's seems okay to suffer anxiety related to masks, ongoing lockdowns, isolation, vaccinations - in fact, any kind of of mitigations really. What isn't okay is anxiety around coming out of lockdown, re-socialising, going back to work - even Covid itself. Why does this divide exist?

And this is apart from the healthy/CEV divide - another debate to be had.

Oh yes this 100%

The anti-masks dickheads can be anxious about the impact of a piece of cloth on civilisation, but if you worry your relative with blood cancer could die you're overreacting.

Yes I agree, I think that anxiety issues caused by the pandemic are awful. I really worry in particular for the elderly who will never recover from the enforced loneliness and will suffer with the resultant cognitive decline and also for the generation of children who were forced to stay at home instead of developing normally and developing a sense of self away from their parents, for which close relationships with a peer group at this critical developmental stage are needed. Plenty of kids are now being homeschooled as they are too anxious to go into school, talking about life not being worthwhile and wanting to commit suicide. CAMHS is so overstretched that it can only respond once suicide has been attempted, and child therapists are impossible to find. It is heartbreaking.

However it is too easy with hindsight to blame decisions made at the time to lockdown. If you remember, people were dying, bodies were literally piling up in some countries. If we hadn’t locked then I do believe things would have been much higher mortality rates. It’s awful that they used the scare tactic to enforce compliance particularly knowing what we know now about the people in government and what they were up to, I remember reading at the time that it was a strategy used because Brits aren’t compliant when given orders.

Let’s be grateful for everyone who got vaccinated and the scientists who developed the vaccines and the people that administered them that all enabled us to open up relatively safely again. Even track and trace which I abhorred going through at the time.

We are not through this pandemic yet in terms of mental health issues, if people can actively try to help others through their anxieties, dropping the desire to blame others, stop hating pro or anti- vaxxers etc, then that would be very helpful for moving things back towards normality.

Of course lessons need to be learnt in terms of government response and preparedness too, but we should focus on getting through this mental health recovery stage of the pandemic before we consider the pandemic over. That is a long way off.

Hugs to all still suffering with anxiety xxx

@Dishh

From reading this board since the pandemic began, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon re:anxiety. It's seems okay to suffer anxiety related to masks, ongoing lockdowns, isolation, vaccinations - in fact, any kind of of mitigations really. What isn't okay is anxiety around coming out of lockdown, re-socialising, going back to work - even Covid itself. Why does this divide exist?

And this is apart from the healthy/CEV divide - another debate to be had.

If you think it's always been ok on this board to suffer anxiety due to the experience of restrictions, you've not been paying enough attention.

@Oblomov22

"the level of terror so many of us were feeling. "

Just to give an alternative on that view. I never felt terror. I never felt any sort of anxiety. Neither did anyone I know. We did what we were told to do and got on with it. On MN there are lots of people who felt like the above ie terror. But there are plenty that didn't. In my RL I know no one who did anything other than just getting on with it, the best they could.

1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at any point in their life. It’s strange to not know a single person who has experienced anxiety but hey, I guess it’s possible. Perhaps they hide it well…? Perhaps they genuinely don’t have anxiety.

I find some people really patronising and dismissive towards those who have developed MH issues over the last 2 years. It’s not an active choice people make. It’s an illness. Just because I personally haven’t suffered doesn’t mean I cannot show empathy and understanding towards those who have.

This pandemic has shown how many people struggle to think about other peoples situations. For example, I don’t work in hospitality but I can see how devastating the impact the restrictions had on various businesses. I wouldn’t dream of making flippant comments to those people while their work places or businesses were closed. Attacking people who’ve developed clinical Mental health needs seems to be fair game though!

We are not through this pandemic yet in terms of mental health issues, if people can actively try to help others through their anxieties, dropping the desire to blame others, stop hating pro or anti- vaxxers etc, then that would be very helpful for moving things back towards normality.

Great comment @Choccorocco! So fed up of all the division and fighting. We need more consideration and tolerance so that people can start to be happy again.

I have zero antibodies and anxiety has nothing to do with my risk. My treatments knock out the vaccine and my condition is particularly bad for covid risk. I look fit and well so no one can know to avoid me.

I'd still be high risk if I was euphoric or rat arsed in a night club, or bored at work.

Covid doesn't give a shit how I feel. It's about prevalence and medical risk. If there's confusion about who's got covid due to no testing then clearly my risk goes up.

My partner's colleagues can now sit with him all day when they have covid. Same for my child's school mates. I am throwing the dice to hug her when she's back from school, or when partner has been at work.

I don't want anything except tests for people who want to help to stop spreading the virus. And pre infection protection used in other countries in place of the vaccine. We are the only group not offered pre infection protection despite being most vulnerable.

I will carry on with not going anywhere I don't have to. That means no hairdresser, dentist, friends' houses, cafes, fitness classes, travel, just essential appointments, walks with friends and zooms.

I would like people to be understanding and not think I'm unduly anxious when I turn down party invites, or if they see me in a mask.

I won't answer any responses as I find the goady stuff about 'you should have looked after yourself better and then you wouldn't have got sick' ,'stay at home if you're so scared' , 'why don't you eat x,y to 'boost your immunity? ,quite tedious after 2 years of this.
Believe me, I'm not enjoying this limbo, and I would be out like a shot if I was off treatment, but no hope for two years on that front.

The immunosuppressed can be healthy, they run and do sports often for charity. Transplant games etc. My drugs keep Me well. Healthy/ cev is a false dichotomy

Looks like I killed the thread?

@Dishh

From reading this board since the pandemic began, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon re:anxiety. It's seems okay to suffer anxiety related to masks, ongoing lockdowns, isolation, vaccinations - in fact, any kind of of mitigations really. What isn't okay is anxiety around coming out of lockdown, re-socialising, going back to work - even Covid itself. Why does this divide exist?

And this is apart from the healthy/CEV divide - another debate to be had.

My experience of reading this board since the beginning of the pandemic has been completely opposite. Almost as though we bring our own biases to what we read, isn’t it.

I think the problem is that many of the people with COVID anxiety think it is logical and don't recognise the fact that they are mentally ill, so they are unlikely to ever seek help/recover.

@SmellyWellyWoo

I think the problem is that many of the people with COVID anxiety think it is logical and don't recognise the fact that they are mentally ill, so they are unlikely to ever seek help/recover.

If the concern is well founded, then its not a MH condition.

If you, or someone in your household, is critically vulnerable or CEV, then it's really not helpful to be told to seek help.

Indeed it comes across as yet another attempt tomairbrush us out if the picture. This time as irrational 'other'

@nether Surely depends on your individual situation and the level to which you restrict your life?

[quote SmellyWellyWoo]@nether Surely depends on your individual situation and the level to which you restrict your life? [/quote]
So would I be an example of someone who is 'mentally ill' by saying it's rational to be very careful? You'd be disagreeing with advice I have had and studies of people on my specific drugs.

[quote SmellyWellyWoo]@nether Surely depends on your individual situation and the level to which you restrict your life? [/quote]
Which is why it is wrong to promote stereotypes that state that concern must be anxiety, and must therefore be a MH condition that needs intervention

@RichTeaRichTea

My experience of reading this board since the beginning of the pandemic has been completely opposite. Almost as though we bring our own biases to what we read, isn’t it.

Perhaps I used the wrong word. I meant that anxieties around mitigations like lockdowns, vaccinations and mask-wearing were rarely made fun of and minimised, when compared to anxieties about coming out of lockdown, re-socialising, and even Covid itself - almost always minimised. There are never any cushy flowers and hugs to be seen then. I'm surprised you haven't seen it.

@Dishh

I do see the divide you are getting at.

I was on a board full of flowers for people who were anti lockdown. Yet when I shared my very personal anecdotal reason for being pro lockdown, it was met with pretty cutting comments.

But equally, I was being quite cutting to those with anti lockdown sentiments.

So I think that would be called weaponisation of sympathy/mental health - which I’m I guilty of, as well as others.

I can’t really help my views, they are very strong and they are not going to change. And that’s the same for everyone. But I think - moving forward - it’s best to have compassion for all.k

I have seen some minimisation, and a few horrible comments, which I haven’t agreed with of course. However I’m also surprised that if you have been here since the beginning of the pandemic you managed to miss all the horrible comments and mocking towards anyone struggling with restrictions and lockdowns. Did you really miss “you’re only being asked to sit at home and watch Netflix”? (That was a mild example).

This is what I mean by bringing our biases, if you and I have missed large volumes of minimisation and nasty comments in opposite directions.

I was never scared about Covid. I had to always go to high risk work (WFH not possible), it made me “immune” to fears of covid very quickly. However I will not forget how people were left out of jobs and how so many livelihoods were irreversibly damaged by restrictions and find it very weird how it’s OK now to have covid and go to work. Feels so weird.