The COVID-19 pandemic has brought changes to all of our lives, but few expected it would last for so long and continue to shape our current reality.
Gabriel Pust had a difficult time due to the pandemic during his high school years.
“I was always at home, so the lockdown meant I lost touch with a lot of my friends and contacts in academia,” said Pust, 19, who is currently a student at Stevens Institute of Technology.
“I had to wear a mask when I met my friends, but I felt it was more difficult to communicate because I couldn’t recognize facial expressions.”
Research supported by National Institute of Mental Health They found that teenagers' brains aged about three years during the 10-month pandemic. This study shows how adolescent brains are negatively affected when exposed to traumatic events like COVID-19.
Researchers collected data through MRI scans of adolescents ages 13 to 17 and observed how their brains developed over time before and after the pandemic. The study found that teens reported more anxiety and depression after the pandemic.
COVID-19 and mental health
Premature aging tends to occur in the brains of teenagers who have experienced traumatic events. Rapid premature aging can lead to anxiety, depression, and addiction.
A 10-year survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that students' mental health continues to decline. However, the 2021 data revealed a shocking and different experience after COVID-19.
data It was found that women had worse mental health. The proportion of women who seriously considered attempting suicide, made a suicide plan, or attempted suicide all increased in 2021.
This is a global problem. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the pandemic has led to a 25% increase in anxiety and depression. Younger people and women were at higher risk of self-harming behavior and suicide.
Rebecca Whitesell, a school counselor at my school, Tatnall School, a college preparatory school in Delaware, USA, says we need to be cautious about the data.
“I know the trend is that there are more women, but I think there’s one aspect to that,” Whitesell said. She said: “The data shows that girls are more susceptible to this, but it seems to be underreported in boys.”
Gender and Infectious Diseases
Underreporting may occur because teenage males feel less comfortable sharing their feelings. This is partly because society has created a negative stigma around men talking about their well-being, and men often think it's a sign of weakness.
“COVID has exacerbated everything kids were going through before the pandemic,” Whitesell said. “What I’ve seen is not only that anxiety is getting worse, but kids who have never experienced mental health issues are coming out of the pandemic with more anxiety and depression.”
Human interaction can reduce these mental health problems.
Samiha Islam is a graduate student majoring in clinical psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she has studied mental illness and the challenges that come with it.
“The number one way isolation affects teens is not having as much social contact with friends, classmates or sports,” Islam said. “This kind of social contact and support is very important for mental health, especially for teenagers.”
Overcoming the loneliness of lockdown
This can help you have structure in your life, such as a regular schedule, consistent meal times, and scheduled activities. “Otherwise it would be hurtful to teenagers and now teenagers tend to fill their time using TikTok and other social media which can be detrimental to their mental health,” Islam said.
During lockdowns and quarantines, teens have turned their attention to TikTok and other social media platforms designed to shorten attention spans and be addictive. Since teenagers often used social media in their spare time, this also had an impact on their mental health.
SSocial Media Can Have Negative Effects Teenage self-esteem. Teens may feel dissatisfied with their bodies compared to how they see themselves online. Excessive use of social media has been linked to sleep problems, attention problems, and cyberbullying-related depression.
“During the pandemic, a lot of teens were actually using social media and were more engaged on social media because they had more time,” Islam said. “Now you can see it scrolling all day long.”
This was the case during Gabriel Pust's epidemic. “To keep busy during lockdown, we spent less time on productive activities and more time on entertainment,” Pust said.
Islam said there must be a good balance between social media, social interaction and staying safe. Although we need to take precautions to stay physically healthy, we need to remember that being mindful and having a healthy mindset is equally important.
“The question has often been, ‘What is more important?’” Islam said. “Protecting ourselves from the virus by physically isolating ourselves? Or is it more important to be socially active and still enjoy life?”