As the U.K. enters its 14th week of lockdown measures, Lincoln residents with mental health problems have had a separate battle, as the pandemic leaves its mark on society mentally, as well as physically.
On 24 March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced unprecedented restrictions, confining members of the public to their homes, wherever possible.
The regulations have saved many lives, with disease modelling showing that hundreds of thousands more people may have died if the lockdown wasn’t issued.
However, this comes at a price. Self-isolating has caused the number of mental health self-referrals to increase.
In interviews with The Linc, a handful of people with and without a diagnosed mental illness shared their experiences of isolation and the impact it’s had on them mentally.
For privacy reasons, they will remain anonymous.
“It is an unknown terrain that no one has navigated before,” said one person with a mental health problem. “It is easy to feel alone because we cannot connect with people the ways we used to. It brings value to the intimate moments with people that we are missing. It is harder to maintain friendships through mobile devices.”
They have relied on mental health support from medical professionals.
Another person said the situation has impacted on their mental health as well, despite not having a mental illness: “I had way more breakdowns because I wasn’t productive and doing any work during this pandemic […] and then that caused me to stress even more about the future and work.”
Both of them agree that the awareness of mental health during the pandemic has been highlighted in a limited sense, and that it could be conveyed in the form of adverts or other mediums with a wider audience, for those who wish to acknowledge and seek help.
“I do believe it should be advertised more on social media […] because people are going through a hard time and it should be spoken more about,” said one person. “People, stories and what they are going through is mostly spoken about, but the least spoken about is where to get the help and how.”
The deterioration of mental health under the lockdown restrictions has increased demand for support.
Chris Higgins, director of operations at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT), said: “For many of our services, we have not seen a significant difference in the numbers of people accessing LPFT since the pandemic has started. However, we have seen an increase in self-referrals and the use of self-help materials. As the situation evolves, there may be more people feeling isolated or vulnerable and in need of mental health and wellbeing support.
“We want to reiterate that our services are still here for anyone who needs us.”
Katarzyna Iwańczuk via Pexels.com
Mental health charities also provide support and help connect people to the NHS. Lisa Gibson works with Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service to connect people to community resources that will improve their health and well-being.
She said the charity has had to set itself up for the impact the pandemic may have by introducing more staff members: “During the pandemic we have had five new Social Prescribing Link workers start with us. […] This is an exciting development and will ensure that people who perhaps don’t fit neatly into an existing service will receive support.”
All mental health support services are carefully looking to the future, as the U.K. edges its way out of lockdown restrictions, unsure of what to expect.
If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health problems, you can find the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at this link and the Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service at this link.
For nationwide support, you can reach out to Samaritans for help by clicking this link or calling 116 123 for free.