Rise in Psychosis cases in England linked with Stress of Pandemic

[Laika]

Full article from the Guardian...

Cases of psychosis have soared over the past two years in England as an increasing number of people experience hallucinations and delusional thinking amid the stresses of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There was a 75% increase in the number of people referred to mental health services for their first suspected episode of psychosis between April 2019 and April 2021, NHS data shows.

The rise continued throughout the summer, with 12,655 referred in July 2021, up 53% from 8,252 in July 2019.

Much of the increase has been seen over the last year, after the first national lockdown, according to data analysed by the charity Rethink Mental Illness. More than 13,000 referrals were made in May 2021, a 70% rise on the May before when there were 7,813 referrals.

The charity is urging the government to invest more in early intervention for psychosis to prevent further deterioration in people’s mental health from which it could take them years to recover.

It says the statistics provide some of the first concrete evidence to indicate the significant levels of distress experienced across the population during the pandemic.

A study earlier this month found that anxiety and depression around the world increased dramatically in 2020, with an estimated 76m extra cases of anxiety and 53m extra cases of major depressive disorder than would have been expected had Covid not struck. Women and young people were disproportionately affected, the researchers said.

Psychosis can involve seeing or hearing things that other people do not (hallucinations) and developing beliefs that are not based on reality (delusions), which can be highly distressing. It can be a symptom of mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression, but psychosis can also be a one-off, potentially triggered by a traumatic experience, extreme stress or drug and alcohol misuse.

There is also evidence that the pandemic has led to rising levels of depression and anxiety. So take care of yourselves everyone. It's tough out there. Please share your thoughts on this and any coping mechanisms you may have with everyday stress.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Keeping people locked indoors for 18 months, subjecting them to hourly bulletins about the threat of an invisible killer illness, actively discouraging human contact; the impact of all that on mental health should have been entirely predictable tbh.

 

[amorphous_constellation]

So do you think the primary cause might be the pandemic, or the lockdown measures , or do you think it is more complicated than that? I guess I ask, because I think I can intuit how isolation and job shutdowns might cause some kind of mental brick wall.

Generally I ask, because in my lifestyle, I have to daily come terms with my fear, pandemic or not. Driving the forklift every night, and climbing big presses, I could become a pile of crushed bones tomorrow. This doesn't mean I like things that are dangerous, only that I must work to not let danger make me its mark. And that I must really come to some understanding of what death would mean

 

[RestlessSoul]

So do you think the primary cause might be the pandemic, or the lockdown measures , or do you think it is more complicated than that? I guess I ask, because I think I can intuit how isolation and job shutdowns might cause some kind of mental brick wall.

Generally I ask, because in my lifestyle, I have to daily come terms with my fear, pandemic or not. Driving the forklift every night, and climbing big presses, I could become a pile of crushed bones tomorrow. This doesn't mean I like things that are dangerous, only that I must work to not let danger make me its mark. And that I must really come to some understanding of what death would mean

A whole range of factors are in play I’d have thought. Isolation isn’t good for us humans, as a general rule. I’m not a social butterfly myself, but I do recognise that we are social animals. We need constant contact with each other, even if we find that uncomfortable sometimes, as many of us do. And staying active is recognised to have huge benefits for anyone suffering from depression or anxiety.

I’d hazard a guess that the people who physically went out to work all through the pandemic are in better shape mentally than those who either were furloughed, or worked from home. That’s without the financial insecurity many people are looking at now that government support is being withdrawn.

I’m glad I’m 60 btw. This world is a tough place for young people, in so many ways, and that’s just in the affluent west.

 

[amorphous_constellation]

A whole range of factors are in play I’d have thought. Isolation isn’t good for us humans, as a general rule.

Well, for me the whole thing is a bit of a conundrum. I think I really might be sort of coming to a point where I'm deciding that I don't really need a lot of people around me. But at the same time, I think that might mean I have to single myself out as really being a bit different

You know I think that it's a double-edged thing, people can be both healthy and toxic to one another, maybe. Maybe we are actually causing each other a tremendous amount of anxiety. I had heard of something called 'behavioral sink.'

At my age, which is just at middle age, I have had friends dismiss me, and I have dismissed them. I have explored them, and didn't find a home in them. Who really sees eye to eye with another, past the word games

All I know is that it is 4 o'clock in the morning here, and it looks like I may head to the dmv to sort some things out, when they open. But what does that mean. It means a line of anxious, impatient people. Computerized into numbers, being called out. Paperwork

Ok, so it's either that, or go watch the dawn on a wooded hill, while the dew rises. Meditate, even. You know I was out walking yesterday morning, and the sky was such, that it was like I was within a great, palely shining blue marble. What if I just said, to heck with all this paperwork, and these people, and just walked from dawn to dawn, from coast to coast

 

[exchemist]

A whole range of factors are in play I’d have thought. Isolation isn’t good for us humans, as a general rule. I’m not a social butterfly myself, but I do recognise that we are social animals. We need constant contact with each other, even if we find that uncomfortable sometimes, as many of us do. And staying active is recognised to have huge benefits for anyone suffering from depression or anxiety.

I’d hazard a guess that the people who physically went out to work all through the pandemic are in better shape mentally than those who either were furloughed, or worked from home. That’s without the financial insecurity many people are looking at now that government support is being withdrawn.

I’m glad I’m 60 btw. This world is a tough place for young people, in so many ways, and that’s just in the affluent west.

Well expressed. It's not a coincidence that we have that standard joke about needing to "get out more", regarding people who seem obsessive, nerdy, or self-absorbed.

As a retired person newly living on his own, now that my son has gone to university, I am conscious of the need to get out and meet people, in order to to keep my sense of perspective about the world. It's not at all surprising that people who were furloughed from their jobs, or self-isolated, during the worst of the pandemic may have found it harder to stay mentally healthy.

 

[ChristineM]

In my experience, for those already suffering psychosis the pandemic/lockdowns has aggravated the condition

 

[ajay0]

Trips to nature or parks or beaches are therapeutic and healing, but covid fears prevent many from stepping outside even there.

I enjoy being in the garden drinking tea, walking in areas of greenery, being in open spaces and sunlight which are stress-busters for me. So are listening to quality music, or reading some quality novels or videos.

Meditation and silence also works for me, but those who are unused to such would find it hard to utilize these tools.

The pandemic has created mental health issues similarly all over the world due to the long quarantine. Hopefully people will be able to adapt to it better by being aware of the risk factors involved, seeing the issue as a challenge and opportunity to develop their skillset in managing their mental health better through educational resources available, and which will be an asset to them after the pandemic is over.

 

[Secret Chief]

Running always boosts my mood.