The Covid-19 pandemic remains one of its most worrying points in our country. So far there are 3.37 million people who have been infected. Although the truth is that the damage is not only limited to them but to the entire population in general. Even people who adequately follow health instructions have suffered mental health problems. In this area, the conditions that have increased the most have been depression, anxiety and sleep disorders.
In this sense, Dr. Eunice Itzel Valle Arteaga, deputy director of the “Morelos” Psychiatric Hospital of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), pointed out that after a year and a half of health emergencies, people experience fear of contagion, job uncertainty, exhaustion emotional, irritability, increased violence and in some cases, substance use.
“People are already physically and emotionally exhausted. We must remember that life is a process of change to which we must adapt and that in the most adverse circumstances, people have a surprising capacity for learning ”.
Training of medical personnel
The deputy director of the Hospital de Psiquiatría “Morelos” explained that Social Security developed various strategies to address mental health, including a course for key personnel in the care of beneficiaries, with the fundamentals of mental health, grief management, among others.
Likewise, it promotes the training of first contact physicians in mental health matters, so that upon receiving the patient they can provide better care, detect and initiate treatment until the appropriate referrals are made, if applicable.
Dr. Eunice Itzel Valle Arteaga explained that psychology staff has been hired and in psychiatric hospitals, strategies have been implemented to ensure that beneficiaries have access to mental health treatment if they require it.
He emphasized that it is not correct to think that strong people have to endure everything. He added that it is healthier to express emotions and feelings in the moment than to leave them in, than to hide them, because eventually at some point they will sprout and they can do it in a way that hurts you or others.
The importance of sleeping well
He indicated that the fact of identifying COVID-19 as an external enemy causes anxiety and affects mood, the ability to relax, to have a restful sleep And this has repercussions on interpersonal relationships.
He said that when a person has a mental disorder, the family plays an extremely important role, because they are the ones who notice the changes and can guide doctors on what it was like before and after the illness.
He said that a person with mental health maintains subjective well-being, is competent to carry out his work, does not depend on anyone else and recognizes the ability to generate a benefit for himself and for society.