Brazilians must boost efforts to tackle mental impact of pandemic

This Monday (Oct 10) is World Mental Health Day, and, in the quasi-aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disease continues to assail the mental health of large numbers of people both in Brazil and around the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the pandemic has triggered a global crisis for mental health, fueling short- and long-term stress and undermining the emotional well-being of thousands of people.

In the view of Davi Fiuza Diniz, a specialist in elders and in mental health, the role of associations formed by patients and family members in rehabilitation is vital. He cites the work of the Association in Defense of Mental Health (ADSM), an NGO in Ceará state that offers support through group therapy with patients, family members, and care-givers with a multidisciplinary team of professionals. Diniz, who works at the NGO, pointed out that several mental issues facing those assisted by the association deteriorated during the pandemic.

Deterioration

In an interview to Agência Brasil, psychiatrist and member of the Brazilian Association of Psychiatry Luiz Carlos Coronel said that the pandemic in many cases triggered something that was latent or worsened what already existed. In Brazil, he added, both happened, but the latter was particularly more conspicuous.

Luiz Carlos Coronel noted that, according to a recent survey by the Ministry of Health, Brazil ranks first in the number of cases of depression in Latin America, reaching 11.3 percent of the population—not to mention anxiety.

Some of the effects of COVID-19 are still appearing over time, he noted, sometimes in a moderate form, with cerebral and clinical manifestations. “We can’t make predictions as yet. Scientists have no idea how long the side effects of the disease will continue to appear, especially with regards to people’s mental health.”