By Xenia Shih Bion, California Health Care Foundation, May 11, 2020
The COVID-19 crisis has stunned the nation with medical trauma that has unfolded on an unimaginable scale. A vaccine or treatment may come along that halts the pandemic’s remorseless progress, but the damage done to our psyches may be with us for a long, long time.
The data show that living under the threat of infection by the novel coronavirus is taking a toll. A recent KFF health tracking poll found that 56% of US adults reported that worry or stress related to the coronavirus outbreak was affecting their mental health in a negative way. In the May 8 CHCF/Ipsos California tracking poll, roughly one in five said their mental health had gotten “a little” or “a lot” worse in the preceding seven days.
“Self-quarantine can create a lot of anxiety,” said Ben Wyatt, a character played by Adam Scott on the NBC-TV show Parks and Recreation, in a reunion special that was released on April 30. “It’s important that we keep in touch with friends, go on walks with loved ones, maybe explore a creative side.” Scott’s fictional character gave us a wise and authentic prescription.
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