The cost of the COVID-19 has had not only a physical health effect, it’s taken a toll on people’s mental health, as well.
Dr. Peggy Linguist, Hope Clinic chief medical officer, said she has personally experienced the mental strain COVID-19 places on a person. Linguist increased her hours at Hope, starting at 6:45 a.m. to do COVID testing before starting her regular day at 8 a.m. During her regular shift, the number of tough conversations with patients increased, which added to the mental weight she was carrying on her shoulders.
“I was working increased hours and I was tired like everyone else,” she said. “But, all of a sudden, everything became black or white for me. I had a hard time being around friends and I stayed home a lot more. I didn’t like interacting with others as much. I was not as social as I usually am.
“I talked to a counselor, and she said, ‘I know that you’re a doctor and all, but I think you have the classic signs of burnout.’ One of them was seeing everything in black and white, when your brain is so exhausted that it is seeing safe or unsafe.”
A 2021 survey by the National Alliance of Mental Illness that assessed the mental health impact of COVID-19 globally shows high rates of trauma and clinical mood disorders related to the pandemic. Conducted in eight English-speaking countries with a survey size of 49,000 adults, the survey found that 57% of people experienced some COVID-19 related adversity or trauma. Roughly one-quarter showed clinical signs of, or were at risk for, a mood disorder, and only 40% described themselves as succeeding or thriving.
Linguist considers herself fortunate to have family and friends who helped her. She shared with the Sun that each person can be affected differently – and it’s important to recognize the signs and get help.
“Burnout happens in a lot of different ways,” she said. “I have seen some providers lower their productivity at work. I have seen some have a harder time making decisions. What has helped me, the thing that has helped me the most, is talking about it. Talk to people who you trust, whether it be your family, friends, or colleagues. I think that so many times that providers are afraid to talk to other people about their own struggles and we have been asked to do a lot in the last few years.”
Linguist said it’s important for people to show more compassion to each other due to the extra emotional burdens everyone is carrying. Also, people need to remember “we are all human and seek out help when we need it.”
“If that one provider doesn’t seem like him or herself [the day of a visit], it may not be because of you, the patient,” Linguist said. “Throughout this pandemic, I have learned that a little bit of kindness goes a long way on both sides, patient and physician.”