Mental Health Awareness during COVID-19

Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health

The selected research topic is “Mental Health Awareness during COVID-19.” During the pandemic, many social media influencers have highlighted the importance of mental health and spreading mental health awareness. Consequently, I personally had a belief that mental health is as important as physical health and became more aware about mental health during COVID-19 pandemic from social media influencers whereas I needed to search and know more about mental health, became aware of mental health, and now I believe that many contributions are being done by the UAE government and across the globe to spread mental health awareness.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the

normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution

to his or her community” (WHO, 2004). During coronavirus (COVID 19), a significant measure of fear, anxiety, and concern are being generated as it has quickly been spread across the globe, especially among specific categories of people such as the elderly, first-line defenders, and individuals with severe health problems. Therefore, the primary effect on mental healthcare will increase the stress and anxiety levels along with the health precautions measures implemented – such as lockdown, which will disrupt many people's daily life activities and routines – the number of people who are feeling lonely or depressed, abusing alcohol or drugs, or engaging in self-harm or suicidal behaviour will rise (Gao et.al., 2020).

In 93% of nations worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted or stopped essential mental health care at a time when demand for mental health services is rising, and mental health care is now becoming more in demand as a result of the pandemic. Trauma, loneliness, financial hardship, and fear may start or increase psychological problems. Nowadays, insomnia and anxiety are becoming more common problems for many individuals (Tandon, 2020).

Many mental health organizations have been underfunded in which will see an increase in prices as the pandemic spreads. Mental health should get at least 2% of national health budgets, but that's not enough. In addition, foreign donors must do more: fewer than 1% of health assistance is designated for mental health, despite this. This indicates that not even a single person is there who has not been impacted by the crisis of COVID-19 in terms of their mental state (Cullen et.al., 2020).

Importance of Mental Health Awareness

Hence, in this research the major focus is to be drawn on the mental health during the time of pandemic with the implication of different factors, level of awareness, addressing different activities as treatment or solutions, and insurance concerns. In order to conduct the study, it is important to create major research questions that needs to be addressed in an effective way: How does COVID-19 has impacted the mental health of people in the UAE? Is the mental health awareness increasing among people, and how? What can be the relevant management activities that people can do to overcome the impact of psychological problems associated with COVID-19? Do insurance companies need to cover the costs of mental health illness or psychological sessions which are mostly costly to many people 

The COVID-19 pandemic has made mental health an even more crucial concern, despite that we are already were living a hectic life before that. Mental health encompasses much more than just the absence or presence of a diagnosable mental disorder. A person's physical and mental well-being intertwine here (Pierce et.al., 2020). It’s true that many individuals have struggled with mental health issues in recent years. In addition to the illness's physical effects, COVID-19 has resulted in social and self-isolation, separation from family members and friends, quarantine, and mobility restrictions, causing more individuals than ever to feel powerless, alone, bereaved, anxious, and depressed as a consequence of the condition.

As a consequence, there has been an enormous rise in the need for health care support services. Which also highlights an important aspect where people were in need for insurance companies to cover the costs of psychological sessions. Furthermore, the governments, communities, and community associations must devote more resources to treating psychological distress both during and after the pandemic, if they are to meet these challenges and increase the accessibility of assistance. One way to help is through volunteering. As well as helping those in need, volunteering offers participants a feeling of purpose, which may help lift their spirits and promote positive thought (Watkins, 2020).

Being aware of the physical and emotional health is critical during these times, especially that the phycological or mental illness is frequently misunderstood, making it difficult to identify those who are affected (Greenberg et.al., 2020). It is important to dig into the research and to get more information about the mental health influence on people.  Accordingly, in order to conduct the study, it is important to create some major research objectives that needs to be addressed in an effective way. So, some of the research aims and objectives are mentioned below:

• To demonstrate the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of people in the UAE
• To analyze whether the mental health awareness is increasing, and how is it increasing

(c) To list the relevant management activities that people can do to overcome the impact of psychological problems associated with COVID-19.

(d) To conduct whether the mental health costs should be covered by insurance companies.