The invisible pandemic: How mental health is impacted during COVID-19

Based on data from an Active Minds survey. Graphic by Emily Zeiler.

Ohio became the first state to announce a statewide school closing in response to the spread of COVID-19 on March 12, 2020. Gov. Mike DeWine announced starting the following Monday, all Ohio schools were to issue an “extended spring break” to K-12 students and resume classes April 3. Soon after, colleges followed suit in closings. The resume date did not come to fruition.

On March 23, 2020, Ohio University resumed classes online. Students had been sent home and were to complete their coursework remotely. Universities across the nation did the same. Today, colleges remain widely online.

The pandemic has now lasted for over a year. As of April 19, 2021, 567,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States, and those numbers continue to rise.

These deaths, however, are not the only evidence of harm resulting from the pandemic. A less visible matter — mental health — has taken a turn for the worse as a result of the fear, nationwide shutdown and economic recession resulting from the spread of the virus.

According to Tina Trimmer, the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Athens branch, the spread of COVID-19 and increase in daily deaths has been a traumatic event for many.

Trimmer said dealing with fear of contracting the disease, mourning those lost to the virus and social isolation has been tough, especially for people who are trying to study during a tumultuous time. Due to the effect of the pandemic on their lives, students have experienced increased feelings of stress, anxiety, depression and overall burnout.

The stress of the pandemic paired with academics has increased symptoms of burnout in students. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout is defined as a syndrome resulting from chronic stress that has not been successfully managed. Burnout can interfere with the overall physical and mental health of a person and is characterized by feelings of mental distance, energy depletion or exhaustion and reduced efficacy.

According to Trimmer, juggling school and pandemic-related changes in students’ lifestyles has proven to be challenging for many, sometimes resulting in burnout.

Active Minds, a nonprofit organization that works to promote the mental health of young adults, conducted a survey to find what influence COVID-19 has had on college students. The survey, which included 2,051 high school and college students, found that the most common ways COVID-19 impacted students’ lives were added stress and anxiety, disappointment or sadness, loneliness, relocation and financial setback.

Of the college students surveyed, 89% reported experiencing stress or anxiety in some way as a result of COVID-19, and almost 75% of the total respondents' mental health had worsened since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to Trimmer, feelings of isolation have challenged college students the most during this time. Those living at home are away from the in-person connections crucial to their college experience, while those who returned to campus are expected to continue following guidelines and limit the number of people they come in contact with.

According to Active Minds, 20.2% of college students said feeling disconnected from friends and loved ones has been the most stressful part of the pandemic. This was the students’ top response.

“Kids who are in person are still kind of isolated because they’re not allowed to sit together,” Trimmer said in an interview on Zoom.

According to Trimmer, students who are able to attend smaller hybrid-style classes are still facing the same lack of interaction as their peers at home due to safety measures put in place to reduce the spread of the virus.

“They can’t really be in the same place at the same time,” Trimmer said.

Trimmer said that, in addition to limitations on social interactions, all students have been expected to continue to do well in school, despite the current limitations on in-person learning. With the sudden outbreak and continuity of the pandemic, advancements in technology have helped schools adapt quickly to online instruction methods. But students are feeling burnt out by the increased use of and reliance on technology.

The percentage of adults with recent symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders increased from 36.4% to 41.5% between August 2020 and February 2021, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC found these increases were the largest among adults aged 18 to 29 years old.

Students are required to spend more time on their devices to attend remote classes, receive instruction and complete the work their courses demand.

“(Technology) is something that kids had traditionally turned to for fun,” Trimmer said. “What used to be fun for them, to get on their phone, has now become more of an obligation and an extension of their school day in a way.”

Graphic by Emily Zeiler.

Andrea Frohne, an Ohio U professor and Board Member at both NAMI Athens and NAMI Ohio, said the switch to online schooling has accentuated different aspects of mental health conditions that her students may have had.

“When the virus first came, there was visible fear in the classroom,” Frohne said in an interview on Zoom.

School routines are also important coping mechanisms for students with mental health conditions.

“They may have had a handle on it in terms of going to the classroom,” Frohne said. “It revealed a batch of new hurdles to attend school through the internet.”

Frohne said she noticed that not having a space to work in and concentrate has been hard on students. Those who are at home are faced with having to uphold family expectations and responsibilities while also trying to learn and complete assignments.

Frohne said her students also have anxieties about being on camera and speaking up during online classes, or have been too depressed or unmotivated to attend class at all.

Trimmer said that, along with academic burdens, social restrictions and limited hours for business operations have also resulted in feelings of isolation as well as unemployment. The stress of unemployment and/or reduced working hours has students worried about how they will be able to meet their needs and maintain financial stability.

College students have been financially vulnerable during the pandemic, with nearly 48% reporting that COVID-19 caused financial setbacks for them, according to Active Minds.

Fortunately, a mindset of openness and vulnerability around the subject of mental health has come from these trying times.

“I think we’re learning a lot about ourselves and about mental health and how normal it is to experience challenges like this,” Trimmer said.

More conversations about mental health and the importance it plays in general well-being have come about as a result of the stressors that the pandemic has applied to the lives of everyone trying their best to survive.

Frohne said, with her experience as an educator, she has noticed that students have been more open about what they are struggling with and have reached out for help. Her students have communicated with her, identifying what accommodations they may need to get through a class or to complete an assignment.

Frohne said the idea that mental health should be prioritized has become increasingly destigmatized during this time of worldwide struggle and overall vulnerability.

“I’m hoping that people will still keep talking about what each of us as individuals need to support the health of our brain and to keep us functioning where we want to be functioning,” Frohne said.

According to Frohne, one in five adults in the U.S. experience mental illness each year; 50% of lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24, which is why it is important that these conversations are maintained after the pandemic subsides.

“We need to care for our brain just as we do for the rest of our physical body,” Frohne said. “We just can’t see the brain, that's the tricky part.”

To prevent burnout and promote overall better mental health as the pandemic continues, some steps can be taken.

According to the CDC, it is important to take care of your body to keep your mind healthy. Eating healthy, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, avoiding excessive substance use and practicing mindfulness techniques like meditation are all recommended.

It is also crucial to maintain social connections with others, according to the CDC. Technology has been useful in many ways during the pandemic — the accessibility to reach out to others is one of them. Sending a text to a friend or calling a loved one are good ways to do so.

The CDC also recommends taking time to unwind by doing something you enjoy.

To avoid burnout from excessive technology use, Trimmer recommended socially-distanced gatherings with masks as a good alternative.

Frohne said it is good to keep a strong support system — people who can get you help in times of need.

In some cases, professional guidance can be a lifeline for those struggling with their mental health. Going to a therapist, psychologist, counselor or psychiatrist can help people turn to healthy methods of coping and set them on the path to healing.

Luckily for students, the spring semester is coming to a close, and with nearly 40% of the U.S. population having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, hope is on the horizon when it comes to the eventual end of the pandemic. While the lasting impacts of the pandemic on mental health of students are yet to be discovered, the return to normalcy may appear different than pre-pandemic living.

Trimmer said that because of the pandemic, expectations on productivity have lowered and the pace of everyday life has slowed down. She said she believes these changes may be for the better.

“I'm not sure what normal is ever going to look like again, but I don't think it's going to look the same, and I'm okay with that,” said Trimmer.