South Galveston News

An integrative medicine physician and professor says COVID-19 has caused anxiety and depression to massively increase.

Dr. Victor S. Sierpina, a WD and Laura Nell Nicholson family professor of integrative medicine and professor of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, wrote in an article for the Daily News that trying some self-help approaches could help, but if not, individuals should seek the help they need.

Sierpina participated in the Texas Academy of Family Practice's annual conference, which was virtual this year. It saw a presentation on the coronavirus and mental health given by Dr. Katherine Buck and Dr. Grant Fowler.

"First some sobering statistics," Sierpina wrote. "Anxiety has tripled since 2019 and depression has quadrupled. Suicide ideation, those who report thinking about harming themselves in the past 30 days, was up to 25%, alarmingly highest among younger people in the 18 to 24 age group."

Sierpina wrote that young adults, essential workers, unpaid adult caregivers and racial and ethnic minorities have suffered substantially and have had worse mental health outcomes, as well as increase substance abuse and an elevated suicidal ideation. He also noted that alcohol sales have also increased 54%.

"Those with pre-existing mental health issues suffered worse from lack of access to care, medications, and increased stress and isolation," Sierpina wrote.

He also writes that certain individuals will find themselves threat scanning, which means they will obsessively check for updates on the pandemic and frequently check themselves for symptoms. He noted individuals can also excessively worry.

He suggests that treatment for these worries is similar to treatments for anxiety and depression that have no relation to COVID-19. These include distraction, social support, exercise, a daily gratitude journal, having a routine, identifying substance abuse issues, counseling, medication, cognitive behavioral therapy and focusing on news from trustworthy sources.