2. Outline
Stress in times of Corona
Manifestation of Stress
What is Mental Wellness?
What is Mental Illness? (spectrum)
Perceived Stress
Coping Skills
Importance of taking Help
3. Mental Health Pandemic
Uncertainty creates Stress
Stress begins as Anxiety
Escalates into Depression
Precipitates mental health Disorders
Corona:
Novel
Lethal
Mutating
No treatment/ vaccine
Social isolation/ loneliness
Economic burden
Unemployment
Losing loved ones
4. What does Stress look like?
Activation of Cortisol and Adrenaline
Depletion of Serotonin
Activation symptoms
Mood changes
Sleep/ Appetite disturbances
Cognitive symptoms
Behavioral changes
Impact on functioning: social, occupational and interpersonal
Smiling Depression?
High functioning Depression?
5. Mental Wellness
A sense of well-being
A positive sense of how we feel, think and act
Having realistic and objective thoughts
Making it difficult for sadness to progress to depression or worry to
spiral into anxiety
Ability to cope with and meet the psychological demands of life,
without undue fatigue
Understanding what one can do as an individual to build a happy and
productive life
6. Components:
Emotional: Self-acceptance, building self-esteem, resilience and
the ability to manage strong emotions
Social: Friendship brings companionship, support and enrichment
to our lives and also improves its quality
Financial: It’s not about having a certain amount of money at your
disposal, rather about feeling in control of your finances, being
able to handle financial setbacks
Physical: Mind-body paradigm
7. Mental Illness
Bio-Psycho-Social model
Disturbance of thoughts, feelings or behavior
Subjective distress
Impairment of functioning:
Work performance
Personal relationships
Social connections
Spectrum of normalcy v/s symptom presentation
8. Coping with Stress
Eu-stress v/s Distress
“Perceived” stress:
“Eyes see what the mind knows”
Appraisal of a stressor as threatening
Personally meaningful interpretations
Cognitive, emotional and behavioral defenses
(sub-conscious)
9. Coping Strategies
Adaptive:
Problem- solving
Relaxation
Exercise/ Sport
Humor
Spirituality/ Altruism
Getting Support
Journaling/ Introspection
“Responsible Hedonism”
Maladaptive:
Denial
Isolation
Aggression/ Acting out
High-risk behavior (gambling,
reckless driving, unsafe
sexual practice,
experimentation with
drugs…)
Bingeing on food or alcohol
Excess internet/ media
exposure
Deliberate self-harm
10. Take Help – End Stigma
Long standing social stigma and resistance to taking Psychiatric help
Fears:
Of being labeled as ‘mad/mental’
Seen as a ‘weak’ person by others
Perception of oneself as weak
Being ‘dependent’ on medication
Side effects
Trust your doctor with confidentiality
Advancement in psychotropic medication and psychotherapy in last
two decades
No shame in asking for help
Compassion for the self
11. Take-away Points
Corona: A trigger for escalation in mental health problems
Possible to minimize the impact of the stress on our minds and lives
Important to identify symptoms and practice adaptive means to
cope with it effectively
Healthy eating, regular exercising, socializing, engaging in
productive activities and mindful introspection will act as a
protective shield
Prolonged psychological distress or inability to cope with the same
by yourself warrants intervention from a professional
Self-help is the best help and is essential before helping others