The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on everyone. However, not everyone has experienced the same things. Whether it’s the economic uncertainty, having to invest in new technology so your kids can participate in remote learning, or anything else, stress levels are at an all-time high for the general population. And the hard part about it all for many people is they can’t socialize with their friends to unwind due to social distancing and other health regulations.
The Global Pandemic has highlighted the need for increased access to mental health care. Visiting with an online psychiatrist can transform a person’s mental health in ways that can only be imagined until you have the first visit. We are living in transformational times of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the good news is access to an online psychiatrist has never been easier for people who need one.
How The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Contributed To Mental Health Concerns
Whether it’s the fear of getting COVID-19, the economic impacts of the pandemic, or anything else, mental health concerns have never been higher. This includes people who have never had mental health issues before, and also people who been struggling for years. In fact, in a study published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, four out of every ten United States adults have indicated experiencing some level of depression or anxiety since the pandemic began. This number was roughly one out of every ten adults in a six-month study from January 2019 to June 2019.
People who lost their jobs or had to take drastic pay cuts have had to alter their lifestyles almost immediately. Even those who can work from home have experienced major disruption to their daily routines. What was once a given is now ever-changing. When life gets turned sideways instantly, it’s sometimes difficult to understand the impacts to your mental health. And these impacts are present in adults as well as children. Aside from the economic impact, social isolation has contributed to feelings of depression, distress, anxiety, and low self-esteem, which can be particularly difficult for children to deal with.
Mental Healthcare Access Has Drastically Improved
One positive thing about the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has highlighted the importance of taking care of your mental health as much as your physical health. As regulators rushed to loosen access to virtual health care more generally, to keep patients out of doctor’s offices where they could spread disease, they created step-level change in access to online care. By allowing Zoom, Skype or Microsoft Teams to be used for accessing health care generally, a blossoming of access to online psychiatrists has occurred. According to an article published in The Newport Daily News, many people have sought out the services of a psychiatrist who have never considered mental health care before the pandemic began.
Reducing the stigma surrounding mental health is crucial today to ensure people get the help they need. It’s never been easier to book an appointment with an online psychiatrist, and it could be exactly what you need to turn your mental health around for the better. One of the stigmas surrounding mental health is if you have to visit a psychiatrist, then it must mean there’s something wrong with you. Now that visiting with an online psychiatrist is an option, you won’t have to leave your home to get the help you need. And you’ll also feel much better with your internal thoughts as well as interacting with other people.
Is An Online Psychiatrist Right For You?
You might not be able to understand the benefits of speaking with an online psychiatrist until you make your first appointment. However, people who have taken the leap of faith and booked their appointment rarely regret it and look forward to making their next appointment. Some of the benefits you can experience from visiting with an online psychiatrist include:
- Gaining access to anonymous support groups
- Taking advantage of free content to help your mental health
- Being prescribed medication if needed
- Having access to individual therapy
The online psychiatrist you work with is only concerned about your mental health when you visit with them. You don’t have to leave the comfort of your home, so a lot of the stigmas you might be worried about are non-existent.
Reasons For Visiting An Online Psychiatrist
It’s normal to not know exactly if you should visit an online psychiatrist or not. You shouldn’t compare yourself to other people in life, but sometimes it’s helpful to know who has improved their life and compare their situations to yours. For example, many people who experience the following symptoms have benefitted from an online psychiatrist:
- Excessive stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Being burned out
- Difficulty sleeping
- Not being motivated
- Inability to focus
Of course, some of these symptoms come and go depending on the circumstances of the day. But if some of these symptoms are prolonged for you, then an online psychiatrist can help reverse them and help you have a more positive state of mind.
Take Control Of Your Mental Health
Taking control of your mental health has never been easier because of the resources available to you. The American Psychiatric Association offers plenty of resources for you to take advantage of as needed to improve your mental health. While it’s easy to find the help you need, the hardest part is taking the first step and admitting you need some assistance. It’s important to understand that you’re not different in any way by needing assistance from an online psychiatrist. What many people find out after visiting with an online psychiatrist is they’ve been dealing with mental health issues longer than expected, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought them to light.
You’re so close to taking control of your mental health, and a single visit with an online psychiatrist can be a major step. It’s never been more important to boost your mental health and help play a role in reducing the stigmas surrounding mental health. And when you do, you’ll be on your way to living a more fulfilling life.