The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) urged this Tuesday to consider support for mental health as a critical component of the response to the pandemic.
The coronavirus emergency has generated high doses of stress throughout the population and, although we all suffer them, we handle them differently, especially those affected by pre-existing mental disorders, explained the PAHO director.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a mental health crisis in our region of a magnitude never seen before… it is urgent that support for mental health is considered an essential factor in the response to the pandemic”Said Carissa Etienne during her weekly meeting with the media to report on the status of COVID-19 in the American continent.
Etienne described mental illness as a “silent epidemic” that already affected America long before the appearance of COVID-19, with depression and anxiety as two of the main causes of disability in the region, along with high levels of alcohol consumption.
He added that studies in the three countries most affected by the coronavirus – Brazil, the United States and Mexico – indicate that more than half of adults experience stress levels associated with the pandemic and that the first data show that many cope with using drugs and alcohol, creating a vicious cycle that makes people more dependent on the use of these substances and increases mental health problems.
“Patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 not only suffer physical symptoms, but many they also experience insomnia, trouble sleeping, delusions, or even depression”, He highlighted.
Similarly, he indicated that many people “are overwhelmed by fear of developing a serious illness,” while “others are understandably concerned about their lives,” and that “initial research shows that up to a third of patients who recover may experience lasting changes in their mood and suffer from anxiety or depression ”.
The number of cases in the Caribbean is growing …
Meanwhile, the pandemic in the American continent does not diminish and has already caused more than 400,000 deaths and has approximately 11.5 million cases. Last week, the region concentrated more than half of new cases globally (55%).
“The Americas have approximately 13% of the world’s population, but with 64% of all deaths officially reported to date”, Detailed Etienne, who confirmed that the United States and Brazil lead the number of cases in the region.
However, he explained that a growing increase in cases is being seen in parts of the region that had been stable for several weeks, such as the Caribbean.
He added that although there is information that in some places the number of people affected by the virus has decreased, several countries are strengthening public health measures in areas facing an increase in new infections, such as Peru, the Dominican Republic , Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago.
“This virus is relentless and requires us to be equal. We must be vigilant and keep the transmission under control ”, he declared.
… and is associated with the arrival of international travelers
After the reopening of airspace and the resumption of non-essential travel, both in the Bahamas and in other island states of the Caribbean, an increase in confirmed cases was confirmed, said Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, an expert from the Pan American Health Organization. .
Aldighieri pointed out that the national authorities will have to evaluate during the coming weeks and months how to face this situation and make the decision to use certain epidemiological and laboratory surveillance criteria, among other factors to take into account.
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