Mental Health During COVID (by Maeve Kiley '22)

9/22/2020

Maeve Kiley '22

Day to day life in 2020 feels like something out of Dante Alighieri’s Purgatorio: a routine nothingness that seems to seep the color out of life, leaving the world and everything in it an achromatic null. We are now going into the sixth month of social isolation: six months of staring at electronic screens, watching an endless stream of TikToks, organizing closets, looking up answers for at-home tests, turning off the camera for Zoom or Teams calls, etc.

Mental health has always been a concern, but now, due to such unusual circumstances, people are at a loss on how to make the best of such a strange situation. Teenagers have always been a focus in the eyes of psychologists. Their brains are still developing, and the large influx of hormones tends to leave teens with a suffocating amount of emotions. Add high school stress and the oncoming loom of college, it is not surprising to see that the largest demographic with depression are people between the ages of twelve and nineteen.

So how the St. Francis students doing? I interviewed two students (that will remain anonymous for privacy reasons) that will be referred to as Person A and Person B. The goal of this interview is to gain some insight on how the St. Francis student body is coping during the pandemic, but to do that, we have to take some things into consideration, such as their personality, likes and dislikes, previous mental health concerns, and how much their lives have been affected by the disease.

Do you consider yourself an introvert?

Person A: I consider myself an introvert. I am not very open with people and get nervous talking to new people, but I try to become more outgoing and braver so I can make more friends.

Person B: I consider myself an introvert.

Any mental health problems before COVID-19?

Person A: No. I have not had any mental health problems before COVID.

Person B: I had academic and social anxiety before COVID-19.

Would you consider this event (pandemic) traumatizing?

Person A: Yes, I would consider this event traumatizing. I have become more distant from my friends and it has caused me stress.

Person B: Yes, I would consider this traumatizing because I was not able to see friends and my anxiety levels were sky high.

Would you prefer hybrid or all electronic? Why?

Person A: I would prefer hybrid because I would like to come to class where I can see the teacher personally. I can talk to the teacher learn more effectively in class.

Person B: I actually prefer hybrid because I am able to see some of my friends at school which is very nice, and I am very lucky to be able to see them. I also like being able to have to not get ready for school every day which is a nice addition.

Has anyone in particular been there for you during this time?

Person A: Yes. My family has been there for me during this time. They give me support and love in times of need.

Person B: Yes, my mom has been here a lot for me during these hard times. She always asks how I am doing and asks how I am feeling. She has been very supportive and kind to me during these times.

Have there been any psychological effect you’ve had and/or seen in others as an effect of isolation?

Person A: I have seen people getting depressed and adults divorcing.

Person B: I have seen many people very anxious and nervous. Many people seem to be getting cabin fever. Many people were exercising and spending lots of time outside. Those are the major psychological effects I’ve seen happen to people during quarantine.

How do you think history books will describe this event? Will it be a short cliff note or a full-scale disaster?

Person A: I think history books will describe these events as tragic. I think it will be a full scale because it had made people lose jobs and the economy has fallen. These are all things that have happened minus the large numbers of family members and friends that have died.

Person B: I believe the history books will describe it as a full-scale disaster because the pandemic was so horrible. So many people died, and it involved and impacted the whole world rather than just one country.

Do you know anyone whose been diagnosed? If you feel comfortable, tell your feelings on it.

Person A: No, I don’t know anyone who has been diagnosed.

Person B: I do not know anyone who has been diagnosed, luckily.

Were you afraid to come to school? Socially, educationally, medically, or psychologically?

Person A: I was scared and excited. I got to see my friends after a long time, but I was scared to be near people.

Person B: I was afraid to come to school at first because I hadn’t seen my friends in a while, and I was afraid everyone would look and act different. I was also afraid because I did not want to get sick and stay safe.

Has this school been helpful? Why or why not?

Person A: Yes, it had. I could reconnect with my friends and go out of the house!

Person B: This school has been helpful because they are taking this pandemic very seriously while trying to give all the students as close as possible to the high school experience while still being safe. They are doing an excellent job!