The campaign invites healthcare workers to share testimonies about managing pandemic-induced stress, anxiety, and depression
Washington, D.C. October 8, 2021 (PAHO) On the eve of World Mental Health Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is launching a social media campaign to raise awareness of the sustained burden the COVID-19 pandemic poses on the mental health of frontline health workers, inviting them to share their stories and strategies to better manage and cope with this added challenge.
The campaign Mental Health Now – Tell Your Story, will collect written and video stories from healthcare workers in the Americas through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, which will be compiled and disseminated through PAHO’s website and social media channels until the end of the year. The story selection will be based on specific criteria, aiming to portray the breadth of the effects of the pandemic and display the diversity of the Americas.
Preliminary data from the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study, a collaboration between the University of Chile, Columbia University in the United States, and PAHO, indicate that between 5% and 15% of respondents in several countries in the Americas reported suicidal thoughts in the two weeks prior to being consulted for the survey. Between 15% and 22% reported symptoms compatible with depression.
The study focuses on the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers in 11 countries in the Americas: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The study will be available in November.
The pandemic has affected the mental health of not only healthcare workers but also many other populations in the Americas, as they faced personal bereavement, news about illness and death, job losses, economic and social crises, domestic violence, school closures and persistent widespread misinformation. At the same time, services to help people cope with such stressors have been disrupted by COVID-19.
Even before the pandemic, mental health services were not accessible to many in need. The treatment gap – the percentage of people who require care but do not receive it – for specific mental health and substance use problems reached almost 80% in some places in the Americas. Persons who are poor, unemployed, less educated, or are members of groups who often face racial and social discrimination, have less access to mental health services.
Information about this campaign and resources please visit PAHO portal: Mental Health