Covid didn’t damage mental health: McGill study
A wide study by McGill researchers goes against current received wisdom in asserting that the pandemic didn’t damage mental health generally.
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MarcG 12:05 on 2023-03-09 Permalink
In July 2020 my wife, who has immune issues, was losing her mind and tried to organize a small group meetup outdoors sitting far apart. The reception on social media was negative (“stupid!” “stay home!”). I often wonder about those people and how they’re behaving now while we’re still essentially still isolating.
DeWolf 12:17 on 2023-03-09 Permalink
Did you end up having the outdoor gathering, MarcG?
I think the key words in your paragraph are “social media.” One thing the pandemic has taught me is that social media (some platforms more than others) are ultimately destructive. Using them too much is like drinking too much: you feel good in the moment and awful afterwards. I left Twitter when I realized it was making me angry and anxious all the time. I don’t miss it.
DeWolf 12:20 on 2023-03-09 Permalink
Building on my last comment, I’d love to see a study that looked at the mental health of people who used social media heavily during the pandemic and those who didn’t.
I was definitely a heavy social media user and I’d say my mental health suffered. My wife? She’s never really used Twitter or Reddit, and barely uses other platforms. And she was mostly fine.
JaneyB 12:21 on 2023-03-09 Permalink
Interesting. I work with college-age students and there’s clearly been some effects; many students are still behaving like they’re behind their avatar on zoom eg: less engagement etc. I’d like to see some data on general civility (if that’s even possible). People seem to me to be less aware of their environment and more disconnected. Not sure if it’s the pandemic or the smartphone problem though.
MarcG 12:27 on 2023-03-09 Permalink
She had a few gatherings over that summer. I think they should do a study on clinically vulnerable people’s mental health now that everyone else is pretending the pandemic is over.
Meezly 14:28 on 2023-03-09 Permalink
I remember McGill seeking volunteers to participate in a study post-lockdown, esp. teenagers.
Perhaps there wasn’t mental health damage and yes, people can be resilient, but it was definitely a difficult period for certain groups. They looked at differences between men and women, but I didn’t find other socio-economic distinctions in their study.
A friend of mine was extra cautious in regards to Covid and even when measures were being lifted, still didn’t allow her 13yo son to participate in a lot of group activities. And when he could attend events, he missed key milestones like social functions related to graduating from elementary school because he got sick. He got quite depressed and it was really hard on both of them, as often he was the only one missing out on stuff. They’re at a better place now, but even though they techinically didn’t suffer mental damage, they still suffered mentally.
EmilyG 15:53 on 2023-03-09 Permalink
I know that my mental health, which has often been not the best, has deteriorated during the pandemic.
I wonder if my experience is not typical of people generally. And I wonder if the study authors have been “pinkering” (finding statistics that prove the point that they want to prove.)