Depression in health personnel in the face of the COVID-19 crisis

The worst part of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic has already passed, but despite this we are still in a situation of social, economic and, for many people, emotional crisis.

Regarding the latter, one of the groups hardest hit by the spread of the virus are health workers, who In addition to being highly exposed to COVID-19, they have to face physically and emotionally exhausting, very hard situations. If it is relatively common among doctors and nurses to develop mental disorders Due to the pressure suffered at work, now the context is even more conducive to the appearance of these problems.

In this article we will examine the phenomenon of depression in health personnel working under the COVID-19 crisis, and what can be done about this.

• Related article: "The 6 types of mood disorders"

Depression in healthcare professionals during the coronavirus pandemic

What is it that causes health workers to be exposed to mood disorders such as major depression in times of COVID-19? First of all, it must be made clear that depression, like any other psychological disorder, rarely arises from a single, very clear cause.

It is usually caused by a combination of biological, psychological and social factors.

But of all the factors that are known to play a relevant role in the development of depression, in the coronavirus crisis there are several that are primed with nurses and doctors.

On the one hand, the stress and anxiety produced by work overload weaken the nervous system by pushing it to the limit of its possibilities for too long; in fact, cases of patients with anxiety-depressive problems are very common, and it is believed that anxiety and depression are mutually reinforcing.

In addition, emotionally difficult situations when interacting with very sick patients and with their relatives, usually distressed, they can leave an important psychological mark on professionals in hospitals and health centers in general.

In cases like this, post-traumatic stress can arise in catastrophic situations, or secondary traumatic stress when witnessing the suffering of other people almost constantly.

On the other hand, simple physical exhaustion due to fatigue, problems eating well and calmly, and lack of sleep, are elements that facilitate the appearance of inflammatory processes that affect the nervous system, something that is known to be one of the causes of depression higher.

Symptoms in personal life and at work

These are some of the symptoms that arise with depression and that become especially pernicious in health professionals, due to the responsibilities they hold.

1. Crying and melancholic thoughts

Sadness and almost uncontrollable crying are very common symptoms in people with depression, and one of the reasons why people go to psychotherapy more. However, contrary to popular belief, it is possible to have depression and not exactly experience sadness or cry a lot; for example, there are those who experience a feeling more similar to emotional emptiness and hopelessness.

2. Concentration problems

Discomfort and low mood make the person with depression less able to concentrate on a specific task. Distractions are frequent, as well as difficulties to fully understand what is happening when there are complex problems to attend to.

3. Low predisposition to communication

Among people with major depression it is much more common to have a tendency to avoid social interactions, or to not dedicate time or effort to them. This has very negative consequences considering how important communication with patients and their families is, and the weight of this responsibility generates even more discomfort in people who, due to their disorder, are already emotionally fatigued.

4. Tendency to be more neglected

With depression, motivation for most activities decreases, and an area of ​​life in which this is especially noticeable is usually the care of the image and personal hygiene. In addition, they increase the chances of developing addictions.

5. Anhedonia

Anhedonia is the inability to fully experience pleasure or joy. This leads many people with depression to say that they have no incentive to do anything, that they have no reason to get out of bed.

• You may be interested: "Types of depression: its symptoms, causes and characteristics"

Treatment

Treatment for depressive-type psychological disorders takes different forms depending on the characteristics of the patient and the circumstances in which he lives, but generally has two objectives fundamental.

On the one hand, the patient is helped to giving up beliefs and thinking styles you have been holding on to even though they contribute to discomfort and low mood. In this way, that logic of self-confirmation of pessimistic ideas that makes, for example, the person believe that their loneliness is a consequence of their way of being (a common belief in depressed patients), and not of the fatigue produced by the depression. To achieve this, a form of intervention called cognitive restructuring is applied, which is usually combine with self-registers of thoughts (similar to what is usually understood as "diary personal").

On the other hand also patients are trained to create habits that "undo" depression, on all those that have to do with a more active lifestyle, with a greater capacity to offer motivating experiences, stimulating and meaningful for the person, which helps to keep them going and coming out of their emotional state altered.

Behavioral activation techniques, setting schedules and reminders, and applying certain Specific routines for day to day are examples of the measures adopted in therapy to achieve this purpose. This is carried out in combination with the cognitive type strategies that we have seen before.