如果您因COVID-19大流行而感到抑郁和焦虑, you are certainly not alone. Many are grieving loved ones who have died. 一些冠状病毒幸存者留下了令人虚弱的健康问题, and many others have lost jobs and businesses.

即使是那些没有经历过严重损失的人，也要忍受几个月的时间表中断, canceled milestone celebrations and daily logistical challenges. Little wonder so many are feeling lonely, frustrated and vulnerable, physically, emotionally and financially.

As the pandemic continues and hope for its end is in sight, 有很多方法可以识别心理健康问题，并得到你或你所爱的人所需的帮助. Here is some useful insight from neuropsychologist Tracy Vannorsdall, Ph.D., 谁谈论冠状病毒和大流行对焦虑和抑郁的影响, 寻找什么，什么样的治疗可以帮助你或你关心的人.

How the Pandemic Stresses Us Out — and Who Is at Risk

范诺斯达尔说，研究支持医生在办公室看到的情况. “Certainly, the pandemic is causing distress,” she says.

“情绪困扰、焦虑和抑郁的情况普遍上升，”她说. “我们也看到越来越多的患者出现饮酒和睡眠障碍的问题, 这两者都有助于我们调节情绪，并可能导致情绪困难. 先前就存在心理或身体健康问题的人尤其处于危险之中.”

她说，焦虑和抑郁的模式似乎就像COVID-19本身一样呈波浪状发生:当新的冠状病毒病例数量开始激增时, so do people’s anxiety and depression. But, she adds, there are reasons for optimism.

“We benefit when we have a sense of control, the sense that we can do something to affect our situation. 随着更多的知识和预防策略(如疫苗)的出现，更多的生活恢复正常, 人们可能不会像大流行早期那样感到无助.”

4 Ways to Fight Anxiety and Depression During the Pandemic

Depression and anxiety can be serious, but both conditions are treatable. Vannorsdall强调了四种方法来最大限度地提高你的心理健康，避免焦虑和抑郁:

1. Have a routine.

   When the pandemic started, many people’s days felt unstructured and monotonous, but more recently, that’s changing. 范诺斯达尔说:“我们正在回到一种新的感觉或正常状态，并回到一种结构中。. “Compared to 2020, 我们更习惯于在家里高效工作，并且已经形成了每天工作和学习的常规模式.” For those who are struggling, 采取一些简单的步骤来恢复一些结构可以恢复一种平衡感, she says. “Get up at the same time each day. Get dressed. Give yourself at least one accomplishable goal to complete each day.”

2. Take care of yourself.

   The mind-body connection is essential. “Engage in self-care,” Vannorsdall advises. “Prioritize good sleep, good nutrition, fresh air and exercise. Find a safe way to socialize and stay connected with friends and family.”

3. Be careful with drugs and alcohol.

   “Substance overuse is a risk among people who have anxiety and depression,” Vannorsdall says, 补充说，物质使用障碍本身就会成为一个严重的问题.

4. Get help: It’s easier than ever with mental health telemedicine.

如果你或你爱的人有焦虑或抑郁的症状，可以得到帮助. 除了面对面的咨询，新的选择可以把治疗放在你的手机或笔记本电脑上.

“Telehealth has exploded,” says Vannorsdall. “That is a true silver lining of the pandemic. 远程治疗和远程保健平台扩大了访问范围，并帮助患者不必亲自去医生办公室就能与专业人员接触. 这对推荐十大正规网赌平台来说要方便得多，而且证据表明它非常有效.”

Whether you are working with a therapist or not, giving yourself some data and noticing patterns is useful, she says. “There are apps that can help you track your mood, sleep and anxiety levels, 或者你可以写日记来帮助你与影响你悲伤或焦虑程度的因素保持一致.”

COVID和心理健康:冠状病毒感染会导致抑郁或焦虑吗?

It might. Vannorsdall, who cares for patients with long COVID at the Johns Hopkins Post-Acute COVID-19 Team (JH PACT) clinic, 与各学科的卫生保健专业人员合作，帮助患者从COVID-19及其治疗的长期影响中恢复过来.

Severe COVID-19 can be devastating to patients. In addition to organ damage and persistent symptoms, loss of physical, 情感上甚至经济上的幸福都会让“长途搬运工”感到沮丧和焦虑.

Treatment in an intensive care unit, or ICU, is a risk factor, too. Post-intensive care syndrome 会影响在重症监护室呆很长时间的人，并让他们忍受, disabling anxiety and panic if not treated.

范诺斯达尔说，研究人员正在研究冠状病毒感染引起的炎症反应及其对大脑的影响. COVID-19本身可能会导致身体变化，表现为认知和思维问题, remembering and reasoning.

“管理挥之不去的COVID症状的挑战之一是个体在疾病和康复方面的差异. People are being treated by the PACT group for a variety of symptoms. We’re seeing elevated rates of anxiety, 抑郁，功能衰退和认知变化会持续几个月.

“The trajectory of recovery isn’t clear yet, but short-term interventions are working to help COVID-19 survivors, even those with persistent symptoms and physical changes.”

范诺斯达尔补充说，一些接受COVID-19治疗的患者自大流行之前就一直生活在焦虑和抑郁中. “有了COVID，他们就可以进入医疗保健系统，在那里他们可以得到诊断和治疗.”

Mental Health Crisis: How can I help a friend or family member?

Everyone has bad days when sadness, lack of motivation or worry get the best of them, especially in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

But, Vannorsdall points out, 有一些焦虑和抑郁的警告信号永远不应该被忽视:

• Talk of self-harm
• Hopelessness (believing things will never get better)
• Giving away personal items
• Inability to perform one’s normal daily activities

If you notice these in someone you know, it may be time to speak up. Vannorsdall says it’s not always easy, but she has some suggestions.

“知道如何以一种人们可能接受的方式进行干预通常是具有挑战性的, and there’s no one size fits all,” she says. “但有时你可以吸引一个苦苦挣扎的人，因为他们真正重视生活的某个方面, such as their children, their family, their work, or something else they feel is worth getting better for.

“我们经常需要帮助人们重新定义精神疾病和健康治疗的概念，”她说. “人们可以提醒自己或他们所爱的人，精神和身体不能被视为独立的实体. There is an underlying biology to emotional distress. A person isn’t weak for having a mental health problem, and deserve relief as they would for any physical pain.”

Mental Health During COVID: When will things get better?

范诺斯达尔说，就我们的集体福祉而言，总体前景已经开始改善. “We’re getting back to a new sense of normal,” she says. “We have adapted to many changes, such as working and learning from home, and established new routines since the pandemic began.

“In the beginning, there was so much that we didn’t know. Many people felt apprehensive. 现在，我们意识到，有了疫苗和安全预防措施，我们可以采取行动保护自己. We are no longer totally at the mercy of this coronavirus.”