It has been more than a year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it seems that in addition to the health and economic crisis, it is leaving a new mark on mental health. The crisis situation has had repercussions for society as a whole, such as stress, feeling of anguish and anxiety, as well as feelings of tiredness and sadness.

Over the past year, research on mental health has put the psychological effects of the pandemic on the table, with special emphasis on data on young people and adolescents. The Spanish Sociological Research Center (CIS) published in February the report of the survey on the mental health of Spaniards during the pandemic. It says that young people between the ages of 18 and 34, together with women and low-class people, have suffered the most from the fatigue caused by the pandemic. Three out of ten young people between the ages of 18 and 24 claim to have experienced anxiety crises since the beginning of the pandemic and one out of four feels very sad or depressed. Likewise, 18% of this group has felt “very fearful”.

Because textuality is not sweet. Experiences that used to be common, such as going to school, dating with friends, going to the movies, practicing sports, hiking or excursions, etc., have been limited as a consequence of a health emergency that has caused a minimal physical relationship.

Anxiety, depression, sleep and eating disorders, insecurity, stress, sadness, inability, loss of concentration, fear, emotional fatigue, feeling of anguish and exhaustion, low self-esteem, irritability, sudden mood changes… are the symptoms identified among young people. The pandemic has called mental health and emotional balance into question, as confirmed by the data.

“Seeing that there are better moments of life gives us anguish”

Based on these data, we have met with four young people to better understand their experiences. We have been unanimously told that the main effect of the pandemic is “tiredness” in every sense, as they are “tired” in general: “We are surviving emotionally instead of being living really.” In this sense, “apathy” has been one of the most repeated concepts in the conversation. They explain that they feel “exhausted, unwilling to do anything and empty” for no clear reason.

You've often heard that youth is one of the best moments in life and you have to enjoy it. However, this situation has limited the usual experiences and experiences. To think that time advances and the “better” moments of life generate “anguish”: not being able to control life, lack of freedom, lack of prior planning of things...

They especially associate the feeling of tiredness with the beginning of the course after the end of the summer. “Returning to the routine was a hard blow: getting used to protocols, limiting relationships, following studies…” They have identified the lack of motivation and enthusiasm in this area, which leads them to feel guilty and wrong at the same time. “We have been asked for a radical change in our daily lives, but at the same time we must be functional: to turn off emotions and feelings and to work.”

One of the spaces that has changed substantially has been education at all levels. They believe that there has been a disconnection with the learning process due to the cooling of student-teacher relationships and, above all, to the limitation of student relationships. On the other hand, we have also been told that they have had difficulty concentrating.

The forms of socialization have changed radically and perceive the “lack of proximity”. There is a fear of spreading it to oneself and to those closest to it, which limits relationships. “Many times you don’t know how to act with yours and it’s very difficult to create new relationships.”

Mention has also been made of the “criminalisation” of young people. They consider that sentences and outrages have prevailed in society. “They have not asked us about our situation and needs, but they judge us constantly.”

To all this we must add the concerns they already had: the precarious world of work, the difficulties to become independent, the lack of resources... A situation of uncertainty that has made the future that was ultimately dark even darker. This causes a feeling of anguish, as the inability to control the situation causes stress, which causes fatigue.

To a large extent, the interviewed experts have guided us by what the four young people have told us. The psychiatrist Idoia Agirre works in Osakidetza, especially with children and young people; Aitor Aritzeta is a professor at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of the Basque Country; and the Lunar Space is a psychotherapeutic center located in Hernani, which offers individual and collective care services. This project consists of four members: Maddi Gutierrez, Amanda Jiménez, Javi Olfos and Leire Murguialday.

“Pandemic fatigue”

Fatigue is one of the most recurring consequences of society, but what exactly is “pandemic fatigue”? Aitor Aritzeta uses the example of burnout syndrome at work to explain the concept: “When we’re burned at work, there’s an imbalance between the pressure we feel and the strength we have.” If this imbalance is maintained for a long time, there is a burning feeling that is occurring in the current situation: “We have less and less energy and less resources to cope with the pressure we are feeling.” This pressure is due to the limitation of mobility, the closure, the fear of illness, the loss of work or the future, and the inability to cope with the situation, which take us away energy. That's how we get tired. “We lose motivation, we get upset, we feel more vulnerable, we get angry more easily, we have trouble sleeping… That is pandemic fatigue, we cannot cope with the stress situation with the resources we have.”

Socialization in adolescence and youth: Construction of identity

We are social beings, and especially in adolescence and youth, the relationship with others is essential. The members of the Lunar Space have explained to us that “throughout our youth we know each other through our personal experiences and that other people live in our environment.” Young people are in the process of socialization as a stage of life in the community. “If the pandemic limits the channels of socialization and self-knowledge, how can we ensure that today’s young people, especially adolescents, create healthy strategies to adapt and manage their emotions and lives?”

In the words of Aitor Aritzeta, the young people are building their identity: They ask themselves, “Who am I?” and for that, others are essential. “In this situation it’s hard to answer this question because you can’t contrast your ideas and your self-concept with others.” For the professor of the UPV/EHU there is the key, when it harms or hinders the process that would have to be developed naturally, it has consequences on psychological well-being. “That is why we are seeing these symptoms especially among adolescents and young people.”

He says that the epidemic, in addition to the symptoms related to depression and anxiety, has produced other effects. Cases of anorexia and bulimia, for example, have increased considerably, as well as dependency on video games and social networks. “Through the latter, they try to escape the feelings of anguish, but this also provokes loneliness and suffering.”

It is clear that in today's youth social networks are used as a form of beautification, and considering that the existing spaces have been limited, they are becoming basic spaces for the construction of one's own identity, with all the risks that this entails.

The psychiatrist Idoia Agirre treats in the consultation the adolescents who are in the institute. It considers that they have not been able to use the usual resources to make progress in their process. “This will surely leave a psychic mark, because he is about to see what it has been for young people not to go out in the street, not to be with friends…”

Learning process conditioned by the pest

When the quarantine started, the school and universities tried to adapt to the new situation and the students had to complete the online course. In September, however, they began with new protocols and measures, and in the case of universities, many students have continued to study online.

This has radically changed what was one of the fundamental spaces for the creation of relationships. According to Aritzeta, the deterioration of the teaching and learning processes has been evident. “I’ve seen a lot of the tiredness and lack of motivation that this anguish and nervousness has brought with time. Now they find it harder to connect and motivate with the learning process. Especially when it comes to communicating, it has been very difficult for me personally to connect with the students. In addition, I have seen that the depth of the explanations has remained on the surface, we had no opportunity to go further and there have been very few talks. It has caused great harm in the process of sharing knowledge.”

State of uncertainty

Uncertainty is one of the most appropriate words to define the year of the plague. And it's that they're being times full of doubt, and this also influences mental health.

According to the data, young people have suffered in particular from the consequences of the economic crisis. Many young people have lost their jobs and it is precisely they who have precarious jobs. Aritzeta considers that the main concern is the management of uncertainty, due to the lack of capacity and resources to cope with this situation. “This makes them more vulnerable to mental health.”

The members of the Lunar Space clearly state: “We have known for a long time that employment and job insecurity are related to the increased effects of mental health problems.”

In addition, Agirre has addressed the importance of the socioeconomic factor of families: “Adolescents with fewer resources and more distress in the family are the ones who have suffered the most.” This trend has been noticeable in his consultations.

What if we look forward to what?

“The longer you stay in a state of trauma, the longer it will be necessary to cope with it. It’s not always that way, but there’s a connection,” says Aritzeta. “If the pandemic were to disappear tomorrow, the psychological disturbances that it will leave would require time to overcome it. In fact, the problems people experience and the situation of vulnerability that has been experienced for a long time will have consequences and it will cost society to turn it around. The nature and resources of each person are different, but we will all need time for it.”

The members of the Lunar Space express the following concern: “If emotional fatigue and uncertainty persist over time, we fear that this will normalize in society, that is, that depression, generalized anxiety, the feeling of drowsiness, that we cannot think what we want and that it will be perceived as a way of living.”

However, Agirre adds a new view: “The experience this year has been an experience that, once overcome, will have great value. Young people will also learn from this experience and it will be safe for them.”

Importance of mental health care

Members of the Lunar Space consider mental health care insufficient: “During the pandemic, it has become apparent that there is hardly any care service, which has been provided voluntarily and without remuneration. It is urgent to establish intervention policies in mental and emotional health. It is also essential to raise awareness of the need to pay attention to mental health in all areas of life and to foster knowledge for self-management.”

“A few years ago the European Commission issued a report stating that workplace burns and occupational stress cost 6,000 million euros a year,” says Aritzeta. “Mental health leads life and economy: life, like suicides, and the economy, with low stress and drug use, among others. Mental health also has a huge impact on the economy.” He believes that it is necessary to put on the table the need for resources to take care of mental health, and that to do so, among other things, more psychologists are needed in public health. Remember that many people don't have the resources to go to private psychologists: “Mental health cannot be understood as a privilege.”

What to do to care for mental health?

The members of the Lunar Space emphasize that people are not solitary beings but interdependent. “This system, although it pushes us towards ever-increasing individualism, we are social beings and we need others to learn and live. Many times we cannot cope with difficulties without talking to someone, without hearing and without feeling understood. Seeing that it does not happen to me alone is of vital importance and, ultimately, it is essential to strengthen mental and emotional care, both individually and collectively.”

Their proposal goes this way, because they aim to work in personal and collective care, to focus people and to respond to our real needs. For them it is a tool of social transformation.

Aritzeta, for his part, says that we have to recover energy to cope with stress and sit on a four-legged chair. What are those four legs? The first three would be to have a healthy diet, do sport (it is one of the best antidepressants) and take care of sleep routines. With them, we can recover physical energy. But to strengthen mental health, the fourth leg is to care for and protect relationships, if physically possible, read more, avoid information, practice yoga, meditation... “Taking care of these four things we can give a big boost to mental health.”