Depression in healthcare workers in the face of the COVID-19 crisis

Depression is one of the psychological problems that most affects healthcare workers. What to do?

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

With regard to the latter, one of the groups hardest hit by the spread of the virus are healthcare workers, who, in addition to being highly exposed to COVID-19, have to face physically and emotionally exhausting, very tough situations. If among doctors and nurses it is relatively common to develop mental disorders due to the pressure suffered at work, now the context is even more conducive to the emergence of these problems.

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

Depression in healthcare professionals during the coronavirus pandemic.

What is it in times of COVID-19 that makes healthcare workers exposed to mood disorders such as major depression? First of all, it should 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 as well as psychological and social factors..

But of all the factors known to play a role in the development of depression, in the coronavirus crisis there are several that prey on nurses and physicians.

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 at a stretch; in fact, cases of patients with anxious-depressive type problems are very common, and it is believed that anxiety and depression are believed to be mutually reinforcing..

In addition, emotionally tough situations when interacting with very ill patients and their usually distressed relatives can leave a significant psychological mark on professionals in hospitals and health care facilities in general.

In such cases, post-traumatic stress may arise in the face of catastrophic situations, or secondary traumatic stress may arise when witnessing the suffering of other people on an almost constant basis.

On the other hand, simple physical wear and tear 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 major depression.

Symptoms in personal life and at work

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

1. Weeping and melancholy thoughts

Sadness and almost uncontrollable crying are very frequent symptoms in people with depression.and one of the reasons why more people seek psychotherapy. However, contrary to popular belief, it is possible to have depression and not exactly experience sadness, nor cry a lot; for example, there are those who experience a feeling more similar to emotional emptiness and hopelessness.

2. Concentration problems

The discomfort and low mood make the person with depression less able to concentrate on a particular task. The distractions are frequent, as well as the difficulties to understand well what is happening when there are complex problems to take care of. when there are complex problems to deal with.

3. Low predisposition to communication

Among people with major depression it is much more frequent that there is a tendency to avoid social interactions. a tendency to avoid social interactionsor not to devote time or effort to them. This has very negative consequences considering the importance of communication with patients and their relatives, and the weight of this responsibility generates even more discomfort in people who are already emotionally fatigued due to their disorder.

4. Tendency to neglect themselves more

With depression, motivation for most activities decreases, and one area of life in which this is especially noticeable is usually the care of image and personal hygiene. In addition, the likelihood of developing addictions increases.

5. Anhedonia

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

Treatment

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

On the one hand, the patient is helped to beliefs and styles of thinking to which he or she has been clinging despite the fact that they contribute to generating discomfort and low mood. and low mood. In this way, they stop feeding the logic of self-confirmation of pessimistic ideas that make, for example, the person believe that their loneliness is a consequence of their way of being (a common belief in depressive patients), and not of the fatigue produced by depression. To achieve this, a form of intervention called cognitive restructuring is applied, which is usually combined with self-recording of thoughts (similar to what is usually understood as a "personal diary").

On the other hand, patients are also trained patients are trained in the creation of habits that "undo" depression, especially those that have to do with a more active lifestyle, with greater ability to offer motivating, stimulating and meaningful experiences for the person.The patients are also trained in the creation of habits that "undo" the depression, especially those that have to do with a more active lifestyle, with a greater capacity to offer motivating, stimulating and meaningful experiences for the person, which helps to keep him/her on the move and to come out of his/her altered emotional state.

Behavioral activation techniques, the establishment of schedules and reminders, and the application of certain specific daily routines are examples of measures adopted in therapy to achieve this purpose. This is carried out in combination with the cognitive strategies we have seen above.