Lost in the midst of all the coverage of the case counts, death toll and economic impact of coronavirus is the toll it’s taken on almost everyone’s mental health. Mental health issues surfacing from this ongoing crisis have been getting little to no focus from the media and society, and that is an absolute injustice to everyone who has been dealing with growing mental health troubles as a result of this crisis. The attention we have been placing on our elders and others at risk of dying from COVID-19 has been impressive and needs to continue. However, we must not forget about our friends and family who have lost jobs or school time, sank into depression, developed anxiety problems, and even considered suicide due to ongoing events in the world today.

As helpful as social distancing measures have been in slowing the spread of the virus, it's just not in our nature for us to self-isolate for lengthy periods of time. We don’t know how much longer this will last, and the longer government-mandated lockdowns last, the worse their effects will be on our mental health. The constant news barrage of worst-case scenarios, economic collapse, uncertainty and hopelessness, mass closures and cancellations/postponements and more have not helped matters either.

Please spread the good word so that we can find a way to make mental health a greater focus of this current crisis before humanity is pushed to an edge and suicide rates skyrocket. These people need help, and right now they feel trapped and helpless due to the fact that they can't even seek help from clinics at the moment. We need to change that by increasing mental health awareness in these difficult times.