A new report by the region’s health unit calls for a continued and watchful eye on the mental-health impacts of the public health measures implemented during the COVID pandemic.
It also calls for simultaneous action to mitigate the negative impacts of those measures on people’s physical and mental health.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health unit published the Mitigating Harms of COVID-19 Public Health Measures report, which recommends actions be taken right away to improve access to mental-health resources, and to strike a balance between effectiveness of a control and the harmful implications of it.
Above all, the report urges changes and actions be taken immediately.
“The COVID-19 global pandemic is an enormous risk to health. The public health measures in response to it are unprecedented, and studies of their harms and benefits are in their infancy,” states the report. “Regardless of this lack of knowledge, given the risks that are present, action should not be delayed in favour of further study. Rather, further study and action should occur concurrently, with the actions and findings of one informing the other.”
Findings in the report showed the most common and recurring impact of COVID-19 restrictions was potential harm to mental health. There were also indications of rises in substance use and related harms, and a higher risk of domestic violence. The report also noted the disruption of daily routines and increased stress in families has had a range of negative impacts on child well-being and development.
The number of emergency department visits dropped everywhere after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. However, there was no change in pandemic and pre-pandemic levels for the number of calls to the Simcoe County branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, or calls to 211 in Simcoe-Muskoka for mental-health and addiction services.
There was, however, a decrease in the ways those reaching out for help could access services.
According to the Ontario Office of the Chief Coroner, the number of drug-related deaths in March, April and May has increased by about 25 per cent compared to 2019.
Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions noted a 66 per cent decrease in the number of referrals for new investigations into the use of physical force and/or maltreatment between March and April.
“This may be related to the decreased presence of standard referral sources, including education personnel (due to school closures), child-care providers, and legal personnel,” noted the report, further stating most of the recent referrals to Family Connexions have been from police officers and law enforcement.
One of the co-authors of the report was Dr. Lisa Simon, associate medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
“The report made clear that mental health is a fundamental component of overall health,” Simon told CollingwoodToday in an email.
Last year, the region’s health unit put out a three-year mental health strategy report, and Simon noted the health unit has long had the perspective that mental health is fundamental to overall health.
“The mitigating harms report articulates opportunities to factor in mental health considerations in a wide range of planning, programming, communications, and public policy related to the response to COVID and other pandemics,” said Simon.
Specifically, the report notes public health measures should be used selectively and weighted based on “ongoing learnings.”
For example, Simon and the team recommend continuing to relax measures as soon as it is safe and won’t compromise the pandemic response. They also specifically mention not keeping someone in quarantine any longer than is required, and supporting individuals who have been quarantined.
The report also emphasizes the importance of making sure existing health-unit programs and services are modified – in medium and/or content – so they are still serving people during the pandemic. The recommendations indicate the health unit should be promoting health messaging on mitigating the harms of public health measures, even as it promotes those meant to control the spread of COVID-19.
The report calls for more efforts to inform workers in the health, social service, and education sectors on best practices for promoting mental health. To best equip them, the health unit recommends psychological first aid training.
“Psychological first-aid is basic psychological care provided to people in distress which involves providing supportive and practical help while respecting individual dignity, culture, and abilities,” said Simon. “Psychological first-aid helps people with self-efficacy to access the support they need and to feel safe, connected, calm, and hopeful.”
She suggests local organizations from schools and health-care settings to hospices and faith organizations should collaborate to add mental health to their emergency response plans.
Simon said anyone working in health, social, education, law enforcement, civil services, front-lines, and essential services should be trained on mental health and domestic violence support and best practice.
“Public health would be happy to participate in collaborative discussions about this, but would not likely be in a position to lead it,” said Simon.
The health unit report does not claim to be comprehensive. The report did not examine all sub-populations and did not examine any in-depth locally.
“It is also very likely that many effects are yet to be seen,” states the report. “The COVID-19 global pandemic is an unprecedented event that will require a substantial future study both in the short-term and longitudinally.”
You can read the 51-page report in full online.
