POSIMENTE: Technology Meets Mental Health Management
by Pnina Hagege
NON-FICTION
CW: Mental ill-health, suicide, abuse
As vaccine-filled planes hit Australian soil, most of the country — including myself — rejoiced and indulged in a deep, long-overdue, sigh of relief. We watched on as our nation’s COVID-19 recovery effort began before our eyes. Every politician’s Instagram post of a needle to the arm reconfirmed that this devastating chapter of the world’s history was beginning to end. But just as we took that breath, a daunting statistic reemerged and cascaded across the mainstream media landscape in the context of COVID-19. “For every 1% increase in unemployment, there is a 1% increase in suicide rates.” (The Lancet)1 This statistic, plainly stated in black and white, quashed any of my wishful assumptions that our nation, despite being leaders in the response against the pandemic, would come out of this epoch unscathed and unburdened by the longlasting consequences. While concerns surrounding the physical effects of the virus have mostly subsided, we are seeing a spike in joblessness and the universal experience of pandemic-anxiety take a toll on the mental health of citizens worldwide. Experts are predicting a “second epidemic” 2 as the long term social effects of COVID-19 take hold.
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