The current talk about the effects of social isolation on everyone due to the coronavirus is extremely important. This is a crucial topic as it is affecting millions of people all over the world. People are not meant to be isolated, not only those who live alone but also a family of 6 under one roof. In either scenario, a person can feel alone, set apart from his/her “outside” life which can include school, work, friends, going to the library, stores, etc.
But what about those who were already struggling with mental illness before the coronavirus hit? This is another group of people who are not only struggling with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, etc. but must now also cope with the state of our world. Being one of these people, I can tell you it is a major complication for my recovery. As I have written before, moving from in-person therapy and group sessions to online has been difficult.
The main purpose of my attendance in an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) was to help stabilize and provide me with more support after reacting to medication for a nerve problem which caused hypomania followed by depression. I am still not stable even though medication changes are in the works and I am, for the most part, an active group member and try to be present in my individual sessions. My outpatient and IOP Psychiatrists describe what’s happening as a “rebound effect” where my brain (neurotransmitters) is trying to “figure things out” after what they’ve been through as a result of the medication that initially caused the first bout of hypomania/depression in December.
What I do not understand is why it has continued this long. Almost 4 months and lately I have been in what is called a “mixed state.” This basically means I experience major agitation and irritability, sometimes racing thoughts while also feeling sadness, low energy and a loss of interest in activities. There are times when I am tearful or even crying while also smiling, feeling grandiose. I may feel extremely happy and energetic for an hour and then feel tremendous sadness. It can be emotionally exhausting and it feels uncomfortable. I don’t like it and no one can give me a concrete answer as to why this has continued. That’s frustrating but I realize there’s no crystal ball for my professionals to tell what is happening, why and when or if it will stop.
Bring on the coronavirus and the levels of sadness I feel are so severe I can barely breathe. I miss my friends and I miss being with my group therapy members. I miss my therapist in such a way that I often cry during our online sessions thinking about how much I wish we were in her office. I limit my news check-ins as the tears I cry hearing of the utter mayhem of our healthcare system and the patients who are ill and those who died is too much and only mixes into my “mixed state” in a complex way.
This is where I am like you. We are stuck in our homes, making home-made masks for protection and trying to create structure for our kids this week of school vacation. I wear a mask when I go food shopping and keep a distance but inside, I am terrified, just like you. How do we handle this while being a steady guide for our children? I guess, for me, it’s simply been one step and then the next. I have been furloughed from my job and while I feel confident I will be re-hired once stores re-open, it remains a stress even though I had not been working for a few weeks leading up to the shut-down due to my mental health needs. So, we share quite a bit, we really do. There’s the personal: our families and friends, there’s the economy: will I have a job once things become safer? We don’t know.
All we can do is take one step and then the next. There is no crystal ball. One possible difference between you and me: when I take one step I may feel grandiose and have a sinister view of what’s in front of me and when I take the very next step, I am in tears, feeling the most intense sadness. I do hope there will be 2 crystal balls: one that will solve, cure and vaccinate against the Coronavirus and one that will provide answers and the best treatment to my almost 4 months of hypomania and depression as well as to all who have suffered with mental illness, pre-Coronavirus and currently.
Risa's Reality 