Holidays During Pandemic Prompt Concerns Over Mental Health

The holiday season can be rough on those struggling with issues such as loneliness and depression. But with this year’s holidays coming more than eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health experts say they are worried that the months ahead could be especially difficult for some.

Physical distancing doesn’t have to mean social isolation, and mental health professionals are urging the community to watch out for one another.

“The holiday season often brings feelings of stress, sadness, isolation, depression or anxiety,” according to a statement issued by Pasadena Public Health Department Acting Social Mental Health Division Manager Erica Davis. “COVID-related stressors could add another layer to an already difficult time for those who are living with mental health issues.”

Citing guidance from Mental Health America, Davis said it’s important for those feeling pressure to “identify what you’re feeling, acknowledge what you may have lost, avoid romanticizing typical holiday plans and practice gratitude.”

Dr. Clifford Feldman, who serves as medical director for psychiatry at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, said the pandemic alone has already taken a toll on many people’s mental health.

“It may be exacerbated by the holiday season, when people traditionally get together,” Feldman said.

“The holidays can make people ignore the quarantine orders, and that would just prolong misery even further,” he said.

“One of the hardest things is that the end of this is unknown. If we knew for sure that on Feb. 1st it would be over, people would be able to mentally check in and say, ‘OK, no problem,’’’ he said. “Some people, when they don’t know it’s going to end, think it’s going to never end, and then they can become reckless.”

Feldman encouraged people to be mindful of the mental states of their friends and families.

“You look for any kind of changes in behavior, attitude, and personality,” he said. “There are the basic symptoms of depression, where people maybe are not eating, or they are isolating, crying, tearful, sad, obviously suicidal thoughts, insomnia, things like that. So those are the things to not only watch out for during the holidays but at all times.”

“People are really prone to substance abuse and overindulgence in the holidays,” Feldman added.

Discussing mental health issues can be a touchy subject for some, he said.

“It’s very difficult for a friend who doesn’t want to be too intrusive, but also may know that there’s a problem. So something as simple as, ‘Hey, are you OK? Is there any way I can help you?’ would be a good ice breaker,” Feldman said.

Seth Wagerman, a psychological assistant at the nonprofit Rose City Center psychiatric clinic in Pasadena, also urged people to look out for each other.

“I might also suggest the first avenue might be to see if there’s something you can do for them. Many people are cheered by having a card sent to them or a plate of cookies dropped off at their doorstep or an offer to take a socially distanced, mask-wearing stroll in a park in open air. There are things we can do to help our friends besides just sending them straight to mental health,” he said.

“But to anybody out there who is feeling like they just need to hold on: Holding on doesn’t require you not to get assistance from somebody,” Wagerman said.

Appointments can be made remotely, using telemedicine, he added.

“I think this national depression is absolutely real for the collective unconscious, if you will. I think people will be struggling with this over the holidays and into next year, as well,” Wagerman said.

“People are isolated and this is a time where they take solace in being able to see their family, maybe for only the one time that year that they get to get together with their family, and that’s not going to be happening. So I definitely think this is something that I would be concerned about,” he said.

In addition to talking with others, Wagerman said that exercise is beneficial both mentally and physically.

“Exercise is outstanding for raising immunity, and especially with people kind of staying in and gaining weight right now, making sure that you’re going outdoors for walks — which is fine by the CDC — or going for a hike or a jog or something,” he said. “It raises your immunity naturally and it’s good for you in a lot of ways.”

Mental health resources available to local residents include the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Access Line at (800)-854-7771; the 24-hour Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255; and the Crisis Text Hotline, available by texting “LA” to 741741.

Additional resources, including the 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline and the 24-hour Department of Children and Family Services Child Protection Hotline, are posted on the Pasadena city website at cityofpasadena.net/public-health/covid-19-mental-health.