Covid-19 has made mental health more invisible than in pre-pandemic days. It’s sad that mental health doesn't show up in the physical sense. For example, a blood test can’t diagnose depression, anxiety, depression or other mental health issues.

Mental health is invisible

The fact that it is invisible for many, underlies the discrimination of what people with mental health issues have to deal with. Society tends to deal with what it can see, although not everyone deals with what they see. With an ‘I’ll be alright attitude’ mental health and health may take a back seat, until it’s too late. Men tend to take that tack more than women.

Society tends to have an opinion also, but for those with anxiety and depression, the temporary paralysis is a real issue. When a problem is unseen, it is easier for others to ignore the 'undercurrents.'

It's important not to judge

But unless you walk a mile in another person’s shoes and you see and feel what they feel, people often ignore that something like anxiety and depression can incapacitate someone from going about their day, or getting out of the house, as if they were feeling physically paralysed.

The help for someone with anxiety and depression to enable them to leave the house, is different from someone with a physical disability, but it’s not any less real. Covid-19 has changed people's perceptions on mental health. In the early days, for two minutes, mental health was talked about through the media. I continue to talk about it on my blog.

Happy Birthday Sheila... it's our birthday today and my first without her.