Depression and Coronavirus

I was not happy to see Doug Ford, Ontario's Premier, spending his entire press conference yesterday on the topic of “mental health,” and announcing an expenditure of $15 million on a help line to counsel the traumatized public. US sources at the same time are warning of a pending mental health crisis because of the lockdown.

First, there is no solid evidence that mental health counselling actually helps anyone.

Second, historical evidence suggests that the genuinely depressed and chronically anxious actually feel better during a crisis. During the London Blitz, the mental hospitals emptied out.

Third, the best treatment for depression and anxiety is actually to spend some time alone, away from the daily hustle. The depressed are actually finally, thanks to the lockdown, getting the time to think things through.

So this looks to me like a giveaway to already well-off professionals while some are in desperate need. No doubt the psychologists’ lobbyists saw the opportunity and convinced the politicians of the urgent need for their services.

The help lines may get traffic, too, but not from anyone in real need. Just from people experiencing ordinary loneliness and wanting to talk, or from self-dramatizing narcissists in need of attention. In which case, giving them this attention is making their condition worse, like giving an alcoholic another drink.