Peeling Back the Scabs of Socioeconomic Inequity and the Mental Health Impacts of a Pandemic

The exacerbated impact of a pandemic on mental health is widely uncovered. We as a society must understand how prevalent mental illness is, how it is further impacted by a pandemic crisis, and realize that it is time to stop stigmatizing mental health and treat it in the same light as physical well being. This discussion explores common causes for the rise of mental health issues during a pandemic environment, avenues for seeking treatment, how the perception of telehealth has changed since the pandemic began, how to address and improve the disparity of socioeconomic inequities facing the most vulnerable communities to COVID-19, and what is being done to identify and mitigate increased stress and higher levels of anxiety to workers in the healthcare field.