Studies have shown that COVID-19 has had a huge impact on people’s mental health. This has even more impact on communities with poorer mental health outcomes, such as LGBT people, BAME people and people with disabilities.
There is a lot of uncertainty about the future, and you may have concerns such as job loss, insecure or hostile housing, with no immediate end in sight.
You may have an existing mental health diagnosis which is getting worse at this time, or you may find yourself experiencing new low moods stimulated by some of this uncertainty.
People can feel afraid to access help as they know COVID-19 is something that affects everyone. Whatever the cause, it is important to recognise the increased burden this may put on you, and affirm your right to support.
It is helpful to be able to recognise whether any changes might be affecting your mental health and wellbeing and to check in with yourself during this time.
Advice on mental health and checking in with yourself can be found here
Your local psychological therapies service (IAPT) will have some support for coronavirus related issues running remotely. You can now self-refer without going through your GP, though you will need to access the service in your local area. You can find your local IAPT service here
Some specific mental health and wellbeing advice for LGBT communities can be found here
A lot of mental health helplines are running with increased capacity during this period, find out more here
