Covid restrictions causing record levels of self harming

[yorkie]

Children's mental health: 'The type of self-harm is the worst we have seen'

BBC North West Tonight is given exclusive access to the child mental health team in Liverpool.

www.bbc.co.uk

The types of self-harm that we're dealing with are different and worse than we've ever seen before," says Dr Sally Al-Bachari, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist.
"The attempts to end life are ongoing and the most severe level we've ever experienced."

I hate to say 'i told you so' but I did warn of this back in Spring 2020.

I am aware personally of many young people with mental health issues which have been caused or exacerbated by Covid restrictions.

Restrictions that were not for the benefit of young people whatsoever.

I'm not saying some restrictions wouldn't be appropriate but we should not have restricted activities for going people as much as we did or for as long as we did.

Those who called for and supported such measures must admit they were wrong. I will forgive those who are strong enough to do so.

Those who don't admit it, I have no words to describe what I think of you.

 

[DanNCL]

Not just children of course, but people of all ages. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if more people have died as a result of the various restrictions than have died of covid.

This needs to be much more prominent in the media. This should be front page news, not tucked away deep into the BBC website.

 

[Eyersey468]

It doesn't surprise me at all, I had been saying right from the beginning the harm that lockdowns etc cause to the economy, mental health etc would outweigh any good that they did.

My brother is 21 and has Aspergers, and the lockdowns have set him back years, according to my mum he has been out of the house twice since March 2020.

 

[johnnychips]

Deaths by alcohol abuse up too. No surprise.

 

[Eyersey468]

Deaths by alcohol abuse up too. No surprise.

Doesn't surprise me either

 

[bramling]

Children's mental health: 'The type of self-harm is the worst we have seen'

BBC North West Tonight is given exclusive access to the child mental health team in Liverpool.

www.bbc.co.uk

I hate to say 'i told you so' but I did warn of this back in Spring 2020.

I am aware personally of many young people with mental health issues which have been caused or exacerbated by Covid restrictions.

Restrictions that were not for the benefit of young people whatsoever.

I'm not saying some restrictions wouldn't be appropriate but we should not have restricted activities for going people as much as we did or for as long as we did.

Those who called for and supported such measures must admit they were wrong. I will forgive those who are strong enough to do so.

Those who don't admit it, I have no words to describe what I think of you.

Yes there’s a lot of pent-up frustration doing the rounds now. I know a few people who are really being pushed over the edge by this.

I’m also hearing that those who have lost loved ones are infuriated too - both by the Downing Street saga, and the fact that this is a constant reminder of things.

I do sense that trouble has been brewing for a while, and could well boil over.

 

[Eyersey468]

I've said for a long time that the collateral damage from the last 2 years will last for years and for some will last a lifetime.

 

[35B]

Children's mental health: 'The type of self-harm is the worst we have seen'

BBC North West Tonight is given exclusive access to the child mental health team in Liverpool.

www.bbc.co.uk

I hate to say 'i told you so' but I did warn of this back in Spring 2020.

I am aware personally of many young people with mental health issues which have been caused or exacerbated by Covid restrictions.

Restrictions that were not for the benefit of young people whatsoever.

I'm not saying some restrictions wouldn't be appropriate but we should not have restricted activities for going people as much as we did or for as long as we did.

Those who called for and supported such measures must admit they were wrong. I will forgive those who are strong enough to do so.

Those who don't admit it, I have no words to describe what I think of you.

Before heading down that road, some comparative numbers would be useful. That BBC report is good, but I’ve no idea what a 43% increase actually means in hard numbers, or how it can be compared to the restrictions that have presumably triggered it.

These are genuine costs of government policy, and deserve to be taken seriously. But it’s no more valid to just assess the cost and disregard the benefit than it is, as you yourself criticise, claim the benefit and ignore the cost.

 

[nedchester]

Before heading down that road, some comparative numbers would be useful. That BBC report is good, but I’ve no idea what a 43% increase actually means in hard numbers, or how it can be compared to the restrictions that have presumably triggered it.

These are genuine costs of government policy, and deserve to be taken seriously. But it’s no more valid to just assess the cost and disregard the benefit than it is, as you yourself criticise, claim the benefit and ignore the cost.

Without going into too much detail my own daughter suffered mental health issues following lockdowns not to the extent highlighted in the article above but certainly requiring medical intervention.

The effects of isolation and lack of structure cannot be underestimated.

 

[nw1]

The ironic thing is that the politicians think that every single Covid death is a major tragedy, yet to them, it seems that people suffering mental health problems, suicides and deaths from alcoholism are simply collateral damage and the politicians shrug their shoulders. While Covid has to be stopped at all costs, people suffering from mental health issues are treated in a brutally Darwinian way as people who cannot adapt to the brave new world.

I have both had Covid and suffered from mild depression during this crisis. The latter was many orders of magnitude worse than the former. This is true for many people, I suspect. And the effect on my mental health, while not good, was nothing like as severe as that of many other people, including the cases being discussed here.

 

[Eyersey468]

The ironic thing is that the politicians think that every single Covid death is a major tragedy, yet to them, it seems that people suffering mental health problems, suicides and deaths from alcoholism are simply collateral damage and the politicians simply shrug their shoulders. While Covid has to be stopped at all costs, people suffering from mental health issues are treated in a brutally Darwinian way as people who cannot adapt to the brave new world.

I have both had Covid and suffered from mild depression during this crisis. The latter was much worse than the former. This is true for many people, I suspect.

I have not to my knowledge had Covid though was really struggling mentally especially during April/May last year. It does concern me that only Covid seems to matter.

 

[nw1]

I have not to my knowledge had Covid though was really struggling mentally especially during April/May last year. It does concern me that only Covid seems to matter.

That was certainly the worst point for me too, though more March/April than April/May. I think by May the trend towards loosening restrictions was starting so that kept me going. The low point was perhaps mid-March to about Easter.

But I was very, very lucky to get the opportunity to leave the UK last winter, to a country which, while it still had lockdown, had a brighter and warmer climate than the UK so the lifestyle was less brutal and severe. For instance, you could do things like enjoy takeaway coffee in the park in 15C and sunshine in January. If I had stayed in the UK last winter, I suspect I would have suffered even worse in January and early February.

 

[Eyersey468]

That was certainly the worst point for me too, though more March/April than April/May. I think by May the trend towards loosening restrictions was starting so that kept me going. The low point was perhaps mid-March to about Easter.

But I was very, very lucky to get the opportunity to leave the UK last winter, to a country which, while it still had lockdown, had a brighter and warmer climate than the UK so the lifestyle was less brutal and severe. For instance, you could do things like enjoy takeaway coffee in the park in 15C and sunshine in January. If I had stayed in the UK last winter, I suspect I would have suffered even worse in January and early February.

To be honest what kept me going was the fact I wasn't furloughed and could keep working

 

[adc82140]

My SAD is really bad this year. The constant threat of further restrictions isn't helping.

 

[nw1]

To be honest what kept me going was the fact I wasn't furloughed and could keep working

True - I am very grateful that, so far at least, I haven't lost my job as a result of this.

 

[Eyersey468]

My SAD is really bad this year. The constant threat of further restrictions isn't helping.

It isn't helping me either

 

[duncanp]

It isn't helping me either

It wouldn't be so bad if they would introduce a given set of restrictions and give them time to work.

What gets me is that the introduce some new restrictions, and then immediately there are speculation/leaks etc about how the current set of restrictions are "not enough".

During the roadmap out of lockdown last year we were told we needed five weeks between each stage to obtain data on the effect of easing restrictions.

And yet now is is barely 5 days between each tightening of restrictions.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Not only have people of all ages been cooped indoors and possibly alone for many many months which has to cause psychological problems. There is also the stress of not being able to get away from the other members of your household.

But I wonder how many people are suffering due to lack of psychological support from an overloaded NHS. Same goes of course for all the outstanding cancer treatments and diagnosis that the overloaded NHS have failed to do.

To me the main reason for us hunkering down was to protect the NHS. Also the elderly until they were vaccinated. But there was a balance to be struck.

But I really think we should have come out of lockdown earlier as the worst time for Virus spread is during the winter. We would get more benefit if we were in a deeper lockdown now but had left lockdowns behind by late spring and had a more open summer. It riled me that my favourite music festival in August got cancelled this year unnecessarily. It was the government dithering over announcing the last set of relaxations until July that left many festival organisers with no choice but to cancel as by late June they had to commit to expensive and irreversible spending.

Now we discover that those we look up to for guidance had been carrying on and enjoying themselves regardless 10 months before !.

By this time last year Christmas had been shrunk from 6 days allowed to 1 day allowed. We had already cancelled our family Christmas while those in power were carrying on regardless.

The fact that this wasted peoples patience and caused risk is disgraceful and annoys me. But then add in the very real problems lockdowns caused for more vulnerable members of our society and I am lost for words when I discover the rules did not apply evenly.

 

[Eyersey468]

It wouldn't be so bad if they would introduce a given set of restrictions and give them time to work.

What gets me is that the introduce some new restrictions, and then immediately there are speculation/leaks etc about how the current set of restrictions are "not enough".

During the roadmap out of lockdown last year we were told we needed five weeks between each stage to obtain data on the effect of easing restrictions.

And yet now is is barely 5 days between each tightening of restrictions.

Wasn't this the case last time though? I would be interested to know their excuses

 

[Merseysider]

Perhaps a controversial opinion but I would argue that, once the vaccine programme got rolling a year ago, no restrictions should ever have extended to under 18s. Schools should then have remained open throughout the year. I’m not advocating Boris’ “let the bodies pile high” idea; rather, normal life should have been allowed to continue for those at least risk from the virus.

 

[35B]

Without going into too much detail my own daughter suffered mental health issues following lockdowns not to the extent highlighted in the article above but certainly requiring medical intervention.

The effects of isolation and lack of structure cannot be underestimated.

I don't underestimate them. I merely look for something that will allow me to interpret some raw data for significance.

Perhaps a controversial opinion but I would argue that, once the vaccine programme got rolling a year ago, no restrictions should ever have extended to under 18s. Schools should then have remained open throughout the year. I’m not advocating Boris’ “let the bodies pile high” idea; rather, normal life should have been allowed to continue for those at least risk from the virus.

The issue, in all of the schools and out of school groups that I have connection with, was the impact of transmission on staff and volunteers. As a parent, I support the concept, but question the practicality of keeping any group free of restrictions that apply to the rest of the society they're part of.

 

[greyman42]

The ironic thing is that the politicians think that every single Covid death is a major tragedy, yet to them, it seems that people suffering mental health problems, suicides and deaths from alcoholism are simply collateral damage and the politicians shrug their shoulders.

It might help if the media covered these issues but all they seem interested in doing is plastering the daily infection rate all over the news headlines. The other issues you mention never get any media attention so the government/opposition get away with it.

 

[yorkie]

But I really think we should have come out of lockdown earlier as the worst time for Virus spread is during the winter. ..

Indeed; a false claim that some people used to make was that a deeper lockdown during the summer would suppress the virus and make it go away. I remember some forum members giving Germany as an example of a country that was making the virus disappear. Their argument was that we should lock down for longer in the Summer to make the virus go away and not resurge in the winter. We know now that was absolutely false.

All restrictions do is delay the inevitable and have a huge toll on finances, mental health & physical health. Ultimately we have to build up immunity through a combination of vaccines and infections.

I don't underestimate them. I merely look for something that will allow me to interpret some raw data for significance.

Sod data; ask anyone with any sense who works in a relevant field and they will be able to tell you how damaging lockdowns and other restrictions (including the awful bubble system) have been. We may not have statistics that appeal to those who do cushy work from home jobs who sit in offices spending their time looking at spreadsheets, but we have real world experience.

If you will not listen that is your problem.

It is difficult to gather data on this crisis; yes I am sure some data can be obtained, but at the end of the day it is difficult to put the wellbeing of people into data format for the benefit of people who won't simply listen to those who have first hand experience.

 

[nw1]

Indeed; a false claim that some people used to make was that a deeper lockdown during the summer would suppress the virus and make it go away. I remember some forum members giving Germany as an example of a country that was making the virus disappear. Their argument was that we should lock down for longer in the Summer to make the virus go away and not resurge in the winter. We know now that was absolutely false.

Quite, 2020 showed that. But in any case, suggesting summer lockdown on a regular basis (not sure if this was the suggestion, or was it just a one-off for 2020?) is an absolutely crazy idea, as it would be even more disastrous for the economy, particularly the tourism economy which would be so badly damaged it might never recover. Not to mention the psychological damage of losing a critical part of the year which for some, is the only time they are free of SAD and related symptoms.

 

[Drogba11CFC]

I still don't know how I kept my sanity together. First lockdown, fine, I waited it out thanks to TS, FM20 and Promods. Then finally, freedom. Three steam tours and I could watch Winchester City again.

And then SAGE barged in again. Lockdown 2, and I'm told that I'm at high risk of redundancy due to changing circumstances (my job was office-based). November passes, and finally we're free again. And then SAGE barge in again. Christmas comes and goes with Colin Lockdown (who should be in prison) pushing for permanent lockdowns. I start going on long walks and losing weight. Finally there's a way out, but then Jenny Jones demands that what little civil liberties I have left be trampled into the dirt, thankfully getting nowhere. Fortunately my mental health holds, and I finally get back to work, and go to Scotland on holiday trying to ignore the looming redundancy. Even more fortunately, I manage to evade it by getting another job, and it looks like I got out the other side.

And now those little Hitlers at SAGE have barged in once more...

 

[Yew]

But I really think we should have come out of lockdown earlier as the worst time for Virus spread is during the winter.

Indeed, we unlocked earlier than our neighbours, and seem to be doing generally better. I feel that pattern would extend to earlier in the year too.

Who would have thought that all those predictions of "if we have restrictions for too long we'll get a big exit wave" from back in the early days of March 2020 would turn out to be true.

 

[nw1]

Indeed, we unlocked earlier than our neighbours, and seem to be doing generally better. I feel that pattern would extend to earlier in the year too.

Who would have thought that all those predictions of "if we have restrictions for too long we'll get a big exit wave" from back in the early days of March 2020 would turn out to be true.

Did we unlock earlier than our neighbours? I do seem to remember in 2020, various continental countries seemed to be opening shops, bars and restaurants in May, perhaps 4 to 6 weeks ahead of us.

 

[alxndr]

I'm not saying that some people haven't found the restrictions difficult, I had my own issues with some of them and struggled at times (although the "lockdown" aspect was fine by me), but I do wonder how much of the increase comes down to people getting "caught" self-harming more than they would have done otherwise.

From my own teenage years I know that it's possible to hide self-harm for quite a long time without anyone noticing. Whether I'd have been able to do so stuck around people constantly is another matter though.

 

[35B]

Indeed; a false claim that some people used to make was that a deeper lockdown during the summer would suppress the virus and make it go away. I remember some forum members giving Germany as an example of a country that was making the virus disappear. Their argument was that we should lock down for longer in the Summer to make the virus go away and not resurge in the winter. We know now that was absolutely false.

All restrictions do is delay the inevitable and have a huge toll on finances, mental health & physical health. Ultimately we have to build up immunity through a combination of vaccines and infections.


Sod data; ask anyone with any sense who works in a relevant field and they will be able to tell you how damaging lockdowns and other restrictions (including the awful bubble system) have been. We may not have statistics that appeal to those who do cushy work from home jobs who sit in offices spending their time looking at spreadsheets, but we have real world experience.

If you will not listen that is your problem.

It is difficult to gather data on this crisis; yes I am sure some data can be obtained, but at the end of the day it is difficult to put the wellbeing of people into data format for the benefit of people who won't simply listen to those who have first hand experience.

Read what I wrote - I do not deny cause and effect, or seriousness. I have seen the data on educational outcomes at the school I’m a governor at; I know the impact on my children and their peers. I question the relative proportions, and the conclusions that follow.

You strongly criticise government policy on Covid for the lack of evidence of effect proportionate to the costs, yet here you argue that there cannot and should not be any other consideration than the mental health issues reported. They are two sides of the same coin.

 

[johnnychips]

There is a maxim amongst teachers that we never shut up talking about our job, which is why we are such boring company. Tonight at our works do, so much of the conversation was about the students who have left…’if there hadn’t have been a lockdown he wouldn’t have retreated in his shell and be terrified to go out/ had this work experience/ been able to successfully transit to sheltered housing/ wouldn’t have become alcoholic…’. I could go on with at least another ten cases.

Oh, and to keep on topic, one started self-harming during the lockdown.