Studies compiled by CNN show that the Covid-19 pandemic brought an increase in physical and emotional problems among Brazilians. Less socialization, routine change and work overload are some of the factors related to the increase in mental illnesses and postural problems.
The home office contributed to this picture. Remote work may have generated more sleep, less commute and an opportunity to spend more time with the family, but it also had its downsides, which contributed to worsening clinical conditions or the emergence of illnesses, experts say.
A LinkedIn survey during the pandemic found that 62% of people are more anxious and stressed about their work than they were before the introduction of remote activities.
The study also shows that 72% of young professionals feel that the pandemic has impaired the learning of behavioral skills, such as communication and emotional intelligence.
The mental health problems of Brazilians are also perceived by therapists.
Data released this Friday (29) by Zenklub, emotional health platform, record a 151% increase in therapy sessions in the first half of this year, compared to the same period in 2020.
In the first six months of 2021, there were more than 50 thousand consultations. In these online sessions, mentions of mental health problems rose by 1,745%.
“Six out of ten Brazilians feel an overload of work. This shows that we are dealing with more pressure and feel more tired or exhausted. The change in routine, environment, work dynamics, decreased socialization and difficulty in imposing limits are aggravating factors”, said to CNN the CEO and co-founder of Zenklub, Rui Brandão.
The greater demand for the treatment of mental disorders was also registered by a survey carried out by the Brazilian Psychiatric Association (ABP), which included professionals from 23 Brazilian states and the Federal District.
According to the survey, 82.9% of psychiatrists noticed the worsening of mental health problems in patients who were already treating some type of mental disorder, such as depression and anxiety.
In 69.3% of the states, professionals returned to attending patients who had already been discharged.
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that the most common disorders in Brazil are anxiety and depression, which affect 20 million and 12 million people, respectively. In addition, the country leads in cases of more anxiety in the world and ranks fifth among the nations with the highest record of depression.
Physical health
In addition to mental health problems, Brazilians suffered more physical complications during remote work, says the Sociedade Brasileira de Coluna (SBC).
The number of spinal surgeries ‘has never been so high’, says SBC member Haroldo Chagas.
“Without a doubt, this is the moment that I’m most operating in my column. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the need for interventions to treat cervical spine problems has increased a lot, being mostly patients with intolerable pain. Inactivity is related to problems in the cervical and lumbar spine”, says Chagas.
He also details how the home office can influence this trend. “In person, whether we like it or not, we need to move. The well-being of the spine is related to movement”, said the spine specialist neurosurgeon.
Hybrid routine is preferred
On the other hand, the fear of being infected by the new coronavirus and the ease of working from home, a portion of Brazilians would like to remain working from home, at least partially. The LinkedIn study highlights that 43% of Brazilians prefer to adopt a hybrid routine, a work model that alternates in-person days at the office and days in the home office.
Reference: CNN Brasil
