Online Doctors Help Patients Deal with Anxiety Amid COVID-19

According to a survey published in March by the Kaiser Family Foundation, about a third of Americans say that the coronavirus has negatively impacted their mental health and almost two thirds worry that a family member will become sick with the virus. This kind of anxiety can have a debilitating effect on people’s lives, so it’s important for people suffering from mental health issues to know that they are not alone in what they are going through. In today’s technological world, virtual care is available for those who are suffering.

It’s Time to Take the Time

Even though it may seem impossible to get that appointment with a psychiatrist or psychologist at this time due to social distancing rules, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The advent of COVID-19 has seen doctors invest in telehealth solutions for patients suffering from minor colds to severe depression. This has resulted in the increasing availability of convenient and accessible virtual care options.

By visiting an online doctor, patients can feel less isolated, develop coping mechanisms, and learn to establish productive goals and routines. This emotional support is more accessible than ever due to the sudden lack of time pressures, so what better time is there to start than now?

Virtual Care: Convenient, Easy and Private

As most people are obliged to work from home at this time, and due to the restrictions on social gatherings, people are finding that their timetables have suddenly opened up. For some, this is a great source of anxiety and can lead to feelings of isolation, but it can also provide opportunities where once they were limited.

Before the coronavirus, one in five American adults were dealing with mental health issues, with 6.8 million people in the US suffering from anxiety alone, so anxiety is by no means a new issue restricted only to COVID-19.

However, where there might have been stigma around being seen leaving work early, or where there had been the inconvenience of finding care for children or traveling through rush hour to reach the clinic on time, telehealth appointments with an online doctor have seen these issues evaporate into thin air. Now you can meet with a personal doctor in the comfort of your living room with the use of apps or video conferencing. For some, this may be the opportunity they need to help them address the anxiety they have kept hidden away for many years.

And although these kind of appointments may feel a little awkward at first, once patients have settled into them, the benefits of quick, prompt follow ups, easy booking processes, and the ability to bypass the waiting room and receptionist entirely should be enough to make those suffering from anxiety be willing to give it a go.

Your Mental Health is Important

For most people, anxiety is a very normal emotion they feel from time to time and which lingers for a few minutes to several days; but for others, this emotion can last for years, impinging on the quality of their daily life.

Anxiety symptoms vary but if you are experiencing any of the following, an online doctor visit may be something you would want to consider:

• Nervousness
• Restlessness
• Rapid heart rate and breathing
• Feelings of danger, panic or dread

A doctor will be able to discuss these symptoms with you, help you process them, and recommend suitable treatments that you are comfortable with.

In a global world which feels more isolated than ever due to COVID-19, access to such convenient virtual care can help remind you that we are alone together, with experienced, supportive physicians just a call away.