On the 27th of August, a seminar for parents of young people with mental health issues was conducted. The lector was Elka Bozhkova – a clinical psychologist and an expert to project L.I.K.E. The main topic was the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the mental and physical health of young people and their parents. There was a discussion in which the parents actively participated about the consequences of the pandemic on their lives, relationships with people, close to them, emotions, and experiencing panic and fear.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, you may experience stress, anxiety, fear, sadness, and loneliness. And mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, can worsen.
Added to the fear of contracting the virus in a pandemic such as COVID-19 are the significant changes to our daily lives as our movements are restricted in support of efforts to contain and slow down the spread of the virus.
Added to these emotions and conditions, the pandemic also causes significant changes to our daily lives. Faced with new realities of working from home, temporary unemployment, home-schooling of children, and lack of physical contact with other family members, friends and colleagues, it is important that we look after our mental, as well as our physical, health.