Almost overnight, the daily lives of millions were rearranged as governments worldwide scrambled to contain the novel coronavirus.
The changes, however necessary, have drawn concern from mental health experts who worry about how self-isolation, financial insecurity and barriers to care could affect those already struggling — particularly individuals with thoughts of suicide.
Loneliness has the capacity to fray people, and can provoke feelings like anxiety and depression, said Mark Sinyor, a psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
But there’s another way to look at it. “There is a feeling of collective purpose in this,” he said. “One of the key issues in mental