Making a More Mentally Healthy World

Two dinosaurs were standing on the street corner talking to one another and occasionally waving to passing motorists. They held no signs, so I could not discern what the costumed people might be selling or promoting. But this sight was a bit unusual in Knoxville, Tennessee, a mid-sized American city not known for flamboyant costumes in the early morning hours, on a date nowhere close to holidays such as Mardi Gras or Halloween. It occurred to me, however, that the world was becoming so strange that I would not be greatly surprised to see a real dinosaur (or an extraterrestrial) walking down the street. At this time of the annual World Mental Health Day, it seems that there is an epidemic of mental ill health engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consider the preposterous beliefs about the etiology of COVID-19: Some claim that it is spread by 5 G mobile networks, despite its spread in many countries that do not have 5 G. Other widely circulated etiologies have included pharmaceutical companies, house flies, and mosquito bites (see Flaskerud, 2021). Equally preposterous are the following beliefs of vaccine refusers, according to frustrated doctors whose patients are refusing vaccination: Microchips are embedded in vaccines that would enable people’s DNA to be overtaken, vaccines include a tracker that makes the recipient magnetic, vaccines have killed millions and rendered others infertile, and receiving the vaccine confers the “mark of the beast” (Hollingsworth, 2021). These false beliefs, perpetuated by social media, politicians, and even some religious leaders, would surely be labeled as paranoid delusions in “ordinary” pre-COVID times.

Consider the behavior of parents across the USA violently attacking school board members who voted for mask mandates in their child’s school. Growing numbers of school personnel are dying from COVID-19: Deaths of teachers, cafeteria workers, librarians, bus drivers, and other school staff are tallied in Education Week magazine (Maxwell, 2021). Yet, police had to be posted outside every school in my city to ensure that children could safely navigate a throng of protesting parents when a mask mandate was instituted. Parents held signs alleging that masking children was court-mandated child abuse, and that masking impaired their children’s breathing. This behavior of parents surely must add to children’s confusion. Anxiety and depression of children have doubled during the pandemic (Slomski, 2021),

Consider the behavior of physicians who disseminate misinformation about the coronavirus, masking, vaccines, and bizarre treatments, violating their ethical responsibility to do no harm. Some physician-made videos and media pronouncements remain highly influential despite efforts of NIH, CDC, and reputable scientific journals to refute the misinformation. Thankfully, some state medical boards are beginning to threaten disciplinary action against the physicians who continue to spread misinformation.

Clearly, much work is needed to make a more mentally healthy world. On World Mental Health Day (October 10, 2021), I reviewed the World Health Organization website, which prominently featured educational information about COVID-19, including a useful “Mythbusters” section disputing the types of beliefs that I listed above. I also found a wealth of resources, including blurbs about new books promoting mental health in children and elders, and a general “Advice for the Public” section (https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day). I recommend these resources as we mount new mental health initiatives for 2022.