'COVID-19 fatigue' could lead to low moods, more anxiety and public health measures being ignored: B.C. researcher
With most of B.C.'s COVID-19 restrictions renewed for several more weeks, some might be feeling especially exhausted by the latest wave of the pandemic.
The tiredness resulting from theses cycles has been referred to by some as "COVID fatigue," and one researcher at the University of British Columbia says it can lead to some people relaxing the way they follow health guidelines.
"In my mind, COVID fatigue is a reaction to chronic stress. So people are feeling low mood, irritable, anxious, people get their hopes up and their hopes dashed," Dr. Steven Taylor, a psychiatry professor at UBC told CTV Morning Live Thursday.
"What goes along with that for some people is a gradual inclination to ignore social distancing guidelines … people are inherently gregarious and social and lockdown requires people to inhibit that tendency so it wears people down over time."
Taylor said there are certain people who might feel even more exhausted by the ongoing pandemic. One group includes people who already have anxiety, depression or mood disorders that could be exacerbated by the uncertainty of COVID-19.
How people are impacted during the pandemic can also worsen fatigue. For example, those who develop a severe illness, have significant financial issues or are isolated can experience extra stress.
Taylor said it's important people support others in their community, especially those who are more vulnerable.
"If you're in prison or your homeless, you have a completely different experience to somebody that's living in a luxurious mansion," Taylor said.
"We're not all in this together, but we can help one another. We can think about reaching out and increasing community altruism because that's one thing that's important in getting through this."
And for the future, Taylor hopes more mental health resources and supports are made available.
"The system needs an overhaul," he said. "If not for this pandemic, then for the next one."
Dr. Steven Taylor's comments were part of an interview on CTV Morning Live. Watch the full interview in the video player above.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.