Economic uncertainty — recession fears, job insecurity, rising costs — creates specific conditions that intensify coronavirus disease 2019.
Economic Uncertainty and Coronavirus Disease 2019
Financial threat activates the brain's danger detection systems as powerfully as physical threat. Chronic economic uncertainty keeps these systems in permanent activation, directly driving coronavirus disease 2019.
Specific Economic Stressors That Worsen Coronavirus Disease 2019
- Job insecurity and unemployment fears
- Debt and financial shortfall
- Housing instability and affordability
- Healthcare cost barriers (including to coronavirus disease 2019 treatment itself)
- Retirement uncertainty and long-term financial anxiety
Managing Coronavirus Disease 2019 When Money Is the Stressor
- Free resources: SAMHSA helpline, community mental health, employee assistance programs
- Financial counseling addresses the stressor directly
- Reduce financial comparison (social media, others' lifestyles)
- Focus on controllable: budget, spending, skill-building