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The COVID Vaccine’s Effects On Mental Health, Explained

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Experts explain how the COVID vaccine may help your mental health once you get it.
Health It’s “one less barrier to feeling like yourself again.” The moment Athena,22, received the COVID vaccine in mid-January, they felt an enormous weight lift off their chest. The health promotion and education student at the University of Utah has spent the last 10 months taking every COVID precaution in the book: living with an autoimmune disorder, Athena couldn’t take the slightest risk of being exposed to the virus. “I’ve had a fear of just leaving the house to go for a walk, but now having the vaccine means even that small part of my life can go back to normal,” they tell Bustle. “I’m not much of a happy crier, but I happy cried.” While there are obvious reasons to be excited about the physical benefits of getting immunized, experts say the mental health benefits may be transformative. “The vaccine provides tangible evidence that we will be able to move about our daily lives again without fear and worry for our safety, or the safety of others,” Melissa Dowd, MS, LMFT, a psychotherapist with the virtual health platform PlushCare, explains. “This is so important for our mental health and provides relief from the constant stress and worry we have all been experiencing.” The percentage of people dealing with anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns has sharply risen since the pandemic started. Research by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) showed that 40% of adults in the United States reported struggling with their mental health or substance use at the end of June. A study published in the JAMA Network in September found depression symptoms in the United States were now three times what they were before the pandemic started. “Much of the stress is not due just to fear of getting the disease but is also due to loneliness and separation from friends and loved ones,” Kruti Quazi, LPC, NCC, CCTP, the clinical director at Sesh, an app that offers virtual peer group support, says.

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