Links between public health and mental health under research spotlight during pandemic
Picture: At A Health Professor Public Phillips Ella This Week Arensman, New Fergal Ucc Mental As Role Up Of File Who Prof Takes
Demand for research linking public health policy and mental health has never been greater due to Covid-19, said Professor Ella Arensman, a global expert in this area.
Prof Arensman takes up a new role as Ireland’s first professor of public mental health at University College Cork (UCC) this week.
She remains in her current role as chief scientist at the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) while leading research on suicide and self-harm at UCC.
During the last year, Prof Arensman got queries from policy writers and community groups seeking to understand the impact of the pandemic on mental health through the NSRF and UCC.
This included queries for real-time suicide and self-harm data to inform mental health promotion and suicide prevention programmes.
She has also received requests for mental health expertise from teams working on infectious diseases.
Referring to this as “unusual” in her 33-year career, she said: “Before Covid, we had not really had (such) requests for collaboration.
"Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the attention for public mental health and suicide prevention has been greater than ever."
She is looking forward to developing this work further, and described her new role at UCC as a “great honour”. Professor Ivan Perry, dean of the School of Public Health, welcomed her appointment to UCC.
She is also an expert adviser for the World Health Organization and a steering group member of the International Covid-19 Suicide Prevention Research Collaboration.
This international work, she said, will help to improve Irish understanding of the mental health impacts of the pandemic.
"It goes without saying that from a physical health perspective, it is critical to adhere to these measures,” she said.
Studies on the mental health impacts of being physically and socially restricted will be important, said Prof Arensman.
The previously reported findings by the NSRF indicating there was not a surge in suicides in March and April last year, based on data gathered in Cork.
“In previous waves, we didn’t see immediate socio-economic impacts, but with Covid wave three, it is very likely that resources for small and medium enterprises are further challenged as compared to the first wave," said Prof Arensman.
“We would be concerned also about further increasing socio-economic impacts on people’s mental health.”
Looking forward to post-Covid times, she said it will be vital to prioritise mental health promotion and suicide prevention.
In Japan, she said, researchers noted a decrease in suicide numbers in the first months of last year, but since October they have seen an increase in the number of women who died by suicide.
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