Sarah* has long suffered from severe anxiety and depression, yet never so acutely as during the COVID-19 crisis.
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Concerns about the pandemic combined with strict self-isolation and social distancing requirements has meant she feels more anxious and alone than ever.
Moving from face-to-face to telehealth consultations with her psychiatrist due to the threat has also been hard and the young woman feels like she's "gone back to square one" with her recovery.
"When you already have anxiety, a global pandemic just makes it go through the roof," she said. "You wake up every day to new statistics, and are gripped by the fear that you - or someone you know - may end up becoming one of those statistics."
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Sarah has also worked hard to rid herself of her social anxiety by getting out and about and involving herself in community groups.
"Lockdown for someone like me is actually welcome, but it's not healthy," she said. "Now we're coming out of lockdown it's going to be harder to re-establish all those relationships again, and get out and be social. It's a challenge all over again."
Sarah is not alone. More than three quarters of people claim their mental health has worsened since the outbreak of COVID-19, a new study by the Black Dog Institute has revealed.
A quarter of the 5000 people surveyed during the peak of the outbreak in Australia in March/ April said they were very concerned about getting sick themselves; and just over half were very concerned about their loved ones contracting COVID-19.
Eighty per cent said they felt very uncertain about the future; while more than half reported feeling lonely, and 50 per cent were really worried about their financial situation.
Study lead Associate Professor Jill Newby, of UNSW and based at the Black Dog Institute, said the survey results raised concerns about people's mental health in the aftermath of the pandemic.
"What we know from past pandemics is that it can have a major impact on people's mental health, so we were concerned that this would happen here during the COVID-19 outbreak," Assoc Prof Newby said.
"We wanted to see how the pandemic affected people's mental health in the short-term but also longer term, so we will be conducting follow-up surveys to look at how people's mental health changes over time."
Assoc Prof Newby said high quality research into people's anxiety levels, and how they were coping with the outbreak, was vital.
"It helps to inform government and ensure the appropriate resources, supports and treatments are available," she said, "particularly for those who are most vulnerable and at risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes during and after this pandemic."
Over two thirds of those who took part in the survey had prior history of mental health diagnoses/problems and results showed they had significantly higher fears of COVID-19 than those without prior mental health issues.
"Given that loneliness, social isolation, and financial stress are significant risk factors for poor mental and physical health these findings really are concerning," Assoc Prof Newby said.
"We don't know what the outcome of this pandemic will be on people's mental health but these results certainly give us an idea."
If you or someone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14; Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800; Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
* Name changed by request