Lost control

Before COVID-19, 7% of the Belgian population already had serious psychological problems, ranging from grief and anxiety to depression and panic attacks. During the pandemic, the number of people who feel (very) unwell tripled. Some were faced with mental issues for the first time, while existing problems worsened for others. Among individuals whose mental status was already severe before COVID-19, 42% had a feeling they were "losing control of life" as a result of the pandemic.

What affects our mental health?

Various factors can affect our mental health during the crisis, some more than others.

• Strong connections with other people appear to be crucial for facing the crisis. Whether or not we feel able to cope with the situation largely depends on the level of contact we may or may not have with the people we love most. Another striking point – people who provide care for someone during the crisis have a more positive outlook on the future (74% versus 34%), are more open in regard to mental health and reflect more often on their own well-being.
• Work-related stress is on the rise among people working remotely from home. Of the respondents who were still in work and who tried to combine their job with their private life at home, 62% were more stressed and 81% thought their state of mind was bad. These figures were even higher for respondents who had to take care of their children at the same time.
• Financial headaches weigh heavily on mental well-being. In the survey, 31% of the respondents were temporarily or permanently out of work, and 37% reported a deteriorated financial situation. There is a clear link between mental health and financial stability. For example, half of the respondents who feel bad or very unwell say that they have suffered financially.
• Young people have a hard time. The older population appears to be most resilient during this crisis. They suffer less from anxiety and depression, perhaps because their daily routines are less disrupted and they can put the whole situation into perspective. On the other hand, 28% of people aged 18 to 24 indicated that they had more psychological difficulties when colleges and universities closed and job opportunities declined. In any case, seniors have higher average scores on mental health (8.2 out of 10) than their younger fellow countrymen (7.3 out of 10). This was shown by a survey by AXA Partners during the summer of 2020.

Heavy social impact

The impact of psychological problems extends beyond the individual. They also severely impact affected families and cause social complications. And the associated economic costs are high too. For example, mental illness is responsible for half of the long-term absenteeism in Europe. The financial impact of mental illness on the economy in the European Union is estimated at no less than 600 billion euro.

Barriers to professional help

Despite the major impact on individuals, families and society, only one in four Belgians seeks professional help with psychological problems. This may be due to the stigma still attached to the topic, as well as financial limitations. Research shows 31% of Belgians indicating that they cannot afford psychological assistance. Ignorance about options, such as online help, also plays a role here. Of the Belgian respondents, 44% were not aware that there are also digital solutions that offer quick and easy access to a consultation with a psychologist.

But every cloud has a silver lining and 60% of those questioned have changed their opinion about mental health as a result of COVID-19. Now, 70% show understanding for people seeking psychological help. This is a positive signal that the taboo surrounding mental health is gradually being broken down.

Psychological assistance through Teleconsultation

Mental health has a major impact on society. That is why an increasing number of employers and organizations are taking up their responsibility in making preventive and primary psychological help debatable and accessible – also for their customers.

Working in collaboration with a Belgian insurer, AXA Partners Benelux offers online psychological assistance as an extra customer service. Customers have easy, fast and comfortable access to psychological health care 24/7. In this way, we are responding to a clearly growing need among customers.

The three-month pilot is a logical continuation of the successful launch in 2019 of a platform for medical video consultations. Before the corona crisis, we already saw about 64% of Belgians saying they were open to an online doctor consultation. During COVID-19, thousands of Belgians made effective use of it.

The momentum has arrived to seamlessly integrate online medical and psychological assistance into your product offering, through our white-labelling option, to create highly relevant added value for your customers.

Would you like more information about online psychological assistance? Please feel free to contact us.