The Trade-off Between the Medically and Psychologically Fragile
“Little children, you belong to God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world,” – John the evangelist, to the church at Ephesus
Each day we receive updates on the medical impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest tally of confirmed infections leads the evening news, while tales of heroic health care professionals treating patients in hard-hit communities pull on our heartstrings. From my perspective, these reports often fail to capture the incredible economic toll the nation is experiencing. Recently, the Houston Courant website published an essay by Texas State Rep. Steve Toth. His commentary places our society’s response to this pandemic in historical context and provides a warning about possible psychological effects the loss of jobs and income could have on those who are spared the physical symptoms of the virus itself. Toth provides a contrarian view to those who say that no economic price is too high when our health is at stake.
Medical experts tell us the novel coronavirus currently sweeping the globe is especially dangerous for older people and others with underlying health conditions. Toth refers to these individuals as the “medically fragile.” But there is another category of “fragile” people who also fall victim to COVID-19, he says. These are the psychologically fragile. Concern for the psychological well-being of the nation has taken a back seat to the medical concerns driving our response, he argues.
As Toth writes, America’s answer to the virus has been to flip a switch, and bring our economy to a screeching halt. Businesses have been ordered to close and countless workers sent home without a paycheck. The mental health consequences of this decision, he says, seem to be of little concern to those charged with fighting the virus. He poses the rhetorical question implicit in our response, “How can the well-being of Wall Street be important compared to the well-being of the medically fragile?”
In framing his contrary argument, Toth recalls the observations of Will Rogers, a social commentator who witnessed a previous dramatic upheaval in our economy, the Stock Market Crash of 1929. “Rogers described the events of (Oct. 24, 1929) in his nationally syndicated column: ‘When Wall Street took that tail spin, you had to stand in line to get a window to jump out of, and speculators were selling space for bodies in the East River.’”
The psychological toll of the ’29 Crash extended far beyond Wall Street and was felt on Main Streets across America, Toth argues. The emotional damage from the market’s collapse was not a new phenomenon, though. Toth tells us that “between 1791 and 1929, the United States saw 10 market collapses. Each time the psychologically fragile responded with despair and life-ending consequences.” Similar tragedies have followed recent events. Toth cites research showing home foreclosures and crippling debt associated with the 2008 recession prompted even more suicides than America experienced during the Great Depression. With estimates of 47 million Americans losing their jobs in the coming months, Toth suggests the COVID-19 economic crisis could make all previous downturns pale in comparison.
Government leaders and public health officials are wrong to dismiss the negative mental health consequences of our COVID-19 response, he argues. Although Toth doesn’t use these exact words, his essay echoes the president’s statement that the treatment should not cause more harm than the disease. Perhaps there’s a better way, he suggests.
“America has endured much over the past few weeks, but maybe it’s not too late to reverse the effects for those who are hanging on by a thread,” Toth writes. “Let’s turn the switch back on and help all of us, including the psychologically and medically fragile. We can save the medically fragile by allowing them to self-quarantine while we collectively meet their needs for food and shelter. We can save the psychologically fragile by allowing them to work, and in so doing, allow them to realize the sense of purpose and value to their fellow man.”
Just as historians have studied the impacts of past economic calamities, it will fall to tomorrow’s researchers to consider our response to the current crisis. For his part, Toth does not believe our choices will stand the scrutiny. “I predict many years from now historians will look back upon this time and ask, ‘Why were the psychologically fragile overlooked for the sake of the medically fragile? Why did their struggle not seem to matter?’” he writes.
In my opinion, Texas State Rep. Toth makes a strong case that our response to COVID-19 carries real risk of harm to the mental health of countless Americans. Help is available for those suffering emotional or psychological distress due to the coronavirus crisis. The Missouri Department of Mental Health lists local resources on its website, www.dmh.mo.gov. The national suicide prevention hotline has trained professionals standing by to help 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). I implore anyone experiencing distress to reach out for help.
Thank you for reading this legislative report. You can contact my office at (573) 751-2108 if you have any questions. Thank you and we welcome your prayers for the proper application of state government.