Ontario is the latest province to announce a significant lifting of restrictions as the most recent wave of COVID-19 infections continues to decline.
Western University expert Marnie Wedlake is available to speak on the effect reopening could have on individuals’ mental health.
A registered psychotherapist, Wedlake contends that where mental health is concerned, we cannot use a one-size-fits-all approach.
“While many will welcome a return to normalcy, many people are also going to be nervous, reticent, anxious, and that would be normal,” says Wedlake.
“There will also be confusion and hesitation around reopening. Understandably, some people will be asking, ‘is this political or is it based on good health policy?’ The overall message is one size does not fit all, and it never has.”
Wedlake is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western. Her research interests include health and wellness, resilience and the creation of wellbeing, and post-traumatic stress injury and trauma-informed practice. She also studies the relationships between the media and mental health systems.
Commentary reflects the perspective and scholarly interest of Western faculty members and is not an articulation of official university policy on issues being addressed.
MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Zadorsky, Media Relations Officer, Western University, 226.377.1673 (mobile), jzadorsk@uwo.ca.
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