Briana Dobra

ENG 1101 

Unit 3 

Genre Determination

 

In my previous post, unit two, I had discussed quarantine and the acute mental debilitation it had on people during the COVID-19 pandemic. I did extensive research regarding the topic of mental health during isolation periods, and came to the horrifying conclusion that a large percentage of people will come out the other side of quarantine with mental illness. The group most at risk for severe psychological issues, are those with already pre-existing poor mental health. I watched an hour long video, read multiple medical documents/articles, as well as people’s personal narratives regarding the topic of their mental health worsening. There were increased rates of suicide, higher chances of people in isolation having PTSD, acute anxiety, and severe depression. The audience that needs to know most about this research would be those suffering from mental illness. Those suffering from mental illness are more at risk than ever due to stringent precautions, and mandated lockdowns. I think the best genre to reach this audience would be the medical video. Through this research, I have also found that people may be more irritable, have shorter attention spans, and be more forgetful, so being able to watch this medical video with subtitles that one can pause, and rewind if need be, would be the best option. The audience can sit and absorb the information in bits and pieces instead of reading a medical journal/article through and through. I believe knowing who your audience is, and how you can connect with them most, is very important. Artist Statement 

Understandably, COVID-19 is something that is weighing heavy on everyone’s minds. One may know the signs and symptoms of the coronavirus, but what many do not know are the overwhelming mental issues quarantine may cause, and what they look like. The numbers in mental health cases, as well as suicide have increased exponentially since the start of the mandated lockdown. I became interested in this topic because I have first handedly seen the effects of what isolation can do to not only myself, but family members as well. What seems like just yesterday, I had lost my very close cousin to suicide. He was only the tender age of fourteen when he passed, just a week before his birthday. This had a negative psychological domino effect on our entire family. I chose the people that suffer from mental illness as my audience because I want to warn them of the signs, and urge them to get the help they need, something I never got to do with my loved one. I wish I could’ve. I can understand how overwhelming everything is, especially at a time like this, where I can’t keep my focus and have trouble finding the determination to read/finish my work. I believe a video is the best option to engage my audience. One can pause, take notes, and absorb things at their own pace without feeling the pressure to read everything in one sitting. It’s something I believe to be lighter for anyone dealing with psychological turmoil. I also tried to use lighter language that would not be triggering for anyone in my audience. I would have liked to go more in depth about what the video had to offer, and how it can help those in need. Ultimately, I was content with the medical journals, personal poetry, and video that I found. This wasn’t painless to write, and in one way or another, I hope it may someone in need because this pandemic is causing acute mental debilitation on the already mentally ill.