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Does the Covid pandemic affect our psychology?

09 May 2021

By Dr. Thyagi Ponnamperuma   The 2019 coronavirus disease is the most critical world health disaster of the 21st Century and it is the greatest challenge that people have faced after the Second World War. This started as an acute respiratory illness outbreak of unknown etiology in China in December 2019 and later crossed the borders to spread all over the world.  The World Health Organisation (WHO) designated this outbreak as the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on 11 February 2020 and declared it a world pandemic on 11 March 2020. To date (6 May 2021), more than 155 million cases have been reported worldwide, with a global death toll of 3.25 million. In Sri Lanka, 117,529 cases were reported with 734 deaths to date (as of 6 May 2021). In addition to physical health consequences, the Covid-19 pandemic has seriously affected people’s mental health. Several studies have been conducted and many different mental health problems have been identified in different population groups, such as diseased people, health care workers, and the general population. Similar to the SARS-CoV and influenza pandemics, the Covid-19 pandemic has, as studies (“Immediate psychological distress in quarantined patients with Covid-19 and its association with peripheral inflammation: A mixed-method study” [2020] by Q. Guo, Y. Zheng, J. Shi, J. Wang, G. Li, C. Li, J.A. Fromson, Y. Xu, X. Liu, H. Xu, T. Zhang, Y. Lu, X. Chen, H. Hu, Y. Tang, S. Yang, H. Zhou, X. Wang, H. Chen, Z. Wang, and Z. Yang, and “Psychiatric and neuropsychiatric presentations associated with severe Coronavirus infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis with comparison to the Covid-19 pandemic” [2020] by J.P. Rogers, E. Chesney, D. Oliver, T.A. Pollak, P. McGuire, P. Fusar-Poli, M.S. Zandi, G. Lewis, and A.S. David) have shown, also caused depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress symptoms among the affected individuals.  Substance use and suicidal behaviour have also been increasingly reported during this pandemic. A study in the US (“Bidirectional associations between Covid-19 and psychiatric disorder: retrospective cohort studies of 62,354 Covid-19 cases in the USA” [2020] by M. Taquet, S. Luciano, J.R. Geddes, and P.J. Harrison) has shown that nearly 20% of Covid-19 diagnosed cases develop psychiatric illnesses. Studies conducted among the general population in China, Italy, Spain, Iran, Nepal, and the US (“Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: A systematic review” [2020] by J. Xiong, O. Lipsitz, F. Nasri, L.M.W. Lui, H. Gill, L. Phan, D. Chen-Li, M. Iacobucci, R. Ho, A. Majeed, and R.S. McIntyre) have reported considerably high rates of depression (15% to 48%), anxiety (6% to 50%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (7% to 54%).  The young and the old age population are also considered in the at-risk category for developing mental health problems during this pandemic. Researches {'Emotional, Behavioural, and Psychological Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic' (2020) by A.L. Pedrosa, L. Bitencourt, A.C.F. Fróes, M.L.B. Cazumbá, R.G.B. Campos, S.B.C.S. de Brito and A.C.S. e Silva} have shown that emotional and behavioural problems were increasingly reported apart from the other psychological problems common in children. Depression and anxiety were the commonly reported psychological problems among the elderly, and impairment was noted to be worse among older people having cognitive impairment. The vulnerability to develop mental health problems related to Covid-19 among different population categories is diverse. The reasons among diseased people to develop psychological problems, according to Guo et al. (2020), and Rogers et al. (2020), are, isolation, the fear of death, stigma, prolonged hospitalisation, and a lack of social support. In health care workers, the reasons for vulnerability are related to their work.  They are, according to a study (“Mental health problems faced by healthcare workers due to the Covid-19 pandemic – A review” (2020) by M.S. Spoorthy, S.K. Pratapa, and S. Mahant) in fear of getting the infection, physically and mentally exhausted due to overwork, they have also had to adhere to strict biosecurity measures, and most of the time, they are separated from their families and loved ones. It was found by Spoorthy et al. that those working at infectious diseases hospitals, intensive care units, and emergency units are at the highest risk.  To date, there are no studies published regarding the mental health impact of the pandemic on public health staff. The general population’s vulnerability to developing mental health problems during the pandemic pertains to worrying about individuals personal safety, fear due to the lack of properly effective treatment, the unavailability of the vaccine for all, adverse socio-economic consequences like unemployment and poor access to necessary commodities due to quarantine and lockdown measures, frequent exposure to media telecasts concerning the pandemic, and bereavement. Prevention of and intervention in mental health problems related to Covid-19 should be dynamic and flexible. The WHO, with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, has published several guidelines to manage mental health problems. These guidelines separately explain how to control the psychological problems of the general population, healthcare workers, children, older adults, and people in isolation.  Managing previously diagnosed cases with psychiatric illness has also become a challenge with the disruption of the existing mental health services due to Covid-19 control measures. To help the general population, many countries have established “crisis hotlines” to provide services. More than tele-medicine, tele-psychiatry has now become popular because psychiatric diagnosis needs less physical examination than the other fields of medicine.  Therefore, when existing mental health services are disabled, tele-psychiatry as noted in a study (“‘Tele-psychiatry’ in the time of Covid-19: Overcoming the challenges” [2020] by S.R. Perera, H. Gambheera, and S.S. Williams) is a good option to be followed by all countries to manage mental health problems. To help the health care workers, some countries have as pointed out in a study (“Sixty seconds on . . . wobble rooms” [2020] by A. Rimmer) established “wobble rooms” for staff to relax and cope with their emotional status, and conducted mindfulness programmes. In conclusion, mental health problems have considerably increased in the population while the world struggles to manage the physical consequences of the Covid-19 infection. Establishing a hotline service to provide tele-psychiatric services and relaxation methods to frontline health care workers will be a cost effective way of handling this problem. If timely actions are not taken, the country will have to expect a significant “toll and tail” of mental health needs, long after the infectious outbreak is resolved as the mental health effects of previous pandemics have lasted much longer than the health effects.  (The author is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Community Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ruhuna)

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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