‘Cabin fever’ rises amidst lockdown

Psychologists are flooded with phone calls, WhatsApp posts

Feeling restless, irritated or just crazy after being confined to the four walls of your home due to the unprecedented lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus scare?

You could well be suffering from cabin fever syndrome!

It might just be the beginning of the 21-day lockdown, but looks like people across Hyderabad, and also the country, are starting to get restless already. Doctors in the city, especially the psychologists, are already flooded with calls and WhatsApp posts from people seeking remedies or medications to deal with the syndrome.

All queries are from the educated class, most of whom are used to hectic work schedules, work related travel, meetings, presentations and most importantly, social gatherings.

“In these days of lockdown due to corona pandemic, cabin fever syndrome, also called ‘stir crazy’ is being reported frequently. It is especially seen in gregarious populations who are otherwise busy,” informed Dr Seshi Kiran, senior general physician at Yashoda Hospital, Somajiguda.

Symptoms of cabin fever vary from simply boredom, depression, anxiety, loss of concentration, too much or lack of sleep, headache, feeling of suffocation or claustrophobia, distrust of family members, urge to go out even in adverse conditions.

“In extreme cases, it even leads to suicidal tendencies,” said Dr K. Seshi Kiran, adding that various manifestations show that it’s a psychosomatic disorder or more of a reaction of the individual to the confinement.

Senior consultant psychiatrist at Apollo Hospitals,

Dr Bharat Kumar, said that cabin fever in itself is not a disease.

“It’s a feeling an individual goes through due to prolonged confinement with no contact with the outside world. It’s a feeling of restlessness, irritability often shown by individuals after a certain period of isolation,” he said.

He further explained that solitary confinement was one of the techniques used in prisons to discipline erratic prisoners and most people used to end up with cabin fever syndrome

“Often people mistake it for boredom but this is more than that. They can have increased sleep or decreased sleep with variable moods. In extreme conditions they can develop paranoia and, very rarely, suicidal thoughts. Some professionals like submariners, people working in places like Alaska, Siberia are known to show these symptoms,” Dr Bharat Kumar said.

Doctors say that the best way to avoid cabin fever is to change the routine when in long term confinement, such as do different things every day, try to expose yourself to nature as much as possible, set up some goals like trying to lose weight, develop a new interest like drawing or music which helps to divert mood and minimise the chances of cabin fever.

“Once people go into a state of learned helplessness, they get used to it. Usually, no specific therapy or counselling is necessary to overcome it,” added Dr Bharat Kumar.

However, Dr Seshi Kumar says that antidepressant drugs are used in extreme situations, but under supervision.