Lockdown temporary, stay connected
NEW DELHI: Living in lockdown can expose people to stress, anxiety and boredom, especially when the lockdown period is a few weeks long, shows research on the psychological impact of pandemics. While the disruption of routine exposes most people to anxiety, among the most vulnerable are front-line health workers who work through the lockdown and can develop depression, anxiety, hostility and somatisation (physical symptoms associated with mental distress).
How can people cope emotionally with a lockdown? The keys to beating stress are understanding why there is the need for a lockdown, maintaining a routine, and remaining virtually and emotionally connected with friends and family despite the physical distance, say psychiatrists.
“We have to understand that the lockdown is a temporary condition. It is not a lifelong condition. People who contract the infection will also be unwell for a few weeks. It will not leave a permanent scar. For about two out of every 100, this may be fatal. But even those 2% should not succumb. We are at home as a duty for our community. You have to imagine that you are infected and you need to rest at home, you cannot mingle with others because you don’t want to pass on the infection to them,” said Dr BN Gangadhar, director of Bengaluru’s National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (Nimhans).
“You have got medical leave from work and you can still enjoy the leave because you do not have any symptoms. So don’t cut down on any indoor activity. Continue with yoga, workout, prayers, play with children, spend time with family members, play carrom or scrabble or other indoor games. You have to take it in a positive spirit,” he added.
Effective ways to prevent the mental health impacts of “social distancing” are sticking to a routine and remaining in touch with people.
“There are two aspects to this anxiety. One is that everyone is anxious because there is a pandemic, and you and I could contract the infection. The other anxiety is because of the lockdown, which is a sudden change from our basic style of living. We have to re-adapt our lifestyle. It will take time to sink in,” said Dr Samir Parikh, director of mental health and behavioural sciences at Fortis Hospitals.
“This anxiety can be channelised into a pathological condition by hoarding things, getting preoccupied with worries, getting irritated. Instead it can also be channelised to something positive — to understand that we are collectively experiencing the pandemic. So keep in touch on video and audio calls, share positive messages on social media, if necessary, wear your work clothes when you are working from home, continue yoga, meditation...,” he added.
On March 24, a video of a boy, apparently a teenager working as a migrant labourer in Delhi, was shared widely on social media. In it, the boy is seen sitting at a bus station with no transport available because of the lockdown; he is seen wailing and pleading to be sent home. HT could not independently verify the video.
Psychiatrists say that such a response is understandable during a lockdown.
“There can be deep insecurity and fear among people about financial loss or losing livelihood. The only option is to reassure and effectively communicate by governments that they are safe. Help and intervention groups have to reach out to reassure them. The deep insecurity is also visible in some people who are hoarding things. This is unprecedented but proper communication channels need to be established now,” said Anand Prakash, professor of psychology and dean of International Relations at Delhi University.
John Sharp, faculty at Harvard Medical School has written on its official website that social distancing should be utilised to “practise kindness”.
The common psychological impacts of being in quarantine, according to a review of studies published in The Lancet on March 14, include post-traumatic stress, confusion, and anger.
Emerging data shows Covid-19 cases are disproportionately high among health care workers in Italy and China. Around 3,387 health care workers in China were infected till February 24 and, according to local media, 22 had died.
According to “Mental Health and Behavioral Guidelines for Response to a Pandemic Flu Outbreak” by the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS), Uniformed Services University’s Department of Psychiatry in Maryland, the data from the 2002-03 Sars outbreaks indicated that “upwards of 40% of the community population experienced increased stress in family and work settings during the outbreak; 16% showed signs of traumatic stress levels; and high percentages of the population felt helpless, apprehensive, and horrified by the outbreak”.