CALL TO ACT NOW OVER MENTAL HEALTH
People from England are welcome in Scotland NICOLA STURGEON REACTS TO NATIONALIST ACTIVISTS PROTESTING AT THE BORDER
NOW is the time to take action to try to prevent what some fear may become a mental health epidemic after lockdown, a psychiatrist has said.
Dr Jane Morris said that as restrictions ease, people will be feeling a range of emotions, from anger to fear and anxiety.
She said taking the
BY LUCINDA CAMERON right approach now could help prevent problems worsening.
Morris, a consultant psychiatrist with the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, said young people are among those likely to be feeling angry. She said:
“Many of them are angry that for the sake of protecting their elders, their education, employment prospects and entertainment are being taken from them.
“Their fears are not necessarily about the virus but may be financial or about employment.”
Meanwhile, other people may be feeling anxious about going out as restrictions ease while the virus is still a problem.
Morris said there is almost nothing more damaging to people’s mental health than living in a state of threat.
She said: “One of the big problems we have is the uncertainty and in a state like that we are feeling a very strange mixture of anger and fear.
“Now is the time, if we can summon the energy to put into self-care and enjoy the company of other people, we might be able to prevent what some people might worry about becoming a mental health epidemic.”
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