Has `FOGO' got you no-go?
Here's what you can do to overcome the COVID-influenced fear of going out
Anxious about the prospect of emerging from the cocoon of blankets you've been hiding under for the last year? You might have a bad case of “FOGO” — fear of going out.
The term has been used on social media to describe anxiousness around the eventual reopening of society and re-entry into our working and personal lives. While experts like Steven Taylor, a professor and clinical psychologist at the University of B.C., will tell you the term FOGO won't be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the feelings behind it may be connected to disorders that can.
“I think when we move into a post-pandemic phase, most people will bounce back, but some people will be changed. Some people will be reluctant to leave their homes,” Taylor said.
Psychologists have known for decades about people who are frightened about going outside, Taylor said. But he said there's no single term that covers the condition “because there's all kinds of reasons why people become shutins.”
People who have agoraphobia, for example, will stay inside or avoid particular places out of fear of having a panic attack. Such attacks have risen during COVID -19, likely worsening the experience of this disorder, Taylor said.
Then there are germaphobes, who have a strong fear of infection. Some have obsessive compulsive disorder, some have a specific phobia of getting contaminated and some have COVID stress syndrome, an adjustment disorder characterized by an excessive degree of anxiety in relation to the pandemic. But at the heart of all these is a fear of getting infected.
“For the people who are frightened of going outside, those fears kind of rise and fall depending on how prevalent infection is in their community,” he said.
Taylor said people can take an active role in preparing themselves to re-enter society by choosing the amount of risk they are willing to accept. For those who are very frightened and anxious and who feel they're unable to get out themselves, there are psychotherapies and particular kinds of medication that can be helpful, he said.
“For those individuals who find that the fear of going outside is really creating a problem in their lives, I would encourage them to go see their family doctor and get a referral to see a mental health professional,” Taylor said.
Short of that, there are other things that can help, he said. Some may find it helpful to cut back on the amount of news they're taking in each day. Many people have backslid on their exercise goals and getting back in the habit can help. Speaking to friends and family is also a good idea. Taylor also recommended BounceBack, a free online program delivered by the Canadian Mental Health Association B.C. that is intended to help people manage low mood, mild to moderate depression, anxiety, stress and worry.
Surveys have charted a progressive deterioration in mental well-being during the pandemic, Taylor said.
He called lockdown restrictions “a necessary evil for combating the pandemic,” explaining that they're typically associated with low moods, irritability, anxiety and low-grade depression. Meanwhile, many people have experienced a death of a loved one, raising their risk of depression, and others who have ended up in the hospital with COVID-19 are at risk of PTSD.
For many, uncertainty is the big driver of stress in the pandemic. The big challenge for people who are highly intolerant of uncertainty, and who tend to worry a lot and are very anxious, is finding ways to increase their tolerance, Taylor said.