COVID-19 : Five Ways to Manage its Impact on Mental Health

While people remain fixated on the novel coronavirus pandemic, our minds are also extremely focused on the statistics of the virus, economic impact, as well as measures that are taken to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. An important issue arises amidst the global crisis that has a massive impact on all of us, whether we are affected by the coronavirus or not: our mental health. Panic, stress, and anxiety about COVID-19 consumes us while we take preventive measures against it. It’s vital to understand the mental health impacts of the coronavirus and what can be done to alleviate our fear and stress during the outbreak.

When we think about Infectious diseases have shaped humanity for centuries, we think back to notable occasions like the 1347 bubonic plague, 1918 Spanish flu, the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, and the 2012 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak. The new coronavirus (COVID-19) will undoubtedly be added to the list. The response to outbreaks, such as the coronavirus, will affect our behavioral insights, including the impact of panic, anxiety on individual mental health, decision responses, and society in general.

Anxiety is behavior response to fear and fear roots from the unknown. The new coronavirus is unknown, and its details, character, and impact are continuously evolving as a result of gathering more information about the virus.

The coronavirus has massive structural implications on financial market/trade, travel, the workforce/workplace, and social distancing which invariably will have influence on mental health, especially vulnerable populations with preexisting mental health conditions, substance use conditions, or others who might represent other vulnerable groups. We’re not just talking about protection from COVID-19, but we also need to address the prevention of stress and fear during this to our population the vulnerable ones. The economic risks and consequences of outbreaks, the cost of health system, disruption of labor productivity is tangible. If one had to look at news titles and pictures shared across the globe, one would identify a fundamental multiplier factor: panic – a level of distress.

If individuals were entirely rational, the management of any communicable disease would be easy and straightforward: prevention, protection and containment would be implemented effortlessly and efficiently. Unfortunately, we are not rational as experts think. Instead, we use mental shortcuts which affect how we perceive most aspects of infectious diseases. The limits to human rationality are further exacerbated under strenuous conditions, such as fear. In other words, when facing infection control interventions, individual behavior is critical not only for the self but for society.

In 2003, the SARS outbreak of the psychological effects of quarantining on residents in Toronto, which found that a substantial portion of those quarantined displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

When public health authorities must face outbreaks, the Achilles heel is a proper understanding and representation of “real” human behavior in policies and interventions.

What measures will help to mitigate behavioral and mental health outcomes?

Educating oneself and others from various trusted sources (which include but are not limited to) the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Tailored information according to age and educational background should be sought.
Getting people to cooperate towards the goal of containment (self-imposed quarantines, washing hands, limiting travel and gatherings), reducing number of free-riders (hand-sneezers, employees going to work even if sick) to a minimum and avoiding extreme risk perceptions (panic and dismissal) is as important as closing schools and increasing the number of beds in intensive care.
If quarantining or isolation is necessary, there are steps that can mitigate the effects of being isolated include:
- Staying connected with social and family networks via technology
- Keeping daily routines as much as possible
- Exercising regularly and practicing habits that you enjoy and find relaxing
- Seeking practical, credible information at specific times of the day
Many people are using technology to manage their mental health, which will likely become more common and necessary as the need to practice “social distancing,” maintaining a physical distance from others to avoid the spread, increases. Learning on technology – from hotlines to apps to telemedicine – is not new in the mental health field. For example, in China, many cities and universities opened psychological assistance hotlines. According to the head of the Beijing Normal University Epidemic Psychological Support Hotline in an interview, the general public had the most psychological consultations (about 50%), followed by those who were isolated (about 15%), frontline medical staff (about 10%), those were quarantined at home (5%), and other cases (about 20%).
Shift narratives away from number of deaths toward number of recoveries. There often seems to be a famine of positive stories about coronavirus and those who recover.

In the coming days and weeks, fear and anxiety will likely increase as our lives continue to be disrupted and social distancing becomes necessary. As a society, we must work together with a sense of empathy. As individuals, we must inform ourselves of the facts, stay connected to the people we love and be kind to each other.

The power of individual behavior in epidemics will not be choice but a necessity.

Ehsanul Karim, MD

Ehsanul Karim, MD graduated from Chittagong Medical College in 1992 earned MBBS degree, completed rotational internship from same medical college hospital. He was involved in research ‘stress as immediate risk factor for stroke’ at institute of postgraduate medicine and research. He worked with Helen Keller international Rohingya refugees for nutritional assessment of children. He worked as internist in Zambia, Africa rural hospital with than endemic HIV, TB and Malaria patients. He then relocated to USA, completed residency training in Internal Medicine from Long Island College Hospital in 2006. He has been working as Hospitalist in West Palm Beach VA Medical Center since 2006. He is working closely with community and involved in many charitable and humanitarian activities in South Florida.