The world is in a war-like situation against the novel coronavirus. The unpleasant disease – that emerged at the end of 2019 – has threatened the health and lives of millions of people. Highly contagious, it has quickly impacted governments and public health systems.
In these times of distress, there has been a steep rise with mental illness and anxiety. Coronavirus is now everywhere, which means in headlines, social media’s newsfeeds and personal conversations. Lockdown has also increased stress. No one in our generation has faced anything like this before. The world seems to have gone mad.
First of all let’s take about what happens in this situation. According to mental health experts, the stress caused by COVID-19 can lead to the manifestation of anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and phobias.
One can easily identify anxiety disorders and panic attacks. A person: Checking and rechecking of the facts, having Insomnia with a feeling that something bad might happen, revisiting past again and again, having a guilt feeling for almost everything, hunger pangs including binge eating, and distraction of focus.
Right now people are experiencing the perfect storm of all their fears and triggers coming to life due to coronavirus pandemic. People with anxiety are convinced that the world is coming to an end. These types of people are going into spirals of ‘what if?’ People facing mental illness from coronavirus can’t stop washing their hands or using hand sanitizer.
One of my cousins is facing the same mental illness with the same symptoms mentioned above. He repeatedly said that he might have infected with the coronavirus. In this regard, he forcefully underway the coronavirus test. And the test came negative. The doctors have suggested him to stop being panic and try to distract the mind from the disease. But still the cycle is going on.
We are not alone in this boat. According to media reports that some of the world’s biggest economies – the United States and India – are experiencing a wave of anxiety sweeping mental health patients unlike anything counselors have seen before.
However, something good the Sindh government has done. The provincial government has launched a tele-counseling service for confirmed and suspected Covid-19 patients to help them cope with the psychological impact of coronavirus pandemic.
Undoubtedly, whether suffering from a pre-existing condition or not, people are in stern need of support. People should have the information regarding the coronavirus that the disease is not life-taking and one can be easily recovered with proper isolation and treatment.
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