Covid-19 has brought unprecedented challenges in our daily lives which warrant collective efforts on all fronts. It has pushed us to an extent where we have to face an unwanted circumstance, a battle between life and livelihood.
Irrespective of differences-Rich or poor; man or woman; healthy or sick-everyone has their own psychological states but it is crucially ignored by all of them. We are thinking about our financial plights but heedlessly ignoring our psychological situations just like our ancestors. Living in this traumatic Covid-19 period is making us against a lot of unwanted situations in daily lives. Lockdown is prevalent at around half of the globe to combat the spread of coronavirus. Unfortunately, we are still on the same page. Now it has turned into a web of deceit: people are not only vulnerable physically, but also crucially affected in terms of psychology. People who are prone to psychological problems are certainly endangered the most.
Lockdowns and self-isolation at home have been the primary cards to combat the wide spread of this disease after it’s community transmission turned into a massacre. While the primary intervention of isolation might have well achieved its goal, but it has gradually led to a confusion whether people’s kinship is becoming strong or weak. If we look around, we can easily see that family bonding is really strong in many cases. But it’s just one side of the coin. If we dig in deep, we’ll see that reducing support from family and friends, trauma for financial hitches, degradation of regular social support systems, emotional disturbance, depression, stress, irritability, insomnia, post- traumatic stress, anger, emotional exhaustion, addiction to electronic devices (especially mobile phone) cause loneliness which is the most frightful risk for worsening anxiety and depressive symptoms. These psychological symptoms may have long term health effects. Even who are now in stable condition not like the social workers, doctors as the frontline warriors — they are also considerably facing stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, burnout, over-thinking and much more. Those who aren’t used to staying a longer time within the four walls are also facing a depressing state of mind. So, they need to try to get closer with their family whole-heartedly by spending more and moretime with them. And since it’s a two-way thing, other family members have to understand them and try helping them out. Those who are Covid-19 victims have to self-isolate themselves to protect others from the spread of this disease. So, they often have to face unpleasant experiences, such as: the loss of freedom, separation from loved ones, uncertainty over disease status, fear of detachment from relatives and society, over-thinking for the closed ones’ reaction, negative thoughts about medication, lost hopes and so on. That’s why,we should try to understand them and act responsibly so that they don’t feel detached or start hating themselves. We have to remember that we are together to fight. Together we can rule out the negative outcomes of this virus. Even the quarantined staffs, doctors, nurses were significantly affected by the exhaustion, detachment from others, anxiety when dealing with febrile patients, insomnia, deteriorating work performance and reluctance to work or consideration of resignation. Even they are also under immense mental pressure in fear of infecting their family members. So, we should be sympathetic enough to them to ease their mental fear or pressure and show our whole-hearted support and respect towards their work.
Most governments of the wotld have highlighted the psychological side-effects of COVID-19, and have voiced concerns regarding the long-term impacts of isolation and that the fear and panic in the community might cause more harm than COVID-19 itself. “Fear and anxiety are natural human reactions. We all want to protect ourselves and our families from what is still a new and unknown disease”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said on February 8 in a statement on the current situation. “But fear can do more harm than the virus itself. It can make us panic, or do things which make matters worse, like circulating rumors online, hoarding face masks or food, or blaming particular groups for the outbreak.”
A recent survey by ICDDRB and NIMH shows that mental disorders varie from 6.5 to 31.0% among adults and 3.4 to 22.9% among children in the country. A substantial percentage of people suffering from mental health follows the ancient methods such as kobiraji,totka, faith healers and so on. Unfortunately, around 57% people go to faith healers whereas only 14% consult psychiatrist as their first choice. The rate of suicide is also on the rise. 83% of the reported suicides have had contacts with faith healer or primary care physicians.Reports from the UK say that Bangladesh, being a densly populated country, has only 50 clinical psychologists amd 200 psychiatrists i.e. 1 mental health specialist for every 800 thousand people. Even students are significantly facing depression and mental trauma as their institutions are closed due to Covid-19.
It’s high time we should look into our regular activities and change according to the dire need of the situation. Self motivation can keep us away from anxiety. Practicing religious activities is also a great way to be self controlled. Every cloud has a silver line. Covid-19 outbreak has made us realize about many of our daily deeds which we should certainly avoid. It has also showed us that we should turn our pages and think about our mental health too. World Health Organization has given out some directions to follow during this period to benefit from. Having a routine and trying to keep up with it as far as possible can be a possible stress-buster too. Getting up early, having some time in the daylight, keeping up with personal hygiene, eating healthy meals at regular times, exercising regularly, taking proper rest, going to bed early and making time for other refreshments properly can be a good way to keep your mind refreshed and stay healthy. Remember, “Health is Wealth”.
Once the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. We need to believe in ourselves and try our best to maintain the proper directions. Together, we can get over with this pandemic!
By Jannatul FarihaYeasmin Eid, Ahmudul Haque, Tasmiah Amin & Jasika Islam,
Department of Development Studies,
University of Dhaka.
