Maintaining mental health in the time of coronavirus

摘要

AFTER weeks of complete social isolation, Italy has undergone what psychiatrist Paolo Brambilla calls "a social experiment that has never been done before". The country has suffered a massive death toll from the coronavirus, and has endured one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. The effects on the nation's psyche will be profound, says Brambilla, who is at the University of Milan. This month saw half of the world's population enter some form of confinement, and many people are facing the biggest threat to their health and livelihood in recent history. "We are seeing the spread of a virus, but we have also, from the very beginning, been seeing the spread of fear as well," says Aiysha Malik, a psychologist at the World Health Organization. As well as having to wrap our heads around the threat of the virus itself, public and personal life has changed beyond recognition. The actions we have had to take to curb the spread of disease have left some of us struggling to cope with a lack of childcare while working, a loss of income, separation from family and friends, and serious health fears. For others, it has meant working on the front line, facing potentially traumatic experiences and making tough moral decisions. Whatever our situation, it's time to look at what we can all do to limit the toll on our mental well-being.