How does the coronavirus influence mental health?

These days we are witnessing (or protagonists) of a pandemic of a new virus that they have called SARS-CoV-2. The media are reporting on the physical and behavioral implications in the different infected countries.

All of Italy is in quarantine. In Spain, schools and homes for the elderly have been closed, and the population is encouraged to stay at home. We know that it is not a deadly virus, except for certain specific population groups; that the symptoms are similar to those of a flu; that affects the elderly more; and that there is no vaccine. They talk about work-life balance, the economic impact and the number of infected in each part of the planet.

But, What about the psychological impact? Are there mental health implications of the virus?

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The psychological impact of SARS-CoV-2

Covid19 does not alter people's mental health; but studies that were carried out as a result of the SARS epidemic of 2003 indicate that quarantine and collective psychosis do produce psychological alterations. 20% of those infected by this virus were health personnel.

A study was conducted with medical personnel of all types in Beijing during the three years following the emergence of SARS in 2003. These people had either been in a hospital considered high risk, or had undergone a quarantine, or had been the victims of the death of a family member due to the virus. 10% were found to have suffered high levels of Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and; within this group, 40% were still suffering from PTSD 3 years later.

In turn, another study was conducted with Toronto health workers during the 2003 crisis, when the situation was critical, since several hospitals had been closed due to the lack of employees due to being infected and being in quarantine. It turned out that 29% of workers scored high for anguish emotional, double that of the general adult population in the country the previous year.

These conclusions are consistent with studies on SARS in Taiwan, where more than 75% of the employees experienced psychiatric problems (Dr. Mian-Yoon Chong, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 2004). In Singapore, more than 21% of employees had psychiatric disorders.

Within the general population, 40% of the Hong Kong survey sample with survivors suffered from an active psychiatric illness. The most common were depression, chronic fatigue, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

In most investigations, suffering a psychological alteration such as PTSD was directly mediated by the perception of risk of death and the belief of stigmatization (for working as health personnel) among other things. This means that we can avoid to some extent developing psychiatric problems if we follow a series of professional recommendations to protect our mental health.

Recommendations to maintain emotional balance in the face of the coronavirus

The Official College of Psychologists of Madrid has published a series of recommendations to protect our mental health aimed at those who are not infected, vulnerable and infected by Covid19.

Recommended guidelines include:

• Keep a positive attitude.
• Avoid continually talking about the subject.
• Overinformation (the TV will have to be turned off; The Official College of Psychologists of Madrid recommends seeking information verified by experts and in official channels such as the Ministry of Health).

Other recommendations can be:

• Find individual and group entertainment (with the whole family living in the same space). Today technology can help us a lot because we can maintain contact with friends and family online.
• Do what we never have time to do: order in the house, deep cleaning, redecorate the house ...
• Share time with our sons / daughters ...
• Consult true and official sources of information, avoiding speculative or alarmist messages.

On the other hand, there are the people who are not taking action; so that it is also recommended not to trivialize the situation, more in the case of risk groups; take care of yourself and be prudent.

Author: Susana Merino García: Specialist Psychologist in Psychopathology, Clinical Intervention and Health.

Bibliographic references:

• Nickell LA, Crighton EJ, Tracy CS, et al. Psychosocial effects of SARS on hospital staff: survey of a large tertiary care institution. CMAJ. 2004;170(5):793 - 798.
• Sim K, Chua HC. The psychological impact of SARS: a matter of heart and mind. CMAJ. 2004;170(5): 811– 812.
• Wu P., Fang Y., Guan Z., Fan B., Kong J., Yao Z., & Hoven C. W. (2009). The psychological impact of the SARS epidemic on hospital employees in China: Exposure, risk perception, and altruistic acceptance of risk. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 54 (5), 302–311.
• Ho-Bun. M, et al. (2003). Archives of Internal Medicine, December 14-28.