Psychological states of COVID-19 quarantine
Lillian Lywan Ng
1
Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. Email: lillian.ng@auckland.ac.nz
Journal of Primary Health Care 12(2) 115-117 https://doi.org/10.1071/HC20030
Published: 29 June 2020
Journal Compilation © Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners 2020 This is an open access article licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Abstract
The psychological effects of mass quarantine following the COVID-19 lockdown are likely to be significant. Emotional and behavioural responses to quarantine are related to a psychological state of anxiety. These and other emotions are normal and may even be adaptive. The exceptional circumstances of a national lockdown provide an opportunity to develop mental health literacy in the form of psychological first aid, to enable wider awareness of how individuals can contribute to listening and supporting others psychologically. This has potential implications for skilling clinicians and the public about responding to mental distress. As frontline health-care workers, general practitioners may themselves need to be recipients of psychological first aid and support as they deal with adverse consequences of the quarantine period.
References
[1] Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet. 2020; 395 912–20.| The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 32112714PubMed |
[2] Wu P, Fang Y, Guan Z, et al. The psychological impact of the SARS epidemic on hospital employees in China: exposure, risk, perception and altruistic acceptance of risk. Can J Psychiatr. 2009; 54 302–11.
| The psychological impact of the SARS epidemic on hospital employees in China: exposure, risk, perception and altruistic acceptance of risk.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[3] Braunack-Mayer A, Tooher R, Collins J, et al. Understanding the school community’s response to school closures during the H1N1 2009 influenza pandemic. BMC Public Health. 2013; 13 344
| Understanding the school community’s response to school closures during the H1N1 2009 influenza pandemic.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 23587175PubMed |
[4] Cava MA, Fay KE, Beanland HJ, et al. The experience of quarantine for individuals affected by SARS in Toronto. Public Health Nurs. 2005; 22 398–406.
| The experience of quarantine for individuals affected by SARS in Toronto.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 16229732PubMed |
[5] Maunder R, Hunter J, Vincent L, et al. The immediate psychological and occupational impact of the 2003 SARS outbreak in a teaching hospital. CMAJ. 2003; 168 1245–51.
| 12743065PubMed |
[6] Ministry of Health. Framework for Psychosocial Support in Emergencies. Wellington, NZ: Ministry of Health; 2016.
[7] Anon . Mental health and COVID-19: change the conversation. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020; 7 463
| Mental health and COVID-19: change the conversation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[8] Holt-Lunstad J, Smith T, Layton J. Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Med. 2010; 7 e1000316
| Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 20668659PubMed |
[9] Cacioppo JT, Cacioppo S. The growing problem of loneliness. Lancet. 2018; 391 426
| The growing problem of loneliness.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 29407030PubMed |
[10] Cacioppo JT, Hawkley LC, Norman GJ, Berntson GG. Social isolation. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2011; 1231 17–22.
| Social isolation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 21651565PubMed |
[11] Giuffrida A. ‘This is like a war’: view from Italy’s coronavirus frontline. The Guardian. 17 March 2020. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/17/this-is-like-a-war-view-from-italys-coronavirus-frontline
[12] Xiang Y-T, Yang Y, Li W, et al. Timely mental health care for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is urgently needed. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020; 7 228
| Timely mental health care for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is urgently needed.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 32032543PubMed |
[13] Curtis V. Why disgust matters. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2011; 366 3478–90.
| Why disgust matters.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[14] Duan L, Zhu G. Psychological interventions for people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. Lancet Psychiatry, 2020; 7 300–2.
| Psychological interventions for people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[15] North CS, Pffefferbaum B. Mental health response to community disasters: a systematic review. JAMA. 2013; 310 507–18.
| Mental health response to community disasters: a systematic review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 23925621PubMed |
[16] Schultz JM, Forbes D. Psychological First Aid. Rapid proliferation and the search for evidence. Disaster Health. 2014; 2 3–12.
| Psychological First Aid. Rapid proliferation and the search for evidence.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[17] Ministry of Health. COVID-19 – Wellbeing in self-isolation. [cited 2020 March 24]. Available from: www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disease-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus.
[18] World Health Organization. Mental health and psychosocial considerations during COVID-19 outbreak. 18 March 2020, WHO. [cited 2020 March 25]. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331490/WHO-2019-nCoV-MentalHealth-2020.1-eng.pdf
[19] Folkman S, Greer S. Promoting psychological well-being in the face of serious illness: when theory, research and practice inform each other. Psycho-oncol. 2000; 9 11–9.
| Promoting psychological well-being in the face of serious illness: when theory, research and practice inform each other.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
