Facing Confinement, the Comfort of WhatsApp Groups in Mental Health Communities

The Effect of COVID-19 Diagnosis on the Physical, Social, and Psychological Well-Being of People in the United Arab Emirates: An Explorative Qualitative Study

A positive COVID-19 infection may impact physical, mental, and social health. Different factors may influence these impacts on different levels due to personal circumstances. This study aimed to explore the impact of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis on the physical,mental, social, psychological health, and lifestyle practices of an individual in the United Arab Emirates. A sample of 28 participants was interviewed using online interviews. An interview guide was created based on the coping strategy model and conceptual framework of coping strategies. All interviews were recorded; then transcribed after obtaining written consent from participants. The NVivo software was used for thematic analysis based on both identified coping models. Major themes included the physical effects, social effects, psychological effects, spiritual effects, and lifestyle effects. Emerging themes include coping mechanisms, trust in authorities and the health care system, appreciation of the role of the government, conspiracy theories, and media roles. This study indicates that people diagnosed with COVID-19 have perceived very good support in terms of their physical health from the government and health authorities, but require social, psychological, and educational support during the infection period and post-recovery.

Disaster management of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a suboptimal response to this threatening global disaster, including the response to the psychological impact. Both the economic hardship and the continuous media coverage of alarming news have exacerbated this effect which also includes increased domestic violence.

AIM

To address this important aspect of disaster management and provide recommendations on how to mitigate these effects.

METHODS

This is a narrative review written by three experts in community medicine, disaster medicine and psychiatry reflecting the interdisciplinary approach in managing disasters. Selected important papers, personal published papers, PUBMED articles and media news related to the disaster management of the psychological effects of COVID-19 pandemic were collected over the last year, critically appraised and used in writing this manuscript.

RESULTS

The COVID-19 pandemic causes major emotional distress. Lack of effective treatments and availability of the current vaccines for this virus increases the fear of being infected and infecting others. Negative emotions are common and are related to adjustment but may progress in the long term to anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The COVID-19 pandemic has a major impact on mental health. The most common distress reactions include anxiety, insomnia, perception of insecurity, anger, fear of illness, and risky behaviors. Patients having mental disorders are vulnerable during the pandemic because of (1) somatic vulnerability, (2) cognitive and behavioral vulnerability, (3) psychosocial vulnerability, and (4) disruption to psychiatric care. Psychiatric wards, which are commonly separate from main hospitals, should be included in the disaster management plans. Acute care physicians carry the psychological and ethical impact of difficult triage decisions when ending the support of some patients to save others. A combination of fear and guilt may overcome normal human tolerance levels in vulnerable health workers. The moral injuries can be carried for a long time.

CONCLUSIONS

Addressing the psychological effects is an essential component of disaster management of infectious pandemics. This should be implemented through the whole spectrum of disaster management including preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.

Bibliotherapy: Reading OVID During COVID

An epidemic of an infectious disease such as COVID-19 is often a source of emotional distress, even among those who have not been directly exposed to the disease. The period following the acute phase of the coronavirus epidemic and the mitigation measures will likely be hardest for medical professionals in terms of psychological impact. Bibliotherapy is a systematic intervention regarding the use of carefully selected reading materials in order to help persons to cope with stress and personal problems. This therapy can be used easily during the pandemic. The review of evidence shows that this kind of intervention can be helpful in educational and clinical contexts. During the crisis, it can be an alternative to video and film entertainment and a transition from serious medical journal clubs to a softer medical humanities experience. In this article, we summarized the historical background of bibliotherapy. We also proposed a reading list from different times, and cultures relating to pandemic, quarantine, symptoms, confinement, and social impacts (e.g., Camus, Moravia, London, Le Clezio etc.). Bibliotherapy can be a way for doctors and healthcare workers fighting on the frontline of the pandemic to find psychological support and for debriefing. Bibliotherapy can help individuals that need support for emotional distress during the pandemic to verbalize their feelings and emotions and identify new ways of addressing problems.