The weather turned hot in May, and Xin Wei, who lives at a friend's house in Yangpu, Shanghai, was finally able to go downstairs for a walk this week. It turned out that he came to visit relatives in Shanghai for two months.
"I used to be breathless every day and often lost my temper inexplicably." This kind of irritability has been bothering Xin Wei for a long time. "I really want to see flowers, take a bus and go out."
Many people who are isolated at home have similar ideas to Xin Wei. Tian Hui, who returned to Chaoyang from other places, worked at home for a month. "In the beginning, the work arrangement was a mess. I can't sleep every day and feel bored doing anything. " In the first few days of isolation, the only thing Tian Hui wanted to do every day was to call friends and family. "I just want to talk about everything."
Yang, director of the Center for Psychological and Behavioral Research of Harbin Medical University, said that this is a kind of "stress reaction" that people appear in public emergencies, including emotional stress reactions brought by the epidemic itself, such as depression, anxiety and fear. "Due to the need of epidemic prevention and control, when people are asked to be isolated in a centralized way or at home, their activity space is fixed, their movements are limited, their social interaction is affected, and they are prone to anxiety and depression."
On March 2nd, WHO released a report saying that in the first year of COVID-19 outbreak, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by more than 25%.
With the change of epidemic situation and long-term isolation at home, people are worried about being infected, but their lifestyles have also changed a lot. Many people also have different degrees of anxiety, impatience, panic and other negative emotions.
Does the epidemic affect human mental health for 20 years?
Yang said that under pressure, most people will have short-term emotional reactions, such as mild anxiety, fear or depression.
The main manifestations of anxiety are fidgeting, nervousness and excessive worry. In severe cases, abdominal distension, stomachache, diarrhea, tachycardia, chest tightness and shortness of breath may occur. Depression is characterized by depression, decreased interest, loss of sense of purpose, and even despair; And fear mainly includes excessive vigilance, fear, irrational behavior and so on.
It is worth noting that suffering from depression or anxiety is not suffering from mental illness. At present, the depression, anxiety, fear and other emotions of most people who are isolated at home are only a symptom and a normal stress response.
Some people say that "the epidemic will affect people's mental health for 20 years." In response to this statement, Yang said that generally speaking, most people's stress response is slight and short-lived. With the improvement or end of public emergencies, these symptoms will be alleviated or disappeared, and most people can recover slowly through self-regulation.
Professional reminder, of course, a few people have serious stress reactions. If they are depressed, lose interest, feel flustered and irritable, suffer from insomnia or have suicidal thoughts repeatedly for two weeks, and can't be relieved through self-exercise and relaxation, they may have depression or anxiety, so they need to go to a professional institution for treatment in time and receive psychotherapy or medication.