key: cord-0812894-4dne908n
authors: Um Min Allah, Nasar; Arshad, Sohaib; Mahmood, Hina; Abbas, Hina
title: The psychological impact of coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan
date: 2020-08-06
journal: Asia Pac Psychiatry
DOI: 10.1111/appy.12409
sha: ec5586d524e86ff6b4c1fcc0bde053af522ca42f
doc_id: 812894
cord_uid: 4dne908n

nan

physical and psychological pressure including high risk of infection, insufficient protective gear from contagion, isolation, exhaustion, and lack of family contact. The intensity causes more mental health issues which not only impair the decision-making capacity of medical workers but may also have a negative impact on their overall wellbeing in the long term. Healthcare conditions in Pakistan are worsening on daily basis and therefore controlling the disease would require holistic thorough management on both physical and mental healthcare situation.

Quarantine is one component of communicable disease control and can be a necessary preventive measure (Adams et al., 2020) .

Recent studies have shown that the psychological effects of quarantine may be huge, leading to a variety of mental health issues ranging from anxiety and frustration to sleep disruptions, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (Brooks et al., 2020; Kang et al., 2020 ), yet the repercussions for the emotional well-being of people cannot be ignored. The first thing that gets adversely affected when we are facing a crisis is our emotional health and fear to combat it. As there are a small number of mental health professionals in our hospitals, it is important for all doctors, especially general practitioners and doctors of the emergency department, to constructively screen for psychological problems in patients coming for consultations. Psychiatrists and mental health experts will be worth sitting in the COVID-19 task force to advise on social and mental health initiatives and psychological intervention.

In conclusion, it is not to say that quarantine or lockdown strategy should not be used; it may be worse for the psychological consequences of not taking timely measures and allowing the disease to spread (Hawryluck et al., 2004) . Government should proceed by informing people with the facts that what is happening and why, explaining how long it will last and ensuring essential supplies (such as food, etc.) and reinforcing the sense of altruism that people should, rightly, be feeling. If this extended lockdown or quarantine experience is negative, there could be long-term effects that impact not just the quarantined individuals, but also the health care system, policymakers and the public.

Bioethics and self-isolation: What about low-resource settings?

The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence

SARS control and psychological effects of quarantine

The mental health of medical workers in Wuhan

The authors would like to thank Zulfiqar Ali Qureshi for his valuable ideas and suggestions on this topic.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.