Keep calm and stay at home
Published: 11:05 AM,May 15,2020 | EDITED : 07:04 PM,Apr 29,2024
By Dr Hamed Al Sinawi, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist
Since the break out of the current COVID-19 pandemic, many countries around the world applied the stay at home policy while others had to introduce curfew to limit the transmission of infection, which had a tremendous impact on several aspects of our lives.
Countries closed its borders, limiting air flights to those transporting goods, Businesses had to close; others were able to work from home. School children and their parents had to stay at home and try out homeschooling. Thousands of our students who were studying overseas had to be flown back to Oman. The psychological impact of COVID-19 includes feeling anxious about one's health and that of their loved ones, and about ones financial status, as many people have to work to get paid.
There is also the trauma of social isolation, which is associated with depression and other mental health problems. The sad news is that despite government advice to people to stay at home, the disease is spreading, and more people are being admitted to hospitals, others dying from the infection.
Let us discuss the psychological explanation of why some people continue to challenge the stay at home advice
- People fail to see how their behavior hurts others
- Infection is invisible
- Some People feel invulnerable:
- People don't know what we don't know