In the Panel on "Psychological Effects of the Covid Pandemic", Dr. Mehran Rostamzadeh Speaks About "COVID-19 and Its Psychological Effects"

Dr. Mehran Rostamzadeh emphasized the psychological effects caused by the changing systems due to the pandemic and its effects on daily life. Evaluating the effects of quarantine on psychological well-being, Rostamzadeh drew attention to the increase in psychopathological disorders during this period. Highlights from his speech are as follows:

A global attention is largely focusing on the effects of the coronavirus on physical health, and has overlooked the impacts of the coronavirus on psychological health. Reviewing the 100 papers on psychological consequences of COVID-19, mental disturbances are including severe distress, hopelessness, depressed mood, anxious, obsessive-compulsive disorder, insomnia, overeating, psychological irritability, emotional exhaustion, a post-traumatic stress disorder, depersonalization, psychological distress, cognitive impairment, confusion, poor sleep quality, demoralization, burnout, life dissatisfaction, and paranoia. Therefore, 2% of national health budgets on mental health is not enough.

 Turkey, like all countries dealing with this virus, has taken necessary measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, including lockdown, social distancing and the quarantine, shutting down schools and closing places where people gather such as bars, shopping malls, movie theaters, gymnasiums, and other sports venues. The government in Turkey has asked its citizens to keep themselves in quarantine and stay at home to reduce the number of infections and protect people.

Lockdown, social distancing and the quarantine obligations often associated with a negative influence on psychological well-being such as post-traumatic stress symptoms, verbal arguments or conflict with other adult in home, frustration, boredom, uncertainty of the future, bereavement, isolation, fear of significant financial losses, eating habits, mental and emotional disturbances home confinement, blame all, youngers self-blame, paranoia, panic, delirium, and suicidal ideation, especially among youngers who have high self-blame anger, and loneliness, psychomotor excitement, psychotic symptoms, sleep disorder, increased rumination, upticks in domestic violence, insomnia symptoms, and xenophobia.

Although vaccination will prevent spreading diseases, its psychological impacts will endure for years.  Hence, for intervention, rather than a fixed set of strategies,  we should be flexible to create multifaceted strategies including traditional and modern and novel methods of consultation, such as online service,  resilience program, secure electronic information-sharing, telepsychiatry and telemedicine psychological counseling, promote legal information, and eliminate cases of isolation, online training in the management of COVID-19.