Work, shopping for groceries, fixing the broken bike, driving your kids to post-curricular activities, visiting relatives. It was a rat race for most of us, barely having enough energy to watch one episode of our favourite TV series as we collapse on bed after a long day out and about. Barely an hour for some self-respite.
Fast-forward just four weeks, and we’re confined in isolation, or perhaps quarantine. Suddenly, all activities came to a halt, unless work has to be carried out while the younger members of the family run havoc throughout the house. Yes, you are not alone: life in quarantine can have negative effects on mental health, concluded a study by the King’s College London, effects which can even include post-traumatic stress.
The study however thus come with a silver lining – and that’s how the negative elements can be warded off. Staying healthy at home, keeping active on social media, staying in touch with the persons we care for and getting access to the correct dose of appropriate information will help us process the situation in a much better way.
The study, which was originally published The Lancet medical journal, titled, “The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence”, re-assures us that it is normal that “separation from loved ones, the loss of freedom, uncertainty over disease status and boredom can, on occasion, create dramatic effects”.
The study was carried out by seven researches associated with the department of psychological medicine at King’s College London and based their findings on a significant number of studies based on quarantine experiences related to previous outbreaks, including SARS, Ebola, Swine flu and MERS.
These studies found that more than 20% of people who spent time in quarantine reported feelings of fear, 18% felt nervous, 18% sad and 10% guilty. Post-traumatic stress was reported in a number of cases. The latter was particularly prevalent among those who were isolated for more than ten days. More worryingly, living in quarantine can induce longer-term negative repercussions, including alcohol abuse and other dependencies.
Thankfully the research team did not stop at outlining the darker side of isolation but presented their recommendations to reduce or prevent the psychological impact of isolation. The most important thing was to seek as much information as possible, from trusted, verified sources, so that people in quarantine can better understand why they have to face such situation, that is to keep others safe, particularly the vulnerable members of society. Understanding well why you’re undertaking such a conspicuous effort, helps you deal better with it.
The researchers’ second tip is to stay occupied as much as possible. Being active reduces stress and anxiety – thankfully, social media, with all its downsides, plays a comforting and sociable role in this context. Also imperative was to keep healthy – staying inside was not providing carte blanche to binge on snacks or alcohol – a healthy lifestyle was conducive to better health of mind.
Everyone, however, has a limit. This is why the report ends with a stark warning to the authorities, not to prolong isolation more than necessary: “The authorities need to respect the duration of a quarantine and not extend it. Doing the opposite would be particularly harmful to mental health”.
