- By: Ghanwah Ijaz
In 2003 more than two dozen countries in Europe, North America, South America, and Asiawere severely infected by a respiratory virus identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS). By the time Sars global outbreak was contained, the virus had transmitted to over 8000people, putting an end to 800 lives worldwide. At present, an advanced respiratory malady SAR-CoV-2 has emerged, causing COVID-19 disease. The COVID-19 has surpassed the 2003 Sarsoutbreak with a huge margin as of April 15, 2020, over 2,008,850 cases of COVID-19 havebeen reported with 129,045 causalities around the world; with no end in sight.
The world reckons that the COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest global crisis of this century. Itthreatens each of the 7.8 billion people on Earth. The pundits opine that due to this pandemic,the impact of the financial and economic crisis could far exceed that of “The Great Recession2008-2009”. Furthermore, the study of previous pandemics suggests that these lethal epidemicsnot only result in enduring socio-economic uncertainty but also induce traumatic effects on thepsychological health of a population both, during the crisis and afterward.
In order to restrain coronavirus transmission, the global health emergency has been imposed.These precautionary measures have disrupted everyday life and obtruded severe threats to aperson's life by interposing additional stress and xenophobia. Resultantly, it is triggeringvulnerabilities of psychological distress including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) anddepression. The symptoms of PTSD tend to be more severe in people who have a highmortality risk, low social support and the ones whose close relatives had suffered or died fromthe disease. Regarding the psychological facet of COVID-19 as a ‘yet to be revealed’ and’secondary crisis’, the international community needs to concentrate on ‘how to manage thepsychological suffering of large-scale disasters such as Coronavirus.’
Pakistan, a country rich in family-oriented traditions, is likely to be more severely affected by thepsychological distress arising due to rigorous measures. People are dealing with anxiety, stress, fear and other psychological issues due to the lockdown in their houses, disruption of routine,separation from family and friends, shortage of food and medicines, wage loss, closure ofeducational institutions, and other stresses and strains of life. While on one hand, the novelcoronavirus has triggered physiological suffering, on the other, it has also impacted thepsychological state of an individual adversely. The irony is that the psychological health caresystem is woefully deficient in Pakistan and any attempt of accessing psychological help isconsidered a taboo. This psychological crisis is fast approaching behind COVID-19 outbreak.
The authorities and public at large should recognize the gravity of this at least, if tackling is notin COVID-19 response agenda for now.The government needs to take preemptive measures to be able to manage the crisis alreadyknocking on our door. The first-line intervention (i.e. quarantine) for the reduction of morbidityand mortality bore witness to the right step in the right direction; but the longer people areisolated from their normalness, this disruption would trigger vulnerabilities particularly in peoplewho are vulnerable already. It is likely that even those who aren’t infected with coronaviruscould also develop psychological symptoms of mood disorders and lasting anxiety disordersdue to isolation, confinement or even if quarantined for a prolonged period.
Historically, pandemics especially involving quarantine add a huge burden on economic andsocial life. People become vulnerable due to abrupt shutdown of the social domain, due towhich, other social and public health problems arise (i.e. domestic violence). The reason beingthat around the world individuals have certain tolerance gauge that are already more than half-full but especially during the times of crisis, they experience additional amounts of stresstherefore, becoming intolerant to a greater extent. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought womenand children at high risk of PTSD as unfortunately; in patriarchal societies men channelize theirfrustration and wrath on their spouse or children in the shape of physical assault. At present,divorce rates spike across the world whereas, in Pakistan, the current corona-induced lockdowndomestic abuse and violence is on the rise.
Pakistan has begun taking small-scale steps to reduce severe lockdown. Tout de suite thegovernment and the policymakers need a pragmatic approach to efficaciously manage themental health of the people, in the COVID-19 pandemic, or else, the ‘traditional spiritual healers’will call the shots for PTSD. The government needs to blend investment and technology in themental health sector, as PTSD carries the potential to increase distress in Pakistan in future.
As argued earlier, it is important to understand the core of any mental suffering. Besidescoronavirus, there are infinite difficulties attached to it. The government can take the followingsteps to suspect, identify, and give proper treatment to the affectees. To tackle the issue ofdomestic violence the government can consider the creation of online domestic violence cells tohelp victims timely report to the relevant authorities. To manage the monetary burden on peoplethe government can consider extending public-friendly personal loans for people who areemployed but will not be paid by the respective agencies in the course of lockdown.
In a study, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychologist, found that social isolation is twice as harmfulto a person’s physical health as obesity. People are heading towards depression as they aredragged to a lifestyle they have never experienced before. Where on one side, the Pakistanitraditional family culture can help in engaging the individuals, on the other side, electronic andsocial media can be utilized in organizing various family-oriented content and activities.
Pakistani authorities and people must acknowledge that this is a nerve-testing time. The effortsof the government will remain in vain if people are not taken on board. This is the time wherepeople and government are depending upon one another. Furthermore, the future of COVID-19is uncertain, people are fearful about what the next few weeks and months hold. The Pakistaniauthorities are adopting extraordinary measures to prevent the contagion and limit the outbreakbut now the government needs to further look into assessing and addressing pandemic-relatedemotional distress, social and behavioral problems. While it’s easy to predict that this pandemicwill have profound psychological effects on the people living through, it will depend on both,the government as well as the people to handle it jointly and reduce its impact on our future.
The writer is a research fellow at Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS). She canbe reached at cass.thinkers@gmail.com.
