dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Social Links
  • zedreviews.com
  • citi.io
  • aster.cloud
  • liwaiwai.com
  • guzz.co.uk
  • atinatin.com
0 Likes
0 Followers
0 Subscribers
dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
  • People
  • World Events

COVID-19: Social Distancing Is Triggering Another Crisis We Must Prevent

  • April 21, 2020
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

With people staying in their homes, we must prevent a crisis that’s growing alongside COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to stay in their homes in compliance with nationwide social distancing measures across the world.

With much of their activities restrained, a lot of people have been wanting to go out so badly, yearning for the social interactions that can be found beyond their doorsteps.

A new pandemic?

This yearning is perfectly understandable. A 2001 diary study of the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that a huge chunk (31.3%) of the daily activities of Americans are spent outside their homes.

With people not permitted to go to their workplaces, outdoors, or the typical indoor locations like bars and restaurants where they can socialize or be entertained, most — if not all — of their daily lives are now conducted inside their homes.

This lifestyle of isolation has become the norm in the midst of this pandemic, and many are having trouble adjusting.  Given this, the imposed lockdowns have triggered the growth of another crisis alongside COVID-19: mental illness.

Physical distancing and mental health

A report from JAMA Internal Medicine examined the effect of COVID-19 and physical distancing on people’s mental health.

“In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears likely that there will be substantial increases in anxiety and depression, substance use, loneliness, and domestic violence; and with schools closed, there is a very real possibility of an epidemic of child abuse,” author Dr. Sandro Galea and colleagues wrote in their report.

From the observations of Dr. Galea and his coauthors in the 2003 SARS epidemic, increases in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress, and psychological distress were also present among patients and clinicians. This means that the impact of the COVID-19 on mental health is likely to persist long after the lockdowns have finally been lifted.

Intervention

Given these consequences, they proposed three steps which can be undertaken as early intervention.

01. The use of digital platforms in order to bridge the social distance and maintain contact with people

02. Implementation of surveillance, reporting, and intervention mechanisms for domestic violence and child abuse

03. cases as protection for those who are at risk.

Strengthening the mental health system by taking advantage of less traditional methods like tele-mental health services and virtual visits

This pandemic is also challenging our existing systems of mental health care. This brings into light the importance of flexibility in the provision of psychological services in order to ensure that everyone who needs help can access it.

While mental illnesses are not as visible as physical ones, they are as harmful. Once the COVID-19 pandemic is contained, we cannot allow a pandemic of mental illness to plague us right after. We must come up with creative ways to deliver mental services. As early as now we must also be planning on how we can help people cope with the anxiety and stress that will remain even when COVID-19 is no more.

Total
0
Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Related Topics
  • Coronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social distancing
dotlah.com

Previous Article
  • Cities

East Asia And Pacific Region Expected To Suffer GDP Losses Due To COVID-19 Shocks

  • April 21, 2020
View Post
Next Article
  • Lah!

Dengue Cases Expected To Exceed Last Year’s 16,000 Cases Unless All Stakeholders Take Immediate Concerted Action Against Dengue

  • April 22, 2020
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • People
  • Politics

Singapore PM Wong arrives in Malacañang

  • dotlah.com
  • June 4, 2025
college-of-cardinals-2025
View Post
  • Featured
  • Features
  • World Events

The Definitive Who’s Who of the 2025 Papal Conclave

  • Dean Marc
  • May 8, 2025
conclave-poster-black-smoke
View Post
  • Featured
  • Features
  • World Events

The World Is Revalidating Itself

  • Dean Marc
  • May 7, 2025
View Post
  • Featured
  • Features
  • People

Conclave: How A New Pope Is Chosen

  • Dean Marc
  • April 25, 2025
View Post
  • People

PM Wong takes Scoot flight, fellow passengers cheer

  • dotlah.com
  • October 16, 2024
dotlah-pm-lee-lawrence-wong-9656d4cd-1fa4-40ed-905d-e19e639b8476_728802dd
View Post
  • Lah!
  • People
  • Politics

End of Lee Era for Singapore as PM Steps Down

  • dotlah.com
  • May 16, 2024
View Post
  • People
  • Politics

‘A much bigger step forward’: Lawrence Wong on his journey to becoming Singapore’s fourth PM

  • dotlah.com
  • May 15, 2024
DPM Lawrence Wong will be Singapore's fourth prime minister on May 15. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
View Post
  • Lah!
  • People
  • Politics

7 things to know about Singapore’s next prime minister Lawrence Wong

  • dotlah.com
  • May 15, 2024


Trending
  • 1
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    Singapore Airlines Unveils All-New Narrowbody Aircraft Cabin Products
    • November 17, 2021
  • 2
    • Science
    • Technology
    Learning How To Learn
    • October 23, 2023
  • 3
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    SAF Conducts Counter-Terrorism Exercise In The City
    • August 7, 2021
  • Globe 4
    • Economy
    • People
    • Politics
    • World Events
    This Century Will See Massive Shifts In The Global Population, Economy, And Power Structure
    • September 9, 2020
  • 5
    • Lah!
    • Society
    Singapore Maintains High Score For Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2019
    • January 24, 2020
  • 6
    • Society
    FairPrice Group Pledges S$378,000 To Engage The Community To Do Good And Provides Incentives To Appreciate Healthcare Workers
    • March 6, 2020
  • 7
    • Society
    We Have The Tools And Technology To Work Less And Live Better
    • November 4, 2019
  • 8
    • Cities
    Another Outstanding Reason Why You Should Visit The Most Peaceful Countries
    • April 3, 2024
  • chainlink 9
    • People
    Which Prisons Offer The Most Freedom For Incarcerated Prisoners?
    • December 10, 2020
  • Singapore 10
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cities
    • Technology
    These 5 cities are making innovative use of generative AI
    • July 29, 2024
  • 11
    • Economy
    • People
    What’s Next For The Luxury Market?
    • April 27, 2023
  • 12
    • Cities
    • Environment
    • People
    The 4 Plausible Futures Of The World: Post Anthropocene
    • March 18, 2020
Trending
  • 1
    Meralco PowerGen’s PacificLight starts up 100 MW fast-response plant in Singapore
    • June 20, 2025
  • 2
    A Father’s Day Gift for Every Pop and Papa
    • June 14, 2025
  • 3
    Apple services deliver powerful features and intelligent updates to users this autumn
    • June 12, 2025
  • 4
    Apple supercharges its tools and technologies for developers to foster creativity, innovation, and design
    • June 11, 2025
  • 5
    It’s time to stop debating whether AI is genuinely intelligent and focus on making it work for society
    • June 8, 2025
  • 6
    PBBM asks Singapore to invest more in PH renewable energy projects
    • June 6, 2025
  • 7
    Singapore PM Wong arrives in Malacañang
    • June 4, 2025
  • 8
    Renewable energy, carbon credits are priority areas of cooperation for Singapore, Philippines: Lawrence Wong
    • June 4, 2025
  • 9
    Singapore businesses eye more investments in PH, says PM Wong
    • June 4, 2025
  • 10
    The Summer Adventures : Hiking and Nature Walks Essentials
    • June 3, 2025
Social Links
dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Connecting Dots Across Asia's Tech and Urban Landscape

Input your search keywords and press Enter.