A covid-19 pandemic causes many new problems in some sectors. One of which is in the psychological state, especially people’s mental health. UGM Mental Health Expert, Dr. dr. Ronny Tri Wirasto, Sp.Kj., said three significant mental health problems have risen amid the current coronavirus outbreak.
“First, social distancing and vulnerable mental tendencies, also prone to violence in the family,” he said on Wednesday (14/10).
Ronny revealed that social restrictions affect mental health because individuals have to adjust to new habits. Before the pandemic happened, people usually communicated face-to-face with other people, but the current situation brings a person to have to limit face-to-face interaction. This situation is not simple, especially in an uncertain atmosphere that causes anxiety, worry, fear, stress, and depression. In other words, the mental state is more unstable. This situation oftentimes triggers violent behavior within the family.
The second problem, Covid-19 pandemic has strongly increased the number of internet users. The social restriction policy makes the internet a significant part of community activities that can cause addiction. Ronny conveyed that this internet addiction behavior was due to someone’s activity, which is continuity looking for information related to Covid-19.
Still causing addiction, the pandemic also caused people to keep playing online games. Stay at home means there are many chances for people to manifest their hobby in playing online games.
“If this condition keeps this way, it can result in fatigue, over-attention or excessive attention to something, and decreased awareness to the surrounding,” said the Head of the Specialist Education Study Program for Mental Medicine, FKKMK UGM.
In addition to those three problems, patients who have recovered from Covid-19 also have a mental vulnerability. Accordingly, this is also included as a part of a big problem. This condition happens because there is still a stigma of Covid-19 patients labeling in the community. This stigma in society makes patients who recover from Covid-19 have a greater concern than their previous condition before Covid19 infected them.
Noticing that there are still many mental health problems in the community, Ronny pleased each individual or community to create a friendly and warm atmosphere. His interest is related to the problem where excessive impulsiveness behavior has become a major mental problem even though the community does not see it.
Author: Ika
Photo: Shutterstock.com
Translator: Natasa A