Worries and anxieties related to the coronavirus have led to a major increase in the number of people resorting to a psychological support service.

Kellimni.com, an NGO-run project which offers online support, has called for mental wellbeing to be prioritised along with sanitary health as it reports a dramatic rise in chats.

Last week, the service handled 200 chats between Monday and Friday compared to 120 during the previous week, coordinator Kurt Abela told Times of Malta. He said people were primarily concerned about contracting the virus or their loved ones doing so.

However, the virus outbreak is taking its toll especially on those with a predisposition to mental illness such as anxiety or depression.

There’s no point in having everyone being hygienic but then having them totally break down

“This virus is really having an impact on mental health. It’s really important that in this atmosphere right now, apart from promoting hygiene and quarantining and all that, we really put a focus on mental health,” Abela said.

“There’s no point in having everyone being hygienic but then having them totally break down.”

One of the causes of the anxiety is the inability to escape hearing about the virus especially through the media and social media.

He said there was a need to spread more positive messages.

“People are feeling like they can never get away from this flood of information and news about the virus,” he said.

A helpline called Hear to Help, launched just a few days ago, reported a flood of calls by people experiencing anxiety due to fear of the unknown and loneliness being caused by the turmoil surrounding the virus.

Founder Sabine Agius Cabourdin is also pointing a finger at social media, which is seen as exacerbating the anxiety. She advises people to divert some of the time they spend on Facebook and other sites towards connecting with loved ones.

“A lot of people, especially the elderly, are very lonely and worried about the situation at the moment. From what we are seeing through the helpline they would benefit from more contact,” she said.

She also called for a united front in tackling the economic consequences of the virus, seeing as another great source of stress is job loss.

“Even people who don’t normally suffer from anxiety are feeling anxious because of the uncertainty in the country right now. They don’t know if they are going to have their jobs, they don’t know how they’re going to pay their bills.”

Most common issues

Kellimni chatline
• General anxiety about contracting the disease;
• Doubts over whether enough precautions have been taken; 
• Feelings of loneliness and isolation;
• Worsening of relationship issues due to reduced ability to talk face to face;
• Amplification of mental illness symptoms.

Hear to Help helpline - 9932 0977
• Fear of losing their jobs especially third country nationals;
• Anxiety about infecting family members especially those who are vulnerable;
• General anxiety about contracting the virus at work;
• Amplification of mental illness symptoms;
• Feelings of loneliness and isolation.