Fears about the coronavirus is having an impact on many people with existing anxieties and mental health disorders, according to a psychotherapist.
Dr Rosalba Axiak has seen a flare up in her patients with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, with worries starting to surface in the last two weeks as news of the first cases reaching Europe and especially Italy were reported in the Maltese and international media.
Through talk therapy sessions with her clients, she said the focus of patients with anxiety had completely shifted from their ordinary worries to the prospect of what happens if the virus reaches Malta and if they catch it.
“They are mainly worried about getting infected and what happens if they pass it on to their loved ones and if they die… or one of their loved ones dies from it. It’s more about the effect and what can happen than actually becoming contaminated,” she said.
They don’t always know what is fake and real online
The focus of her treatment has been to “talk through the facts from the myths” surrounding the virus.
“I also encourage them to avoid going online. They don’t always know what is fake and real. That makes it worse.
“We talk about the reality of the virus, how it has spread but that it has not killed many people. Every country is trying to contain the spread. Alongside this, we talk about simple measures like avoiding crowds or maintaining our personal hygiene.”
Dr Axiak said she was using the same kinds of measures with her patients suffering with obsessive-compulsive disorder. While her patients with anxiety are worried about contracting and spreading the virus, those with OCD are worried about catching it and feeling unclean and contaminated.
“They are afraid of going to supermarkets and touching the trolleys or going on public transport. With the appearance of cases in Italy, they drastically limited their time outside to work or at the shops, to avoid meeting someone who might get them sick.”
Alongside reassurances and seeing the bigger picture, Dr Axiak has also prescribed more exercise, yoga, avoiding news websites and continued talk therapy.
Psychologist Paul Sciberras said he too had seen patients discussing their worries about the virus. He stressed it was important that they have a space to express their fears but to balance them with rational facts.
This was particularly important when it comes to those with anxieties who feel helpless and stuck inside an echo chamber which amplifies their fears about the virus.
“How can we alleviate the stress? We can’t expect people not to listen to the news. We must be empathetic towards those with mental health conditions. We must present a balanced and informed overview of the facts about the virus. We must not exaggerate or misrepresent them,” he said.