"Uncertainty is the basis of all anxiety disorders, so in some ways, COVID-19 has set a fire to the foundation of anxiety," said Christina Maxwell, a counselor at the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago. Another, with generalized anxiety disorder, couldn't stop worrying about whether their daughter traveling from another country was at risk. One of Wilson's OCD clients nearly canceled an appointment because they were concerned they had touched their nose too much and could give the coronavirus to Wilson, he said. "This one is so broad, and you know everyone is being exposed to this particular fear - I think it's unraveling lots of folks," said Reid Wilson, director of the Anxiety Disorders Treatment Center of Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Mental health counselors say the wave of anxiety sweeping their patients in clinics is unlike anything they've seen before.
#...a personal nightmare full#
On Reddit, forums for people with OCD are full of users sharing memes related to COVID-19 and their community, describing how social distancing is giving them more time to worry and asking for support with the fear that has taken hold of them. As of March 13, COVID-19 was mentioned in 15 percent of all conversations on the Crisis Text Line. Some behold the irony that their daily routine of hyper-cleanliness is suddenly everyone else's reality, while others feel thrown off by the government's telling them that to prevent coronavirus spread, they need to do all the excessive cleaning and isolating that they've previously tried not to do to control their mental health disorders.įull coverage of the coronavirus outbreakĪs more events, schools and services have been canceled, the nonprofit Crisis Text Line saw an increase in people reaching out for help because of the coronavirus, the intervention hotline said Monday. Those who already keep hand sanitizer and disinfectant with them at all times suddenly can't find those products at stores thanks to panic shoppers.
They fear getting someone else sick, even if they aren't showing symptoms. Many people with these disorders are going through a wave of similar emotions and thoughts. While the concern about the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of Americans from all walks of life, interviews with people with mental health issues - including anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD and panic disorder - as well as counselors who are treating them, reflect a particular chaos the virus has caused. are affected by generalized anxiety disorder and about 6 million by panic disorder. Over 2 million Americans are estimated to be affected by OCD, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. "I'm afraid that I'm going to want to continue those when the crisis is over," Mergens said of her constant hand-washing and sanitizing, "and as a result, really take steps back in my progress." Unlike anything they've seen before
This is necessary." But it doesn't stop her racing thoughts, and she worries that her extra vigilance will be hard to shake.
Her thoughts became an endless stream of "what ifs." What would happen if she was quarantined? Will she contract the virus? Could someone she cares about die after getting the virus from her? When she washes her hands hourly or disinfects her entire office each day, she tells herself: "This is from the outside.
0 kommentar(er)
