Psychological correlates of a pandemic (COVID-19)

Pages: 175-178
Rini Mathew (Clinical Psychologist, Fleet Management India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, Maharashtra)

Psychological correlates of a pandemic- COVID-19. Hoarding groceries to ostracizing our neighbors, COVID-19 has succeeded in seeping through the physical barrier to the psychological realm of our community. As we continue to combat the pandemic which has now been the cause of over 2 lakh deaths word-wide, it is imperative that we understand the emotional responses of the masses through a pandemic. The coronavirus, and the measures taken by public health authorities to control the spread of the virus, results in a range of emotional reactions such as social isolation, loneliness, fear, stigma, anxiety consequently leading to fear driven behaviors such as hoarding. Aim of the present study is to understand any psychological outcomes of the coronavirus and the measures used to attenuate its spread. Scientific literature published in the last 20 years, available on google scholar search engine have been reviewed. The pandemic causes profound psychological impact on the psyche of the masses and its important that these psychological correlates of the coronavirus are addressed by the health care system, in the process of treating the novel coronavirus.