○ The protracted war against the novel coronavirus has strained the nerves of the Chinese public, pushing many people to the edge of mental breakdown ○ Authorities request all levels of government provide psychological support for the public ○ Experts give tips for people whose lives are affected by the epidemic to break free from overloaded pressures
With the climbing numbers of infected patients and deaths, and the stricter measures to control the spread of novel coronavirus throughout the country, many people, especially patients and doctors fighting the virus on the frontline, are developing psychological problems.
China's National Health Commission issued a notice on February 2 to request local agencies launch hotlines to provide psychological support and consultation for the public during the fight against the epidemic, aiming to prevent and mitigate people's psychological problems and extreme behavior caused by these problems.
"The epidemic has become a psychological burden for a lot of medical staff and ordinary people, and we have attached great importance on it," said Yang Fude, president of the Beijing-based Huilongguan Hospital, a psychiatric hospital, according to a document the hospital sent to the Global Times.
Yang said that the previously accumulated experience and the national standard tells us that in psychological intervention, the first step is to categorize the group of people.
The thousands of confirmed novel coronavirus patients and the front-line medical staff are the most in need of psychological consultation. The second group includes those who are suspected of infection and those who had close contact with the infected patients. The third group is families of those confirmed or suspected patients, while the fourth group is the general public who are prone to panic and fear.
