Last updated on Saturday, 11, April, 2020

Everyone has a different way to react to a situation. In this coronavirus pandemic, people have to strictly follow the quarantine. This could be a source of relaxation and spending time with your family members, or a source of stress for many.  An abrupt change in one’s social rhythm can cause mental conditions. In this article, we will discuss the mental conditions that can develop in quarantine.

What is quarantine?

Firstly, we need to know what is quarantine. According to the NPR, the definition of quarantine is; “Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.” The word quarantine was first used by the people of Venice, Italy in 1127 due to a leprosy outbreak. Then after 300 years later, the people of the United Kingdom imposed its use due to the plague outbreak. In Canada in 2003, people also went into quarantine due to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. West African villages also practiced quarantine in 2014 due to the ebola virus outbreak. Now almost the whole world is in quarantine due to coronavirus outbreak.

Mental Conditions in quarantine

Following are the conditions that have high chances to get developed in a quarantine.

Feeling of helplessness

The effects of quarantine on mental health include a feeling of helplessness. People feel that they have no control over the situation, which haunts them. They think that they cannot go out by their will. This creates panic and negativity around people.

No social activity

People have to stay at home for long periods without any social gathering. This is so stressful for people especially those who are extrovert, who like to meet other people. They cannot go to a restaurant, host a party at home or sit together and play cards. There is no source of relaxation with family and friends. Since spending time with your loved ones make you a happy and healthy person. You feel refreshed while going out on a weekend for dinner or any other activity. One of the negative effects of quarantine on mental health is that people have to socially disconnect from each other, hence getting a feeling of depression.

Health risks

Depression and anger are the major side effects of quarantine on mental health. People start feeling anxious about what the future holds for them.  They continuously think about how will they get over the situation, how are they going to do their groceries and other stuff, how will they cope with the financial strain. These things constantly keep them worried and anxious leading to depression and anger.  The feeling of loneliness, sadness, fear, anxiety, and continuous stress makes them suffer from severe mental health issues.

Post-traumatic stress symptoms

Post-traumatic stress disease occurs when a person goes through a severe shocking, strange event. They face symptoms like panic attacks, nightmares, and anxiousness. This can also happen when people have to go through quarantine for a long period. The adverse effects of quarantine on mental health are so severe that they need time to completely wipe out. Some people can even start drugs and alcohol abuse.  These habits are usually carried till three years after the end of quarantine.

Claustrophobic people

Quarantine is like hell for people who suffer from claustrophobia. Locking them up in a small tight place makes them suffer from panic attacks and anxiety. They continuously have to tell themselves that this will be over. Since these people feel suffocated in small places, they have to spend day and night at a single place in quarantine. This could deteriorate their mental health a lot.

Stress for elderly

The elderly people are already at risk of catching the coronavirus. They strictly have to stay at home for long periods. Since many elderly people are already dependent on people, quarantine adds more to their stress.  They feel so low and depressed by lying on the bed the whole day and night. A little outing can refresh them, which is impossible in quarantine.

What to do?

Since the whole country is under lockdown currently, and social distancing is must, the best solution is to consult a doctor remotely. Instacare is providing free corona consultations to diagnose if you have corona or not. Also, the following video might help you.

We can just hope to get out of the quarantine soon. This phase of quarantine is so stressful for all the people.  But, at the same time, we should try to be more constructive at home. We can do many things to keep us entertained. Doing activities related to art and craft, painting, reading, gardening, decorating home can help us to get rid of stress and boredom. Do little new activities daily to keep yourself protected from mental illness. Try not to worry about little things that affect mental health.