CORONAVIRUS | The battle is hard, long and against seemingly impossible odds.
| It came out of nowhere, but in less than six months Covid-19 has swept the world, sickening over two million people, killing more than 150,000 and showing no signs of abating.
Mercy Malaysia Mental Health and Psychosocial Support team lead Dr Hariyati Shahrima Abdul Majid says the unprecedented nature of Covid-19 resulted in governments around the world also taking unprecedented measures. Since then, a third of all calls received has been psychologically related – and this number is expected to rise as the virus continues to spread and Malaysians are placed under increasingly strict MCO.
Hariyati hopes the hotline serves as early psychological support to reduce normal distress reactions to Covid-19 and the MCO exacerbating into more serious mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder .Anita Abu Bakar , president of the Mental Illness Awareness and Support Association , points out that people respond differently to stressful situations and crises.
The Mercy Malaysia executive council member says healthcare workers, who are already experiencing daily stresses – many beyond their control – may begin developing physical and psychological fatigue, or burnout. Much like regular first aid and CPR, knowledge to administer it need not be limited to professionals. Yet, Sankari cautions that PFA, while important, is not counselling.
“One thing about PFA is you can’t push or rush a person. So in theory, the tools are there but we are unable to make good use of it. I mean, how does one get PFA when you have 10 patients to intubate or swab? According to Koh , the country has prepared national guidelines on Covid-19 management, as well as on MHPSS during disasters. Even so, he warns that the pandemic would be a “long arduous journey”, and as such, people’s psychological needs would always be evolving.
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