- Professionals from the Mental Health services and care managers from the hospitals of the Ribera health group alert about the consequences of the reduction in social life and visits in patients with long-term illnesses
- The progress of the vaccination improves their expectations with the recovery of part of the social activity and provides them with energy to continue with their treatments
Valencia, June 25th 2021 – Professionals from Mental Health services and care managers from hospitals in the bank group warn of a greater presence of negative emotions and mood swings in chronic patients, as a consequence of the pandemic. The Covid causes more fear, stress, anger, exhaustion and emotional lability (rapid changes in mood) in these patients than in the rest of the population, according to the head of the Mental Health Service of the Vinalopó University HospitalDr. Jesus Mesones. “During these months, the emotional exhaustion is being very important, especially due to the decrease in social relationships and the lack of medical visits, which has worsened the quality of life of many patients”, he assures.
For José Miguel Barahonda, clinical psychologist at the Mental Health Unit of the University Hospital of Torrejón, managed by the Ribera group, "the crisis situation we are experiencing has led us all to focus on and sometimes exaggerate the pre-existing discomfort in our lives, without being able to resort to previous solutions that until now kept us distracted or in balance, because we have less contact with others and participate in fewer cultural or leisure activities outside the home”. It also ensures that "the loss of family members, who may also be the main caregivers, the breakdown of relationships or economic problems are factors that may have aggravated previous pathologies, and symptoms may have also arisen that had not appeared to date as alcohol abuse, eating disorders, obsessive or anxious symptoms”. "Nobody is immune to pain and complicated situations," he adds.
The head of Psychiatry Ribera Povisa HospitalFor his part, Dr. Leonello Forti, assures that "the reaction to the pandemic among these patients depends on their previous personality and also on the type of disease they suffer from." However, he points out that "the personalities most affected by the pandemic are histrionic and hypochondriac," while the least affected turn out to be schizoid and avoidant. In general, he adds, “there are two groups of chronic patients: those who are concerned about themselves, who are hypervigilant so as not to be infected; and those who are more compassionate turn to others and are concerned above all about not infecting, especially older people.
For the care manager Ribera Almendralejo Hospital, Mari Carmen Macías, where a significant volume of chronic patients are cared for, "greater emotional lability is perceived as a consequence of this pandemic, with a tendency to depressive moods, aggravated by the restrictions on the visiting regime during all these months , imposed by Public Health”. Fortunately, the rate of vaccination is easing many of these restrictions and, at the same time, benefiting the mood of chronic patients. "The main concern among them has been contagion, both their own and that of loved ones," adds Dr. Mesones.
And what does the future look like for chronic patients?
"The progress of vaccination has made it possible to see the present and the future of these patients and of society in general with better expectations since it allows the return of social contacts with fewer restrictions," says the head of Mental Health at the Hospital del Vinalopo. Dr. Forti adds that "the majority of these patients face the vaccination process with confidence and hope, and very few with mistrust."
To help chronic patients regulate their emotions and fears, Dr. Mesones advises avoiding overload of information, because it can unnecessarily increase worry and stress and generate anguish, anxiety and fear; maintain healthy routines, with schedules and physical and mental activity; keep in touch with other people, even if it is not in person, especially if they are older or dependent; perform activities to distract yourself, because it will decrease emotional tension and increase the feeling of well-being; and promote self-care for health, using relaxation techniques, taking care of emotions and always looking for the positive part of each situation. José Miguel Barahonda, a clinical psychologist at Hospital de Torrejón, adds to these tips the importance of "devoting time to internal listening to become aware of one's own discomfort and to be able to express it, facilitating time and contact with those closest to do so" and even, add, writing or drawing about those feelings. He also advises "focusing on the present in the face of uncertainty and fear of an indefinite future" and "starting new learning."
