Being Quarantined Can Lead to Post-Traumatic Stress

A study published in the Lancet, conducted by a team of psychiatrists at King’s College in London adds another aspect to the coronavirus outbreak.

Being placed in quarantine, isolated from other people, can lead to stress, confusion, anxiety, frustration and anger, and can even have long-lasting effects. Post-traumatic stress due to quarantine has been proven to affect people as long a three years after the event.

A fundamental factor to help prevent posttraumatic stress during quarantine is to remember that the quarantine is an act of altruism, to protect others from getting the disease. This should be emphasised to reframe the situation to a more positive one, according to Simon Wessley, co-author of the study.

“Ensure that public figures praise those who voluntarily spent time in quarantine as our heroes, that they have helped the children, the sick and the elderly.”