Psychological Impacts
Mental Health is Workforce Health
The article below is written on Forbes and discusses with importance of managing mental health in a post-quarantine world. The author discusses the importance of supervisors to take into account burnout and a variety of other issues that may arise post-quarantine, and give utmost attention to mental health as one would with physical health. https://www.forbes.com/sites/janbruce/2020/04/03/in-a-covid-19-world-mental-health-is-workforce-health/#28d28b0b2385
Hannah-Clarke, “An I.C.U. Nurse’s Coronavirus Diary,” New York Times, April 3, 2020.
“I’ve started to refer to the time before this as peace time. Because this feels like a war.”
Managing Grief
This article, published by the Harvard Business Review, is an interview with David Kessler, an expert on grief, about the different forms of grief people may be feeling during this pandemic (e.g. collective grief, anticipatory grief), the different stages of grief, and how to manage this grief. In particular, Kessler highlights the importance of acceptance, … Read more
Doctors Are Writing Their Wills
This opinion piece from the New York Times explores the burden that this epidemic places on medical personal treating those infected. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are knowingly putting themselves and their families at risk by trying to heal the critically ill and dying, which understandably has a profound psychological effect on them.
Malaysian Government Issues Guidelines for How Wives should Treat Their Husbands
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/coronavirus-malaysia-ministry-tips-wives-nagging-doraemon-mco-12593708?cid=FBcna Tips include: “talk like Doraeamon”, “giggle coyly”, dressing up for their husbands and refrain from being angry or sarcastic should husbands not help with housework. As domestic abuse against women rises, this messaging is concerning as it places the responsibility on the victim of abuse.
Greenberg et al., “Managing mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during covid-19 pandemic,” The BMJ, March 26, 2020.
This article uses the concept of ‘moral injury’ to provide insight into the mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify approaches to help prevent negative impacts on their mental health.