Facts will minimize your fear. There are two sources to use for managing fear in the new virus response: The World Health Organization and your national authority.
With all the headlines of news outlets, there's a risk of an infodemic where misinformation spreads. It can lead to increased anxiety and fear.

Stay informed by trusted sources

Health

Crisis Support

Many consultants have headaches and nausea when they deal with stress and emotion. There are also times when there is nothing they can do, for example, provide beds, masks, and other needed supplies. 
A psychological consultant advises that you should be aware of yourself, and distinguish which emotions are yours, which are the patients, and which are your empathy.

Always return to yourself

Consider unexpected risks associated with the response to the outbreak, for example, poor mental health that is related to social isolation. Steps to take into account:
<ul>
<li>Staying connected with your social and family networks via technology</li>
<li>Keeping your daily routines as much as possible</li>
<li>Exercising regularly and practicing habits that you enjoy and find relaxing</li>
<li>Seeking practical, credible information at specific times of the day.</li>
</ul>

The effects of being isolated

Instead of focusing on the number of deaths, we need to shift the narratives to the number of recoveries.
News outlets, journalists, and citizens can help to increase hope and minimize fear by being careful of the language they use in speaking about the new virus.

Shift the narratives

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<figure> <img src="https://assets.weforum.org/article/image/large_Ylo4BudDa9jruUCIAfQcp3Y2VEZPKOW1VuGdDvTtZe4.jpg"><picture><img src="https://assets.weforum.org/article/image/large_Ylo4BudDa9jruUCIAfQcp3Y2VEZPKOW1VuGdDvTtZe4.jpg"></picture><figcaption> Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD
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<ol>
<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum</a> Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum
</ol>
 
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
Last week, my brother, who is a priest, said in our family's WhatsApp chat that he was considering cancelling worship among his congregation at his Episcopal church in a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, US. This would be a "huge deal," as he put it, because people go to church (or mosque, or synagogue, or other gatherings for worship) at least partly for a sense of community. 
</div>
<div>
Still, given the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-health-virus-disease/">public health risks of COVID-19</a>, that would likely be the decision for his church. There are a fair number of older adults, who are at <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-elderly-older-people-health-risk/">higher risk for the novel coronavirus</a>, who regularly attend his services, and he faces pressing decisions about how to safely provide care and support his congregation - as well as his wife and eight-month-old daughter. 
</div>
<div>
This decision raises an important issue: connection to people and good mental health are intrinsically linked, and both things are at risk during this <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-is-official-a-pandemic-but-we-can-change-its-course-who-briefing/">pandemic</a>.
</div>
<div>
<div>What is the World Economic Forum doing about the coronavirus outbreak? </div>
<div>
<div>
A new strain of Coronavirus, COVID 19, is spreading around the world, causing deaths and major disruption to the global economy.
</div>
<div>
Responding to this crisis requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forum's mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. 
</div>
<figure> <a href="http://wef.ch/COVIDActionPlatform"><img src="https://assets.weforum.org/editor/rjxd3KYKnLSTC9SLXO_kqzioamsobmGkwJ-gdgO4BZo.jpg"></a></figure>
<div>
The Forum has created the <a href="http://wef.ch/COVIDActionPlatform">COVID Action Platform</a>, a global platform to convene the business community for collective action, protect people's livelihoods and facilitate business continuity, and mobilize support for the COVID-19 response. The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action. 
</div>
<figure> <a href="http://wef.ch/COVIDActionPlatform"><img src="https://assets.weforum.org/editor/i3suFfwuymwa4AywVFfzc0SscNl0N3PHuH3IQVaafCY.jpg"></a></figure>
<div>
As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the <a href="https://cepi.net/">Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations</a> (CEPI) was launched - bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.
</div>
</div> 
</div>
<div>
I spent the past week talking to experts on mental health and COVID-19: a young woman with lived experience of anxiety and panic disorder who lives in Seattle, a Beijing-based colleague who has been working from home since 3 February, the Director of Mental Health and Substance Use and her team at the World Health Organization, the Dean of the Boston School of Public Health, and the Head of the National Mental Health Program in Lebanon. 
</div>
<div>
While their backgrounds vary, their perspectives were strikingly similar. Here's what I learned.
</div>
<h2>'Facts minimize fear.'</h2>
<div>
Above all, the common thread among all these experts was that we need to stay informed by trusted sources. "There are two sources," explained Aiysha Malik, Technical Officer, Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization. "One is <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019">WHO</a> (World Health Organization); the other is your <a href="https://www.gfmer.ch/Medical_search/Ministry_health.html">national authority</a>. ... A repeated message for managing fear in the COVID-19 response is to get facts. Facts minimize fear." 
</div>
<div>
The danger is that with headlines blaring around us, news outlets vying to be the first to break news, and our social media feeds locking us in echo chambers, there's a risk of an infodemic, in which misinformation spreads. 
</div>
<div>
Megan Silvestri, Program Manager of the Stability Network in Seattle, Washington, who lives with anxiety and panic disorder and is based in one of the epicentres of the outbreak in the US,described it best: "At the beginning, I was feeling almost panicked about the whole thing. I had tried working from home, and I went down a spiral of reading different news articles. I started to enter into a panic state." 
</div>
<div>
She said her experiences with anxiety over the years affect how she has managed her own feelings during the outbreak, and her journey the last two weeks in Seattle speaks to the broader human need to feel connected. "What's been really helpful is people who I trust who I know will listen, without judgment," she said. 
</div>
<div>
She said she grounded herself with three things: knowing credible facts, speaking to people she trusts and grounding herself in prayer. She explained: "I've tried to stop reading headlines. I've tried to be intentional about what I'm reading." 
</div>
<div>Discover facts on COVID-19 and resources for managing mental health here: </div>
<h2>'You must always return to yourself.'</h2>
<div>
With many healthcare workers around the world stretched by demand, how can they deal with emotions and stress?
</div>
<div>
Many consultants have headaches and nausea when they deal with stress and emotion, said Yu Lei, a psychological consultant at Daqing Oilfield General Hospital, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China. "Consultants are easily overly involved and fall into a sense of powerlessness."
</div>
<div>
There are also times when there is nothing they can do. For example, at times, they cannot provide beds, masks and other needed supplies. In times like these, psychological counselling for crisis intervention tests the personal growth and skill of a consultant, Lei said.
</div>
<div>
"You must always return to yourself, be aware of yourself, and distinguish which emotions are yours, which are the patients, and which are your empathy," Lei said. 
</div>
<div>Interview accessible in Chinese <a href="https://www.sohu.com/a/371103933_114988">here</a> </div>
<h2>'Think about mental health as part of the public health response.'</h2>
<div>
As Aiysha Malik, a Technical Officer at the World Health Organization's Mental Health and Substance Use Department, explained in a <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1237372330696798208?s=20">live-streamed Q&amp;A session</a> this week, "It's really important to think about mental health as part of the public health response to COVID-19." 
</div>
<div>
She argued: "People who might be vulnerable to experiencing stress during this time might include people who have preexisting mental health conditions, or substance use conditions, or who might represent other vulnerable groups. We're not just talking about protection from COVID-19, but we're also talking about prevention of stress and fear during this event."
</div>
<div>
In Lebanon, for example, the National Mental Health Programme in the Ministry of Public Health is closely collaborating with WHO and UNICEF to integrate WHO's Mental Health and Psychosocial Support programme (MHPSS) into the COVID-19 response. This implementation requires coordination and mainstreaming mental health in the national response, in line with the global MHPSS framework. 
</div>
<div>
Dr Rabih El Chammay, Head of Mental Health Programme, Ministry of Public Health, Lebanon, explained thatthese measures include:
</div>
<div>

<ul>
	<li>Integration of key messages related to mental health and stigma in the training material of frontline workers from health and non-health sectors; the training of the national COVID-19 call centres; the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) guidelines to the public on self-isolation, including on social media; and the communication messages targeting the general public, health care workers, and others</li>
	<li>Development of a social media campaign on mental health targeting the general population, caregivers of children, persons in self-isolation, and workplaces to support employees with flexible work arrangements</li>
	<li>Self-care and support for health care staff and front-liners during this period</li>
	<li>On-call, phone-based mental health support for persons in quarantine</li>
</ul>

</div>
<h2>'Social isolation is associated with poor mental health.'</h2>
<div>
Sandro Galea, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at Boston University of Public Health and a population health expert who has focused on the social causes of health, mental health and trauma, said he does not dismiss the risk of spread of the novel coronavirus, but it's also important to consider unexpected risks associated with the response to the outbreak. "The fact that social isolation is associated with poor mental health is unquestionable," he explained.
</div>
<div>
In addition, macro-level stress across society could have an <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-poor-and-marginalized-will-be-the-hardest-hit-by-coronavirus/">undue social burden on specific populations</a>. "There will be medium and long-term consequences on people whose employment is in sectors like retail and transportation" he explained "Adding economic pressures will inevitably result in worse mental health."
</div>
<div>
Galea also noted the effects of quarantining on people's mental health. Though quarantining measures and guidance vary by country and are still evolving, Galea pointed to a <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/11/2/04-0760_article">study</a> of the 2003 SARS outbreak of the psychological effects of quarantining on residents in Toronto, which found that a substantial portion of those quarantined displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. 
</div>
<div>
If quarantining is necessary, there are steps that can mitigate the effects of being isolated, <a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf?sfvrsn=6d3578af_2">including</a>:
</div>
<div>

<ul>
	<li>Staying connected with your social and family networks via technology</li>
	<li>Keeping your daily routines as much as possible</li>
	<li>Exercising regularly and practicing habits that you enjoy and find relaxing</li>
	<li>Seeking practical, credible information at specific times of the day</li>
</ul>

</div>
<figure> <img src="https://assets.weforum.org/editor/4D8Z9u_CPLUrKt7eBwGyvXRh6BBqehqmvQmuJAwAt2A.gif"><figcaption> Image: World Economic Forum
</figcaption></figure>
<div>Online tools and services offer support and connection: </div>
<div>
Many people are using technology to manage their mental health, which will likely become more common and necessary as the need to practice "social distancing," maintaining a physical distance from others to avoid the spread, increases. 
</div>
<div>
Leaning on technology - from hotlines to apps to telemedicine - is not new in the mental health field. Preliminary research from Deloitte shows that there are over 3,000 mental health apps on the market, with varying degrees of efficacy. One of them, <a href="https://www.ginger.io/">Ginger</a>, which connects people to specialists and information, recently <a href="https://www.ginger.io/resources">published data</a> that shows an increase in weekly mentions of COVID-19-related keywords in text-based conversations between its clients and their behavioural health coaches.
</div>
<div>
For example, in China, many cities and universities opened psychological assistance hotlines, Beijing News <a href="https://finance.sina.cn/2020-01-31/detail-iimxxste7780872.d.html?ivk_sa=1023197a">reported</a>. According to the head of the Beijing Normal University Epidemic Psychological Support Hotline in an interview, the general public had the most psychological consultations (about 50%), followed by those who were isolated (about 15%), frontline medical staff (about 10%), those were quarantined at home (5%), and other cases (about 20%).
</div>
<h2>'Shift narratives away from number of deaths toward number of recoveries.'</h2>
<div>
There often seems to be a dearth of positive stories about coronavirus and those who recover. 
</div>
<div>
"We're not seeing the stories of recovery," said Ken Carswell, Technical Officer, World Health Organization. "We need to shift narratives away from number of deaths toward number of recoveries."
</div>
<div>
Additionally, the negative effects of stigmatizing language - such as attaching region or ethnicity to the virus or blaming people for transmission - exacerbate the sense of fear at a macro level. Journalists, news outlets and everyday citizens can help to increase hope and allay fear by being cognizant of the language they use in speaking about COVID-19.
</div>
<div>
In fact, a sense of hope instead of fear could allow leaders and everyday citizens to better cooperate with one another - a vital element in defeating this outbreak. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, <a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1237107039740067840">tweeted</a> on March 9:
</div>
<div>
In the coming days and weeks, fear and anxiety will likely increase as our lives continue to be disrupted and social distancing becomes necessary. As a society, we must work together with a sense of empathy. As individuals, we must inform ourselves of the facts, stay connected to the people we love and be kind to each other. 
</div>
<div>Wen Mao, Project Lead, Precision Medicine, World Economic Forum Beijing, contributed to this piece. </div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with our <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Terms of Use</a>.
</div>
<div>
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
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We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated Cookie Notice. Peter Varnum Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum Last week, my brother, who is a priest, said in our family's WhatsApp chat that he was considering cancelling worship among his congregation at his Episcopal church in a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, US.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Last week, my brother, who is a priest, said in our family's WhatsApp chat that he was considering cancelling worship among his congregation at his Episcopal church in a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, US. This would be a "huge deal," as he put it, because people go to church (or mosque, or synagogue, or other gatherings for worship) at least partly for a sense of community.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Still, given the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-health-virus-disease/">public health risks of COVID-19 </a>, that would likely be the decision for his church. There are a fair number of older adults, who are at <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-elderly-older-people-health-risk/">higher risk for the novel coronavirus </a>, who regularly attend his services, and he faces pressing decisions about how to safely provide care and support his congregation - as well as his wife and eight-month-old daughter.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>This decision raises an important issue: connection to people and good mental health are intrinsically linked, and both things are at risk during this <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-is-official-a-pandemic-but-we-can-change-its-course-who-briefing/">pandemic </a>.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>A new strain of Coronavirus, COVID 19, is spreading around the world, causing deaths and major disruption to the global economy.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Responding to this crisis requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forum's mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>

The Forum has created the <a href="http://wef.ch/COVIDActionPlatform">COVID Action Platform </a>, a global platform to convene the business community for collective action, protect people's livelihoods and facilitate business continuity, and mobilize support for the COVID-19 response. The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.

As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the <a href="https://cepi.net/">Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations </a>(CEPI) was launched - bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>I spent the past week talking to experts on mental health and COVID-19: a young woman with lived experience of anxiety and panic disorder who lives in Seattle, a Beijing-based colleague who has been working from home since 3 February, the Director of Mental Health and Substance Use and her team at the World Health Organization, the Dean of the Boston School of Public Health, and the Head of the National Mental Health Program in Lebanon.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>While their backgrounds vary, their perspectives were strikingly similar. Here's what I learned.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Above all, the common thread among all these experts was that we need to stay informed by trusted sources. "There are two sources," explained Aiysha Malik, Technical Officer, Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization. "One is <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019">WHO </a>(World Health Organization); the other is your <a href="https://www.gfmer.ch/Medical_search/Ministry_health.html">national authority </a>. ... A repeated message for managing fear in the COVID-19 response is to get facts. Facts minimize fear."

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>The danger is that with headlines blaring around us, news outlets vying to be the first to break news, and our social media feeds locking us in echo chambers, there's a risk of an infodemic, in which misinformation spreads.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Megan Silvestri, Program Manager of the Stability Network in Seattle, Washington, who lives with anxiety and panic disorder and is based in one of the epicentres of the outbreak in the US,described it best: "At the beginning, I was feeling almost panicked about the whole thing. I had tried working from home, and I went down a spiral of reading different news articles. I started to enter into a panic state."

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>She said her experiences with anxiety over the years affect how she has managed her own feelings during the outbreak, and her journey the last two weeks in Seattle speaks to the broader human need to feel connected. "What's been really helpful is people who I trust who I know will listen, without judgment," she said.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>She said she grounded herself with three things: knowing credible facts, speaking to people she trusts and grounding herself in prayer. She explained: "I've tried to stop reading headlines. I've tried to be intentional about what I'm reading."

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Discover facts on COVID-19 and resources for managing mental health here:

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>With many healthcare workers around the world stretched by demand, how can they deal with emotions and stress?

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Many consultants have headaches and nausea when they deal with stress and emotion, said Yu Lei, a psychological consultant at Daqing Oilfield General Hospital, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China. "Consultants are easily overly involved and fall into a sense of powerlessness."

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>There are also times when there is nothing they can do. For example, at times, they cannot provide beds, masks and other needed supplies. In times like these, psychological counselling for crisis intervention tests the personal growth and skill of a consultant, Lei said.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>"You must always return to yourself, be aware of yourself, and distinguish which emotions are yours, which are the patients, and which are your empathy," Lei said.

'Think about mental health as part of the public health response.'

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>As Aiysha Malik, a Technical Officer at the World Health Organization's Mental Health and Substance Use Department, explained in a <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1237372330696798208?s=20">live-streamed Q&amp;A session </a>this week, "It's really important to think about mental health as part of the public health response to COVID-19."

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>She argued: "People who might be vulnerable to experiencing stress during this time might include people who have preexisting mental health conditions, or substance use conditions, or who might represent other vulnerable groups. We're not just talking about protection from COVID-19, but we're also talking about prevention of stress and fear during this event."

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>In Lebanon, for example, the National Mental Health Programme in the Ministry of Public Health is closely collaborating with WHO and UNICEF to integrate WHO's Mental Health and Psychosocial Support programme (MHPSS) into the COVID-19 response. This implementation requires coordination and mainstreaming mental health in the national response, in line with the global MHPSS framework.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Dr Rabih El Chammay, Head of Mental Health Programme, Ministry of Public Health, Lebanon, explained thatthese measures include:

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>

<ul><li>Integration of key messages related to mental health and stigma in the training material of frontline workers from health and non-health sectors; the training of the national COVID-19 call centres; the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) guidelines to the public on self-isolation, including on social media; and the communication messages targeting the general public, health care workers, and others </li><li>Development of a social media campaign on mental health targeting the general population, caregivers of children, persons in self-isolation, and workplaces to support employees with flexible work arrangements </li><li>Self-care and support for health care staff and front-liners during this period </li><li>On-call, phone-based mental health support for persons in quarantine </li> </ul>

'Social isolation is associated with poor mental health.'

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Sandro Galea, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at Boston University of Public Health and a population health expert who has focused on the social causes of health, mental health and trauma, said he does not dismiss the risk of spread of the novel coronavirus, but it's also important to consider unexpected risks associated with the response to the outbreak. "The fact that social isolation is associated with poor mental health is unquestionable," he explained.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>In addition, macro-level stress across society could have an <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-poor-and-marginalized-will-be-the-hardest-hit-by-coronavirus/">undue social burden on specific populations </a>. "There will be medium and long-term consequences on people whose employment is in sectors like retail and transportation" he explained "Adding economic pressures will inevitably result in worse mental health."

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Galea also noted the effects of quarantining on people's mental health. Though quarantining measures and guidance vary by country and are still evolving, Galea pointed to a <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/11/2/04-0760_article">study </a>of the 2003 SARS outbreak of the psychological effects of quarantining on residents in Toronto, which found that a substantial portion of those quarantined displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>If quarantining is necessary, there are steps that can mitigate the effects of being isolated, <a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf?sfvrsn=6d3578af_2">including </a>:

Online tools and services offer support and connection: Many people are using technology to manage their mental health, which will likely become more common and necessary as the need to practice "social distancing," maintaining a physical distance from others to avoid the spread, increases. Leaning on technology - from hotlines to apps to telemedicine - is not new in the mental health field. Preliminary research from Deloitte shows that there are over 3,000 mental health apps on the market, with varying degrees of efficacy. One of them, <a href="https://www.ginger.io/">Ginger </a>, which connects people to specialists and information, recently <a href="https://www.ginger.io/resources">published data </a>that shows an increase in weekly mentions of COVID-19-related keywords in text-based conversations between its clients and their behavioural health coaches.

Online tools and services offer support and connection: Many people are using technology to manage their mental health, which will likely become more common and necessary as the need to practice "social distancing," maintaining a physical distance from others to avoid the spread, increases. For example, in China, many cities and universities opened psychological assistance hotlines, Beijing News <a href="https://finance.sina.cn/2020-01-31/detail-iimxxste7780872.d.html?ivk_sa=1023197a">reported </a>. According to the head of the Beijing Normal University Epidemic Psychological Support Hotline in an interview, the general public had the most psychological consultations (about 50%), followed by those who were isolated (about 15%), frontline medical staff (about 10%), those were quarantined at home (5%), and other cases (about 20%).

'Shift narratives away from number of deaths toward number of recoveries.'

Online tools and services offer support and connection: Many people are using technology to manage their mental health, which will likely become more common and necessary as the need to practice "social distancing," maintaining a physical distance from others to avoid the spread, increases. There often seems to be a dearth of positive stories about coronavirus and those who recover.

Online tools and services offer support and connection: Many people are using technology to manage their mental health, which will likely become more common and necessary as the need to practice "social distancing," maintaining a physical distance from others to avoid the spread, increases. "We're not seeing the stories of recovery," said Ken Carswell, Technical Officer, World Health Organization. "We need to shift narratives away from number of deaths toward number of recoveries."

Online tools and services offer support and connection: Many people are using technology to manage their mental health, which will likely become more common and necessary as the need to practice "social distancing," maintaining a physical distance from others to avoid the spread, increases. Additionally, the negative effects of stigmatizing language - such as attaching region or ethnicity to the virus or blaming people for transmission - exacerbate the sense of fear at a macro level. Journalists, news outlets and everyday citizens can help to increase hope and allay fear by being cognizant of the language they use in speaking about COVID-19.

Online tools and services offer support and connection: Many people are using technology to manage their mental health, which will likely become more common and necessary as the need to practice "social distancing," maintaining a physical distance from others to avoid the spread, increases. In fact, a sense of hope instead of fear could allow leaders and everyday citizens to better cooperate with one another - a vital element in defeating this outbreak. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, <a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1237107039740067840">tweeted </a>on March 9:

Online tools and services offer support and connection: Many people are using technology to manage their mental health, which will likely become more common and necessary as the need to practice "social distancing," maintaining a physical distance from others to avoid the spread, increases. In the coming days and weeks, fear and anxiety will likely increase as our lives continue to be disrupted and social distancing becomes necessary. As a society, we must work together with a sense of empathy. As individuals, we must inform ourselves of the facts, stay connected to the people we love and be kind to each other.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with our <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Terms of Use </a>.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our updated <a href="https://www.weforum.org/about/privacy-and-terms-of-use">Cookie Notice </a>. Image: REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini - RC2AIF9LPOZD <ol><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/peter-varnum">Peter Varnum </a>Project Lead, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum </ol>Subscribe for updates

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Experts share insights on managing mental health

Stay informed by trusted sources

Always return to yourself

The effects of being isolated

Shift the narratives

Why it is OK to vent, sometimes

How to build a workplace that supports mental health

The 2020 pandemic is a game changer for mental health care

Bite‑sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Experts share insights on managing mental health

Stay informed by trusted sources

Always return to yourself

The effects of being isolated

Shift the narratives

Why it is OK to vent, sometimes

How to build a workplace that supports mental health

The 2020 pandemic is a game changer for mental health care

Bite‑sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career