Anxiety advice for elders about epidemic prevention: 1 question 2 should 3 seek medical treatment

▲Relaxing exercises such as deep breathing, yoga or meditation can help relieve stress; the picture is a situational photo, and the people in the picture are not related to this article. (Photo credit: shutterstock)

Text / Wang Pinyang

Recently, 70-year-old Grandma Lu entered my clinic accompanied by her son. The son told me that since the COVID-19 outbreak this year, his mother has always been worried about this, worrying about that, inexplicable anxiety, and can’t sleep at night. , wanted to take her out but was worried about the infection of the new mutant virus. She was all wrong at home, and she followed the news of the mutant virus all day. Grandma Lu asked me worriedly: “What if I go out and get infected?”

After the epidemic has slowed down, an endless stream of mutant viruses can still be seen in daily reports, and some elders reacted with excessive anxiety, irritability, and even melancholy. At this time, it is recommended to adopt the principle of “one question, two responses, and three medical visits”.

Please read on…

●One question: It refers to actively asking the elders about their emotional distress, actively listening to and observing the changes in the elders’ lives brought about by the distress.

●Second response: Refers to giving an appropriate emotional response. Having experienced the impact of the epidemic, the elders are reluctant to go out to socialize, which indirectly increases the loneliness and negative emotions of the elders. At this time, it is very necessary for the family to accompany and support the elders to restore the living habits before the epidemic.

●Three medical treatment: If the elder still has emotional distress after the above attempts, it is recommended to take it to a physical and mental department or a psychiatric department for medical treatment. In addition, emotional distress in old age may also be an early symptom of dementia, and early medical treatment can avoid missing the golden opportunity for treatment.

Family accompany to maintain elders’ mental health

In the face of the epidemic, the elders have always been a high-risk group, and their hearts often oscillate between worrying about infection and wanting to resume their normal daily life. In this “post-epidemic era”, the maintenance of the mental health of the elders requires the company of their families to spend together.

◎The author recommends:

● Reduce or stop reading, watching and listening to news about the outbreak, as repeated exposure can lead to stress and anxiety.

● Understand that it is normal to feel stressed and fearful in unpredictable situations.

● Continued daily relaxation exercises such as deep breathing, stretching, yoga or meditation will be more helpful. Of course, the control of chronic diseases and the maintenance of interpersonal relationships are also very important.

After the above-mentioned life adjustment and drug treatment, Grandma Lu was finally able to let go of her worries, step out of the house, and enjoy the post-pandemic life again!

(The author is the attending physician of the Psychiatry Department of Enzhugong Hospital)

☆Do not miss health news, follow by likefan page

☆For more important medical news, please go toFree Health Network

No need to draw, no need to grab, now use the APP to watch the news to ensure that you will win the lottery every dayClick me to download APP 
Follow me to see how the event works

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.