Keep calm, trust only the doctor

Dr Nithin Kondapuram

There are many reasons why patients are panicking though they have just mild symptoms of Covid 19. The main reason are the negative memories they have due to the second wave. Be it non-availability of beds, oxygen scarcity, remedisvir blackmarketing or seeing hundreds of pyres burning on TV, these have made a very bad impact on the common man’s mind. It’s a kind of trauma everyone has gone through even unknowingly.

These memories which are emotionally charged are preserved in greater detail in the brain than happy memories. A small trigger now like becoming Covid positive even with no symptoms is more than enough to open the floodgates of fear and panic due to the negative memories we carry.

1. So what should patients do?

*Seek reassurance* Even though a record number of cases are being reported now, compared to the second wave, the number of hospitalizations are not so high in the third wave. In the second wave, we had run out of beds and oxygen when the daily count of cases was around 2.5 lakh which is not happening now. So reassure yourself that when you need help, it will be readily available this time.

*Listen only to the doctors whom you trust*

Too many cooks spoil the broth. Similarly too many opinions from too many doctors confuse people. And the confusion is enough to trigger panic. So just follow one or two experts and never follow Dr Internet in this matter.

Be Informed

Keep checking the portals which keep a watch on covid beds in your city. For example, in Hyderabad, 60- 70% of covid beds are still available despite high positivity rate of the tests. This will make you feel calm as we may not face a bed scarcity in this wave.

2. Should we be scared?

Not at all. During any pandemic or epidemic, the cases follow what we call a Normal curve in Biostatistics. Usually, The faster the curve goes up, the faster it comes down which means that the wave won’t last long. And when it goes up and down at a faster rate, the symptoms are usually mild. As they say history repeats as similar things have happened in the past. The Third wave of the Spanish Flu of 1919, Asian Flu of 1957 and H1N1 pandemic of 2009 were less scary than previous waves and shorter in duration. The more facts we read, the more reassurance we get and the less scary we feel. For this we need to stay away from the myths circulating in social media.

3. How to get over anxiety and panic.

The simple answer is to focus on things you can control. Use of double masks, washing hands, going out of the house only when required, reading material which are relevant are a few examples which will make us feel secure and thus reduce anxiety. When you test positive, do not self medicate, seek expert help and follow exactly what they say without adulterating the treatment.

If we worry more about things not under our control, like hospital beds, daily case load, other’s behaviour in public, politics of the pandemic etc, it will only trigger the panic button which can upset the mind leading to significant anxiety and restlessness.

Finally, keep yourself informed about facts . The more facts and details you read or listen, the less tension you will feel. Along with this, keep yourself prepared for any exigency. Let’s learn from the past two waves and not repeat the same mistakes we did last time.

(Dr Nithin Kondapuram is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Aster Prime Hospitals)