Psychiatrist: Look at the bright sides of covid19

Medical Chief of Staff at St Ann's Hospital Dr Hazel Othello - SUREASH CHOLAI
Medical Chief of Staff at St Ann's Hospital Dr Hazel Othello - SUREASH CHOLAI

Mental health is no joke, especially in the time of a pandemic crisis which has already infected 1.5 million people and claimed the lives of over 83,000 patients globally.

In a virtual Ministry of Health press conference on Wednesday, Dr Hazel Othello, a psychiatrist at the Northwestern Regional Housing Authority, urged the country to "look at the bright side," develop a schedule and balance the stress and anxiety levels a few methods to keep mentally healthy.

She asked people struggling to cope with changes caused by covid19 to come forward and access the free services offered by Regional Health Authorities (RHA) throughout TT.

Othello also encouraged citizens to find activities to keep active and ways to enjoy and find the positives during the crisis.Those who had lost their jobs were advised to find the bright side of the situation.

“Look at the fact that this isn’t the worst thing that can ever happen. I most cases it’s a temporary situation.”

Families who had lost loved ones in the peak of the crisis and weren’t allowed to have a proper farewell were advised to seek comfort in each other.

“Talk about the good times try not to focus on the things you cannot control. You can have a memorial service and get together after this to honour that person.”

She said support could be found in community leaders, friends, family and positive influences. Most people with psychological issues don’t need professional counselling and a call to a close friend or family is sufficient to lift some of the stress caused by covid19.

“They don’t need to see a psychologist or psychiatrist. They need to interact with the people in their sphere, in a positive and healthy way and, in so doing, get the support they need.”

If those methods fail, those needing a higher level of mental health care can turn to the RHAs.

“If things develop to a point where more health is needed then we could go to other levels of care whether it be from the mental health service or a social worker, or psychologist or psychiatrist.

“Even if they have to take measures to maintain adequate social distancing, the services will continue for mental health emergencies. If you are stable or need a refill of your medication that can be provided.”

She said that method protected both patients and staff and continuous training and EPA were available to mental health RHA employees since the pandemic was expected to last for a long time.

Othello also spoke of mental health services for covid19-positive patients and those in quarantine. She said they were being provided by mental-health workers at the RHAs and could be accessed anytime by telephone through “tele mental health” services.

She said while it was important to know what was happening, having too much information at once could lead to anxiety and stress.

Dr Othello said information should only be sourced from reliable news sourced to reduce unnecessary anxiety attacks by fake or incomplete news reports.

“We can get the information that we need but we don’t bombard our minds with the negativity all day."

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"Psychiatrist: Look at the bright sides of covid19"

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