Coronaphobia: A new diagnosis from living in our anxiety saturated world.

The morning after the first "presidential debate" (I intentionally put the phrase in quotes for the event was neither presidential nor a debate), I awoke to an inbox full of messages from anxiety ridden patients. One was crushed by the impact the event had on his 12 year old daughter, "We thought it would be a good learning event for her, but she got so upset by the bullying she started weeping uncontrollably." Another, a mid level manager at a financial services firm wrote, "I couldn't sleep all night and my stomach is a mess. It feels like the apocalypse is close at hand."

Without a doubt, the spectacle marked yet another low point in the narrative of our nation. It punctuated our Covid_19 tragedy not with a period, but rather with a comma. Rather than provide a roadmap out of the pandemic, the event pulled Americans more deeply into a purgatory of chaos, uncertainty, and trauma.

While most Americans are left stunned, drained and as one of my patients said, "poisoned" by the hubris that overtook the stage that night, I'm proud to say that my colleagues- mental health researchers truly devoted to healing and hope- have been addressing the raft of mental health and addictive disorders that have arisen from coronavirus.

They've labeled the constellation of symptoms coronaphobia.

In a recent article by Leah Groth, I address coronaphobia as follows:

Defining the problem

"Paul Hokemeyer, Ph.D., author of Fragile Power: Why Having It All Is Never Enough explains that he has treated an increasing number of patients who (have symptoms of the disorder). 

"While the bulk of the medical and media's attention has focused on the physical aspects of COVID-19, those of us in the mental and behavioral health field have been struggling to manage the raft of psychological issues the pandemic has brought into the lives of the patients and families we treat," Dr. Hokemeyer says. "These issues for the most part manifest from the fear, uncertainty, and eternal nature of the virus." 

Dr. Hokemeyer reveals that one of his patients, a mother of three young children, describes the virus as "an invisible molester who lives in my attic. I know he's up there waiting to harm my family, but I can't take any action to have him arrested." Another, a professional man in New York City, described the pandemic as a "slow moving 9/11." He explains that at the core of both these patients' experience is, "a sense of impending doom over which they are powerless to escape." 

From his experience, the symptoms related to these feelings of "coronaphobia" are just as extreme as other severe phobias, including disrupted sleep patterns, a host of compulsive behaviors — such as spending money, eating, doomscrolling, sexual acting out and drug and alcohol abuse. "Many communities are experiencing an uptick in suicides and other self harming behaviors like cutting," he adds.

He points out that relationally, the stress of COVID-19 is causing an uptick in physical and emotional abuse, infidelity and the magnification of personality disorders such as narcissistic and borderline personality disorders. According to recent reports, the divorce rate is significantly higher than years before. 

Outlining a solution

Dr. Hokemeyer suggests that the most effective treatment for most of these disorders occurs from relational interventions and traditional psychotherapeutic modalities that are highly effective in treating mood disorders, including DBT, CBT, and REBT. 

"These modalities address the thought patterns that give rise to the emotional reactions," he explains. If the symptoms become extreme, psychopharmacological interventions such as SSRI's can be effective in reducing the intensity of the mood dysregulation and negative emotional states.

"It's also critically important that people seek help in their primary relationships," he adds. Asking for help and providing support for others during these highly stressful and uncertain times is critically important. 

Finally, he notes that it is important to remember that while it feels as if COVID-19 is unprecedented, it isn't. "The precedent in the pandemic is in the healing that comes from the highly adaptive and tribal nature of the human race," he explains. "We instinctively come together to fight a common foe and heal in supportive and nurturing relationships with other human beings. These instincts will enable us to transcend the challenges presented by the pandemic and move ourselves, our relationships and our world to a more elevated and healthier state of being."

You can find a link to the entire article here: https://ca.style.yahoo.com/covid-side-effect-anyone-catch-190709852.html

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