The whole of Shanghai is locked down, people are “in panic” and call the hotline because they are facing a new “nightmare”.

Since entering the second phase of social distancing, Shanghai’s mental health counseling hotlines have received more and more calls, most of which are residents expressing concerns. about the Covid-19 outbreak in the city.

Psychological consultants in Shanghai’s Pudong district said their phones were ringing non-stop. This place is considered the financial center of the whole city with more than 5 hotlines, of which 3 are operating 24/7 with the help of more than 100 volunteers specializing in providing consulting services. different in the context of the increasingly serious epidemic.

An employee here shared with Sixth Tone: “Only between 8 am and 4 pm, I received 40 calls“.

Shanghai is currently experiencing its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the virus was discovered. According to the statistical report, in just one day on Friday (April 1), the number of new infections reached 6,311 cases and this number reached 36,000 cases in March. Although the number of infections is still lower than some other places in the world, for a country applying the Zero Covid policy, this is still a huge number.

The people of Shanghai deal with the Covid-19 epidemic with many consequences

Not only causing health problems for hundreds of millions of people, Covid-19 also has a heavy impact on the psychology of individuals. While countries around the world continue to report an increase in mental illnesses, last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on governments to step up support. psychological well-being for the population as global rates of anxiety and depression have increased by as much as 25% during the pandemic.

According to Zhu Wei, the person in charge of Changning district, since the official order to stay in place last Friday, the 24/7 mental health hotlines managed by the government have received received more than 200 calls in March, each lasted about 26 minutes, an increase of about 20% compared to normal.

In an interview with Sixth Tone in the middle of last week, Zhu Wei also shared:In addition to a lot of calls to discuss the issue of distance and medicine, there were a number of calls coming in because of side issues but having a close relationship with the epidemic, including a couple who contacted to argue about their children’s online learning“.

A student surnamed Li said she is feeling very stressed because of this outbreak. In the early days when the virus was discovered, she left her hometown of Wuhan city, in Hubei province to come to Shanghai, and now she is stuck here.

In an exchange with Sixth Tone, she replied: “I am suffering from PTSD (a post-traumatic stress disorder). If I were in the countryside, distancing wouldn’t be this scary because at least I have a family and enough food“.

Shanghai city without a shadow

This young girl’s worries mainly revolved around the issue of food, she tried to order from many applications but all failed. Some times Li was able to buy fruit, but then the goods were not delivered due to lack of staff: “Everything sold out within seconds. I had to wait anxiously and then received only disappointment, I can’t stand it“.

However, when asked about psychological counseling, she expressed apprehension:I am afraid my words will be recorded and have to pay for consulting services. I decided to escape reality by watching TV shows“.

Meanwhile, a Shanghai resident, surnamed Yang, was willing to pay for psychological counseling sessions every week for two years, which often dealt with relationship problems. Ms. Yang, 33 years old, had a meeting with a psychologist to share how the lockdown has affected her:If 2 years ago I feared this mysterious virus, now I worry about the difficulties it causes. I can solve my relationship problems with people, but I can’t do anything about the epidemic, really helpless“.

For Ms. Cheng Qing from Xu Hui District, the main concern revolves around pets. She became increasingly concerned for her pet after reading news of animal abuse elsewhere: “I don’t know how I would react if something happened to my cats“.

The epidemic situation is tense in Shanghai

Amid the widespread epidemic, many Shanghai residents have turned to apps for psychological support and guided meditation. A 28-year-old citizen shared: “Fortunately, we have many psychological support measures, things would not be this easy if the epidemic happened 10 years ago.“.

According to Carrie Jones, a consultant from the non-profit Shanghai Community Center, the number of people seeking support has been increasing recently, and since then they will share about free counseling sessions on social media. information: “People will feel more secure knowing that we’re here to help, whether they need it or not“.

The Covid-19 outbreak in March forced residents to confine themselves in concentrated isolation wards. During that time, Jones received many calls for relationship counseling.

The longer the quarantine period, the more stressed people become because they feel anxious, scared, and most of all, lonely. Jones’ organization also provided similar support services in 2020, when the world was shocked by a strange virus and infected people were completely isolated from their families. Now, the obsession of the past repeats itself once again.

When it comes to China’s strict control measures, Jones made his point: “Countermeasures are relatively flexible and change rapidly according to the situation“.

Source: Sixth Tone