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✧ Anxiety✧

Sources of anxiety during the pandemic era can vary from concerns over health to uncertainty about the future. Although, it should be noted that it is normal and expected to feel anxious during this time. People who are more prone to anxious feelings or have had experience with anxiety prior to the pandemic may be more at risk of experiencing higher levels of anxiety during it. According to a recent study by Gao et al. (2020), there is a positive correlation between social media exposure and Coronavirus anxiety.

 

Health anxiety is a condition that refers to excessive worries and anxiety due to a perceived threat in health. The term health anxiety includes the conditions of Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD) and Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD). Both disorders include excessive and persistent thoughts, feelings, and behaviours related to health. Both disorders involve excessive amounts of time and effort put into behaviours related to health. Such behaviours include looking up symptoms on the internet. According to a recent study by Gao et al. (2020), there is a positive correlation between social media exposure and Coronavirus anxiety. The difference between these disorders, however, is that unlike with SSD, people with IAD do not experience actual physical symptoms or only mild symptoms.

The following explains the mind of a person who suffers from health anxiety:

 

 

 Trigger 

  • An itchy throat which leads to a cough

 Thought          

  • ‘I have the Coronavirus’, ‘I will experience shortness of breath soon’

 Feeling  

  • Anxiety, panic, physical symptoms e.g. increased heart rate

 Behaviour  

  • Over-checking for symptoms, over-monitoring bodily functions, researching, consulting health professionals

 

Though many of us may have the same thought and behaviour process as health anxiety sufferers do, although it’s important not to self-diagnose and to instead consult a professional.

Resources concerning anxiety during the pandemic era and how to access mental health services

Guides on how to handle and reduce high levels of anxiety and panic attacks

 

Maintaining mental health during the pandemic and how to access mental health services

 

More specific guide to free online consultation

References

Gao, J., Zheng, P., Jia, Y., Chen, H., Mao, Y., Chen, S., Wang, Y., Fu, H., & Dai, J. (2020). Mental health problems and social media exposure during COVID-19 outbreak. PLOS ONE, 15(4), e0231924. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231924

 

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