UNAIR NEWS– Covid-19 patients do not only have to fight against viral infections that attack them physically.After recovering from this viral infection, many of them reported facing various psychological problems.The psychological problems faced are varied, ranging from mild to severe.
Dian Kartika Amelia Arbi, M.Psi., Psychologist, explained that several mental health-related disorders were reported after an individual underwent Covid-19 treatment.Some of them are difficulty sleeping, cognitive problems such as decreased ability to concentrate and decreased memory skills, anxiety disorders,mooddisorderssuch as depression and dementia.
Dian revealed that many psychosocial aspects during the pandemic were also new stressors forCOVID-19survivors, such associal and physical distancing policiesand isolation for Covid-19 patients.
“Exposure to Covid-19 itself is also atraumatic eventfor individuals, so this traumatic event affects their mental health.The stigmas in society related to Covid-19 survivors are also a stressor for them, ” she said in an interview via a telephone call, Wednesday, May 5, 2021.
“From a neurological aspect, there are inflammatory responses in our bodies due to infection from the virus (Covid-19), which affects the neurological system which ultimately causes dementia.But what is the working mechanism, this is still under further research, “continued one of the lecturers at the Faculty of Psychology,听(鲍狈础滨搁).
“Talking abouttreatmentor intervention, the important thing to do is the assessment and diagnosis first.So, howdoes the actualtreatmentadjust with regard to complaints, assessment results, and also diagnosis, “said Dian.She explained that the presence or absence of a previous mental health history can also affect the current mental health condition of the survivor.
Dian explained that in the current pandemic situation, many online psychological services can be accessed by survivors.There will be a psychologist or psychological scientist standing byto provide online counseling in these services.“The Presidential Staff Office of the Republic of Indonesia (KSP) in collaboration with HIMPSI (Indonesian Psychological Association) actually has Sejiwa services (Sehat Jiwa, ed) which can be accessed by the public for free at hotline 119 ext 8,” she explained.
“In UNAIR itself, there is a UPP (Psychological Service Unit) under the Faculty of Psychology UNAIR, which provides online counseling. Some hospitals also provide counseling services with psychologists or psychiatrists whose services are also online,” continued Dian.
Dian revealed that the high stigma associated with Covid-19 survivors is the main obstacle to providingpsychologicaltreatmentto Covid-19 survivors.“In the end, survivors will hide their identity as survivors.It affects their motivation to get help whether it’s mental health services or other health services, ” she said.
“Actually, education about stigma (Covid-19 survivors) is important to do so that treatment, both physical and mental, can run well. So, both the community and survivors will no longer hesitate to seek access to mental health services, ” she concluded. (*)
Author: Agnes Ikandani
Editor: Binti Q. Masruroh
