Having to spend the Lunar New Year holiday under isolation or quarantine might cause people to become mentally unstable, doctors have said, offering advice on how to feel more at ease.
Worries that one might test positive for COVID-19 during quarantine, or anxiety over the the unknown, can lead to a high level of mental stress, said Hsu Cheng-dien (許正典), a doctor in Taiwan Adventist Hospital’s Department of Physical and Mental Medicine.
Being deprived of company at a time when most Taiwanese celebrate with family might make the situation especially difficult to endure, especially for those who have been ordered to quarantine abruptly and have had no time to prepare mentally, he said.
Photo: CNA
Drawing up a schedule for each day and treating quarantine as if it were a summer camp might help, Hsu said.
People should eat, sleep and exercise regularly when they quarantine, and reach out to “the outside word” to stay in close, virtual contact with family and friends, he added.
Yuan Wei (袁瑋), a doctor in Cheng Hsin Hospital’s Department of Psychiatric Medicine, said that the longer one has to quarantine, the more confined one feels in the room at the facility and the higher the stress level.
People who have experienced depression before should be especially careful, and those who take medication to treat mental disorders should make sure to take the drugs with them, Yuan said.
People should try to maintain a positive mindset and a healthy schedule during quarantine, and involve themselves virtually in family gatherings.
Eating unhealthily and binge watching TV shows might not be beneficial, he added.
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