The doctor spoke about mental panic in Russian regions
The mass of frightening information in connection with the coronavirus epidemic has led to an increase in depression in Russian society.
Moscow's chief psychiatrist, Doctor of Medical Sciences Professor Georgy Kostyuk, stated this in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Our soul survived the information pandemic of the first wave, when a mass of negative, frightening information fell upon us in a continuous stream. I emphasize the informational nature of the pandemic in the first wave, because that was the worst thing for the soul,” Kostyuk said.
“Sales of antidepressants in April in Russian regions jumped much more than in Moscow. Although the virus was then raging only in Moscow. The information agenda was the same for the whole country, and it was this, and not the virus, that caused mental panic in the regions,” the psychiatrist is convinced.
According to him, at present, mental panic is not intensifying, but it is not going away either.
“It becomes chronic. After the summer lull, anxiety in the structure of disorders began to decrease, but depression began to increase,” the doctor notes.
He also draws attention to the seriousness of the situation for severe patients who have passed through the “red zone”.
“At the peak of infection, such patients experience psychosis with hallucinations. And these hallucinations, don’t be surprised, resemble delirium tremens. In this state, patients are capable of the most unexpected actions, leading to the most tragic consequences,” warns Kostyuk.
The doctor clarifies that this condition can last from three to four to five to six weeks, depending on the severity of the condition during the illness, age, and concomitant chronic diseases.
A doctor spoke about the mental panic in Russia's regions.