He and other mental health experts say there are steps people can take — practical ones — to ease some of that anxiety and give a person a better sense of being in control of this chaotic situation. And a person feeling overwhelmed by the grim news might do better by limiting time spent following coronavirus bulletins. “Really try to limit the news consumption or just staring at your phone and your computer, because for most of us that makes mental health worse rather than better,” she said. ADADJoshua Gordon, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist who is the director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), suggests that everyone develop a plan for how to deal with this moment. A pandemic plan could involve ensuring that social distancing doesn’t result in extreme loneliness and a feeling of isolation.

Source: Washington Post March 17, 2020 18:38 UTC