Pandemic affected students, medics and seniors
According to psychologist Edvardas Šidlauskas, people are most frightened not by the virus itself, but by restrictions. The coronavirus, he says, is more dangerous for the elderly, as well as those who have weakened immunity or are ill. Meanwhile, most people think that they will have an easier form of the virus or the one without symptoms.
‘The only problem is the question of why I have to sacrifice so much for such trifles. For example do not go to work or events. It seems that such loss of patience is intensifying and there is a lot of dissatisfaction,‘ the psychologist noted.
According to the specialist, the pandemic has affected people prone to phobias and anxious-type personalities the most. When faced with their problems, people seek help in a psychologist's office because stress unbalances them, weakens them, and obsessive thoughts cause feelings of fear.
‘The virus has also affected people who have suffered or will suffer economically, losing their normal activities, their way of life. It can lead to apathy, frustration, depression, ‘ said E. Šidlauskas.
Asked about the individual groups in society whose emotional health was most affected by the coronavirus, the psychologist mentioned medics who received more workloads, students who could not cope with the challenge of self-directed learning, and seniors who experienced a sense of loneliness during quarantine.
‘Learning results have declined in schools as skills have weakened. For a large number of students, self-directed learning was a challenge and they did not cope well enough, they came back to schools too relaxed, indolent. People also don't work at their full capacity - half-vacation mode is still on,‘ said the interlocutor.
The pandemic, in his opinion, will change the habits of our society, as self-protection will become part of the routine. ‘Hygiene and hand washing should increase. Everyday self-protection should become part of our new routine, although so far it has not been very common,‘ said the psychologist.
The pandemic particularly affected the mental state of the society, therefore, in order to reduce the negative consequences of coronavirus on emotional health of the country's population, the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, created a renewed national platform - Pagalbasau.lt.
It provides up-to-date information on emotional health and available psychological support tailored to the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic. The website provides an opportunity to self-assess your emotional state, informs the country's population about the most common mental and behavioral disorders, explains how to get professional help, help yourself and your loved ones.
Domestic violence declining
Following the announcement of quarantine in the country, the Lithuanian police registered more and more reports of domestic violence. During the quarantine period, according to the police, the residents faced challenges, because constant presence together caused tension among family members - this affected the changed behaviour of the perpetrator and the potential victim of the violence.
‘All violations or crimes have moved into family or friends circles. At the beginning of the quarantine, we predicted an increase in domestic violence, cyber fraud and a reduction in public crime. And that was true. We may have expected even more cases of domestic violence, but we were prepared, we took some steps, so the increase was not very significant,‘ said Ramūnas Matonis, Head of the Communication Unit of the Police Department.
According to Matonis, it is normal, that when a family spends 24 hours together, the number of conflicts increase. ‘People were not used to being together for so long, which led to more conflict situations,‘ said he.
However, there are now fewer cases of domestic violence. In 9 months of this year, 5663 criminal offenses related to domestic violence were registered - as much as 4 percent less than last year during the same period.
‘We do not see any real threats that the number of cases of domestic violence could increase in the near future, but we are constantly analysing the situation and taking preventive measures, ‘ said R. Matonis.
Information of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania