These days all of Italy is committed to observing basic rules to stem the contagion from Covid-19. While on the one hand numerous businesses are doing a lot to transmit serenity to citizens, on the other there are behaviors that are not easy to explain, more commonly referred to as "psychosis". An example is the rush to empty supermarket shelves. We talked about it with him psychologist Roman Alessio Testani.
Coronavirus psychosis: what it is and how to act
"In recent days, the phrase "avoid psychosis" is being heard more and more often by the mass media in relation to the coronavirus epidemic. This is because people in distress in some areas of Italy have demonstrated uncivilized behavior like the attack on a Chinese in Turin or like unjustified supplies, we were not even on the eve of the third world war ”. So states the Dr. Alessio Testani Psychoanalyst of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society (SPI) e International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA). But what does "psychosis" mean?
"Freud in his work "The loss of reality in neurosis and psychosis" (1924) says that: "In the neuroses a part of reality is avoided by escape, in psychosis it is rebuilt from scratch". Expressed in still other words: the neurosis does not deny reality and simply does not want to know anything about it. Psychosis, on the other hand, denies reality and tries to replace it. So psychosis is a mental disorder that causes one altered perception of reality. This causes strong feelings of anxiety and agitation that result in outright delusions and hallucinations. To return to the coronavirus it seems excessive to speak of psychosis, but many behaviors that we read these days, can make him think ".
Fear and psychosis in these circumstances: how they arise
On a purely psychoanalytic level, how does fear arise in these circumstances? " fear o phobia etymologically it is an irrational fear e uncontrollable di a perceived object or situation as extremely threatening in the absence, however, of real danger. Freud he already talks about it in 1894 distinguishing between normal fears (such as darkness, death, disease) e phobia which are more disabling and have symptomatic aspects. Furthermore differentiate phobias from obsessions since the latter are characterized by the compulsivity (not present in phobias) and originate from a traumatic memory or an unpleasant thought. Therefore in this coronavirus situation, people find themselves facing a sneaky and invisible enemy and all this increases their insecurities and anxieties ”.
And the exaggerated fear of contamination? “This fear is common in obsessive-compulsive disorders. It is based on the feeling of having boundaries labile in dealing with the emotions triggered by an unpleasant stimulus. Furthermore, the contamination is linked to a dirty self-image, negative. Indeed in people with this disorder we can trace feelings of guilt, shame and violation of borders".
Love and die: the main fears
“The fear of loving and dying are atavistic fears on which philosophers and writers also confronted ”- explains Testani. “I believe that both fears are characterized by a common denominator: the loss of borders. To love means to give up a part of ourselves to give it to the other. To love also means to lose oneself in the other and then find oneself in the gaze of the one we love. So the fear of loving is also the fear of letting go, of getting lost and then finding oneself again. The fear of dying often hides the fear of living. Many people often boil down to not living to think about death. Death inexorably confronts us with the limit and this can be distressing and intolerable ”- he continues.
Overcoming fear: how to do it
“Fear is overcome by constantly facing what generates it. Instead it grows exponentially if avoidance or flight strategies are adopted. Avoidance can even lead to fear of fear. This usually occurs in panic attacks. But more generally we can say that when the fear in an individual is so strong and uncontrollable, he tries in every way not to relive it. Practically putting strategies in place and tricks that soon determine a decline in his quality of life. The person who is afraid of fear spends a lot of time thinking negative things, to control his body, his emotions and in doing so he risks self-generating fear. Furthermore, all this will cause a vertical collapse of self-esteem ”- continues the psychologist.
"For lower levels of fear, in cases like this of the coronavirus, it is important to first inform yourself well about this virus and not go after it fake news and news with apocalyptic tones. All necessary precautions must be taken e limit travel to what is strictly necessary. This is a constantly evolving situation and we must prevent the spread from spreading. We are facing something never seen before and we must all stay in the trenches. Also if you can't go to work it is very helpful to spend the time in enjoyable activities to do at home, like reading, a movie or whatever makes you feel good ".
# Italian in the heart
