Question 27928 — health

Summary

Mr. Erwan Balanant draws the attention of the Minister of Solidarity and Health to the risk of multiplication of depressive pathologies linked to confinement. The coronavirus epidemic currently raging in France and Europe is the cause of an unprecedented health crisis. In this context, on March 16, the President of the Republic decided on confinement at the national level. While this measure obviously proves crucial to avoid the spread of the epidemic and the over-saturation of our health services, it is however likely to have harmful consequences on the psychological health of citizens. Indeed, at least two recent studies should raise alarm. On the one hand, the journal General Psychiatry, in its March 6 edition, includes the first study on the psychological effects of quarantine linked to the covid-19 epidemic in China. Based on 52,730 responses collected through an online questionnaire, the study reveals that 35% of respondents were subject to moderate psychological stress and 5.24% to severe stress. Symptoms of anxiety or psychological distress affect women more than men, people aged 18 to 30 or over 60, and migrant workers. Furthermore, on March 14, the British scientific journal The Lancet has published an article putting into perspective twenty-four studies relating to the psychological effects of confinement, carried out during previous epidemics, notably SARS, Ebola or the H1N1 flu. The results of these different investigations agree. Quarantine measures are likely to cause stress, anxiety or psychological disorders which, in the most serious cases, lead to suicide. These symptoms do not do not necessarily stop with the end of the confinement period, but can last for several years, with serious consequences, both for the people affected and for the health system. It also appears that the psychological disorders caused by confinement measures are of major importance when the period of confinement is unknown or unlimited. Faced with these alarming findings, scientists recommend the adoption of various measures such as the promotion of communication focused more on altruism than on obsession, the establishment of discussion groups dedicated to life in confinement, the effective provision of toll-free numbers run by health professionals as well as repeatedly sending thanks and encouragement to confined people. In France, many psychologists and psychiatrists offer teleconsultations. However, it is likely that these will primarily address their patients prior to the health crisis and will only partially allow new patients to be taken care of. The remarkable work accomplished by associations fighting against loneliness, notably SOS Amitié in charge of a helpline, must also be praised. It is essential that they are helped to maintain their operation as effectively as possible during the health crisis, in particular, where appropriate, by increasing the resources made available to them. During this period of quarantine, he asks what measures the Government intends to adopt to stem the development of anxiety pathologies, and how it intends to support associations fighting against loneliness.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

Timeline

No timeline events have been ingested for this record yet.

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

No documents linked.

Sponsors

No sponsors or actors listed by the source.

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.