Coronavirus: Lockdown's heavy toll on #Italy's #MentalHealth.

Italy’s #coronavirus death toll is the second highest in the world, and its lockdown is the strictest and longest in Europe.

Doctors say both things are creating a mental health emergency. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-52400085/coronavirus-lockdown-s-heavy-toll-on-italy-s-mental-health

[Some thoughts in this thread] “So many lives here have been touched by a sudden and tragic loss, but the psychological scars spread far further. Scars of isolation, of fear. And it’s leaving this support centre overwhelmed …

... What started as a health emergency is morphing into a psychological one. But the true spread of the trauma is not visible yet.”

These are words taken from the BBC’s short video on the incredibly heavy psychological toll that has hit Italy and that is only destined to worsen

All my family is in #Italy, and I too have been hit by the dramatic reality of this virus. My uncle was in ICU for 13 days. It was rough. We had no clue whether he would live one more day. Every night I would burn almost fifty candles to spell out his name, until he got better.

Thankfully he came out the other end stronger than ever. So yes, COVID-19 is bloody horrible.

However, the psychological damage of the lockdown is still to confront us. We don’t know what we are up against, and it is not going to be pleasant.

Governments with the toughest lockdowns must act and prepare quickly. We need a task force ready to respond to the inevitable psychological crisis, and we cannot just leave it to organizations such as @crocerossa to act.

The public and private sector should come together to anticipate the crisis.