Is spending time quarantined bad for your mental health?

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has left people who have come into contact with the virus self-isolating to avoid infecting others. As the world's population goes into quarantine, does spending time quarantined lead to negative mental health outcomes?

No, quarantine is not bad for our mental health

There is no reason why people in quarantine can’t devote their time to pursing an activity that will have positive mental health outcomes.

You can spend time with your children

Building stronger parent-child bonds pay dividends in mental health outcomes over one's lifetime.

You can learn a new skill

Learning a new skill has positive mental health outcomes. Quarantines afford people the time to do this.

You can declutter your living space

Decluttering is often overlooked when we are balancing work with our social lives. Without these distractions, quarantine will allow us to improve our living spaces, and with it, our mental health.

We can all take a step back and think

The disruption quarantine causes in our lives will give many the opportunity to take stock. This will result in better decisionmaking and better long-term mental health outcomes.

Yes, quarantine is bad for your mental health

Being isolated from friends and family and reduced social interactions are proven to cause significant damage to our mental health.

Quarantine causes PTSD

Sustained periods of quarantine lead to elevated rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Quarantine puts strain on familial relationships

The stresses of quarantine push families to their limits. This has negative mental health outcomes.

Quarantine causes depression

Quarantine leads to elevated rates of depression and anxiety among those affected.

Quarantine leads to increased rates of drug dependency

Higher rates of alcohol and substance abuse were observed in populations that were quarantined during the SARS epidemic.

Whether quarantine is bad for your mental health depends on other factors

The mental health outcomes from extended periods of quarantine and isolation are dependent on many factors.

On external stressors

It is not quarantine itself that is causing negative mental health outcomes, but the stressors that come with most quarantines.

On public health systems

Access to mental health treatment dictates the mental health outcomes of quarantines.
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This page was last edited on Sunday, 22 Mar 2020 at 17:53 UTC