Strategies which can be used by mental health professionals to reduce stigma related to COVID-19
| Recommending reliable sources of information | Recommending people access reliable and trustworthy online websites like the national COVID-19 statistics website, WHO website, CDC data or published articles related to COVID-19 in reliable journals, etc. To have up-to-date information on prevention measures and actual disease-related infographic data, instead of scrolling social media posts, blogs and forwarded messages which have a high possibility of being misleading. |
| Recommending limited use of social media | People are advised to limit their social media usage due to exposure to high rates of false information and racism-laded comments which fuels misperceptions of particular groups.9 10 |
| Gaining information about what people know about COVID-19 | Analysing emails, social media posts, tweets, messages and calls to public health departments, and gathering data on which web pages are most viewed and shared about coronavirus outbreaks, will provide insight about where people could lack awareness, which, in effect, might help decide where stigma might occur.11 |
| Conducting research to gain understanding of public perception | Online website or link-based personalised forms or validated scales, or using telephonic surveys to determine public perception of coronavirus outbreak and stigma-producing factors.12 |
| Online psychoeducation regarding COVID-19 and stigma reduction strategies | Mental health professionals can create and organise psychoeducational materials or modules to disseminate information to individuals about the outbreak and stigma of COVID-19.13 14 They may reach large communities by creating social media groups and sharing content relevant to stigma reduction strategies. The use of a case vignette-based approach can be used to explain stigma during the outbreak. Examples can also be drawn from previous epidemics and stigmatisation of certain communities, and how the cause of unnecessary stigma has led to disruptions in the general community. Practising ‘perspective taking’ where people can learn about what its like to have the virus and the experience of being discriminated against.15 |
| Addressing issues of fear and anxiety related to COVID-19 among those in isolation | Awareness should be raised in the public to seek psychological assistance as and to curb unnecessary anxiety and panic reactions. This is especially true for those who have been isolated during COVID-19 and are away from their families or support providers. Boredom and excess worrying about spreading the infection to family or friends is frequently reported. These individuals may be advised to keep their daily routine within their confines as much as possible and to maintain contact with their families via telephone, email, social media or video conferencing. They may be advised to share their narratives or stories regarding their isolation in the media, including posting first-person blogs and videos and real-time exchange on live streaming, which may help others who may have been sent to isolation in understanding the struggles. |
| Addressing issues of stigma faced by healthcare workers on the front line of COVID-19 control | The front-line healthcare workers, nurses, paramedical staff, those involved in sanitation department and other workers involved in handling biomedical waste related to patients with COVID-19 have been facing considerable issue of being stigmatised.16 The issue of stigma has been leading to them being shunned from visits to many locations like grocery shops, eviction from their homes and instances of physical violence hurled towards them. They can be given psychological intervention in the form of talking to them about their issues, providing them online available materials for awareness of the psychological impact of stressful events and forming psychological intervention hotline numbers to discuss their concerns with trained mental health professionals. Policymakers can introduce local programmes for honouring the front-line personnel and acknowledge their roles using various media platforms. All staff should be sufficiently aware of ways to access psychosocial support mental health resources, if required.17 |
CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.