Anxiety disorders in people under the conditions of the coronavirus infection (COVID-19)

Introduction. Anxiety disorders are a group of disorders in which the predominant symptoms are irrational uncontrolled fear and a persistent sense of anxiety that can occur in situations that do not really pose a current danger[2,4,7].

Experiencing anxiety is a normal adaptive reaction of the body to changing conditions or threatening events. However, fears can pose a serious problem for a person if the level of anxiety reaches pathological proportions[5,7]. This imposes restrictions on the normal life activity of the patient, which significantly reduces his quality of life[1,3,6]. Also, the long-term existence of an anxiety disorder dramatically increases the risk of other mental disorders, such as depressive disorder (about 15 times) and pathological dependencies (about 20 times).

The purpose of the study. To study anxiety disorders in people in the context of the coronavirus infection epidemic (COVID-19).

Materials and methods of research. Mentally ill patients with mild forms of infection or suspected COVID-19 who require inpatient treatment are isolated in the departments.

Voluntary hospitalization should be offered to some groups of patients who can be treated on an outpatient basis in the conditions of restrictive measures, for example, with hypomania and some personal disorders (emotionally unstable, dissocial, mixed, excitable, borderline, etc.), since in these cases the ability to observe the isolation regime is reduced, and in psychopathies it is also important to avoid situational development due to psychogenic traumatization.

The results of the study. Among the clinical signs of TR, we can distinguish: constantly recurring memories of a stressful situation; accentuation of character traits; decreased social activity, distrust of others; thinking disorders, the formation of pathological ideas and attitudes; the formation of obsessions and compulsions; affective symptoms associated with increased emotional excitability, aggression, irritability or depression, apathy and depression; rejection of reality; alcoholism, drug addiction, deviant behavior; difficulty concentrating, cognitive deficit; sleep disorders in the form of poor sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, nightmarish dreams or hypersomnia.

The more severe the injury, the more likely it is to develop a disorder, but it does not occur in everyone, even with a serious psychological trauma. Thus, there are a number of factors that determine a person's vulnerability and his ability to recover quickly.

Studies aimed at finding morphological and biochemical abnormalities in TR revealed a decrease in the volume of the hippocampus in patients (however, this phenomenon is a prerequisite for the development of maladaptation in response to trauma) and specific neurotransmitter changes: dysfunction of monoaminergic systems and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, as well as a decrease in the concentration of cortisol in blood plasma due to the induction of negative feedback along the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. By itself, the mental and / or somatic reaction to a stressful event seems completely natural. Not every manifestation of it should be considered as a pathology.

Moreover, a certain level of stress will, on the contrary, expand the adaptive capabilities of the body in the future. According to the observations of psychologists, emotional outbursts, experiencing and pronouncing one's fears, anger, irritation, with subsequent reflection of negative experience, contribute to the integration of trauma and faster compensation of the mental state. A stress disorder that has lasted for more than 3 months is considered chronic, but the normative parameters in this matter are always very individual, and the doctor, in turn, should pay attention to the manifestations of maladaptation, the degree of decrease in working capacity and quality of life, the patient's critical attitude to his condition.

The danger of the coronavirus " is that it will reduce the working capacity of the population exactly when it will be extremely important for the economic recovery. The risk group is: medical workers who provide care to patients with COVID; people who have had a severe form of the disease; people who have lost relatives and loved ones, as well as those who have suffered significant financial losses and lost their jobs. Timely prevention of the "coronavirus syndrome" is important, consisting in pharmacotherapy and psychotherapeutic support.

Conclusion. Anxiety disorders for the COVID-19 pandemic, which will affect up to 10 % of the affected population . It is already possible to observe acute stress reactions against the background of the spread of infection and changes in the usual way of life. However, the most severe manifestations will be visible after 6 months . after the beginning of the disaster, they will be similar in their clinical picture to post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Экономика и социум" №9(88) 2021