25 Apr The Swedish strategy in dealing with COVID-19 is leading to a huge stress
Sweden is not in lockdown, while people are free to move the stress is high because of decision making. During COVID-19 there are more calls to helplines and psychologists, because of depression.
” During this pandemic, nearly double of people are trying to contact me”, the psychologist Herman Björn said. There is economy stress, some people must go to work because they need money. “My father needs to go to work, for money. He is forced to go which makes us worried”, my friend Elsy Bitar who is 21 and medical student explained. Families such Elsy’s family need to go to work, because they need money. If they had better economy, he would have stayed home and not take this risk. Even the Swedish magazines, wrote about this subject, how this strategy is leading to stress in Sweden.
I live in Södertälje, which is large industrial city near the capital Stockholm. People here are stressed about this situation. Metro, which is Swedish newspaper. Wrote about this and explained that people here need more information. They can’t know if they will go out or not. Because the information they are receiving from the government which is showing that this virous is not dangerous. But there are high death numbers in Sweden. As people can see on social media how dangerous is this virous, and how other countries are closed. While in Sweden everything is normal, they don’t know which point of view they will trust.
As a personal experience, in Södertälje everything seems normal. My friends are going out normally, but I took a decision not to go out, as I am afraid to affect my family. On the other hand, my sister who is 15 is still forced to go to school. As she is in the 9th grade which is very important year in Sweden because all the marks are counted to be able to start high school next year, she is forced to attend the exams she has. This is making our live much more complicated, my sister is taking shower every day when she comes back home and my mother always make sure that she sterilizes everything my sister used at school. Even if we are not going out, there is one member who is out in crowded place. This means she can spread it at our home, which makes the whole family stressed.
As the same experience as mine, one of my friends stayed home for two weeks, she is afraid to go out because her father has problems with his heart. She doesn’t want to affect him. While her friends were out all the time and texting her to go out with them. “I felt so stress for staying at home seeing my friends going out. It is really hard to take this decision alone we have extra stress here in Sweden, we need to be forced not to go out” Moena Shaia who is 22 and economy student said.
Saeed Ibrahim, who is infectious disease doctor in Södertälje hospital explained how hard it is for him to live alone without his family. “It is hard time for me and my family, not being together in these conditions.” As he is a doctor, he decided to live at his parent’s home which is empty because his parents are abroad, to protect his wife and his two children.
“Since this virous started spreading, me and my wife took this decision because it is more safe for her and my two kids”. In these times, the family is the only thing which gives you power, but unfortunately, he can’t stay with them to support them now. “It is not only that we are not together it is also that the time is not mine now, my time is to save people’s live”.
Government of Sweden had some work in response to covid-19. Some of them is to ensure that the right measures are taken on time, to provide information and to make sure that the health care resources are available. The prime minister, Stefan Löfven advised the citizens to wash their hands, social distancing and protecting people over the 70 by avoiding contacting with them face to face. On the 27th of March prime minister announced that they reduced to limit the gatherings from 500 people to 50 people.
As Business Insider news website wrote, Sweden has 10 times more death numbers than all other Nordic countries. Cases until today 25th of April are more than 17 000 and deaths are more than 2 000 and total recovered are 1 000.Until now the government did not take any further steps.
Regarding to SVT Swedish magazine, the psychological doctor Per Höglund had a lot of more stressed patience because of this situation. The SVT had him as a guest to publish the patients questions about this stressful time and he could answer them and give them advices. The magazine published his answers and the citizens questions to let people read it and help others to feel better. People sending what they are feeling to the doctor by saying “I am in a deep depression now, I can’t even take care of my babies”. While another person said: “It is hard time for me now, I need my husband beside me, but he is a doctor I can’t see him”
The psychologist Herman Björn, explained in an interview with me why people here are feeling stressed. People need to have more detailed information about this virous, because they still don’t know if it is a normal flu or if it is much more dangerous. In general, it is good to be able to take your own decision. But in this case, people are feeling stressed because they don’t have enough information from the government. They look on social media and see how everything is closed in other countries, people can’t go out. But when they look here, the government is only advising people who have flu effects not to go out, and to avoid meeting old people.
Regarding to Björn, if this stress people are having will take long time it can lead to bad consequences. Such as heart attack or depression. In these two months, the number of patients who are contacting him nearly came to double. Here in Sweden we had high depression numbers more than other countries even before corona virus. “During this pandemic, the numbers came to double now” Björn said.
On the other hand, people who does not have good economy need to go to work. This may affect them and their families. The stress in this situation is a reaction on what is happening. They can’t stay home because they need money, plus they want to stay home to save their families. Doctor Björn explained, “Some people said this virus is affecting everyone, and for the first time poor and rich people are equal. But in my opinion, this is not true. Because poor people can’t stay home to protect themselves, while rich people can because they have enough money”.
