Physician Clinical Psychologist and Bioethicist at the University of Ghana Medical Center, Dr. Ama Edwin has asserted that if Ghana does not tread carefully, the fall out from fear alone can be more disastrous than the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) itself.
The Psychologist who was responsible for offering counseling to Ghanaian students in China when the country was the epicenter for COVID-19, has advised Ghanaians to protect their mental state in order to deal with the virus.
Being a panelist on a virtual idea-sharing conference themed, COVID-19 Dealing With The Challenges: A dialogue With Ghanaians In China, organized by Global Media Alliance Broadcasting Company (Happy 98.9FM and e.TVGhana) and Kencity media she said, ” If we don’t handle and regulate the information we expose ourselves to, we will find ourselves dealing with the issue of fear which can cause more problems than the pandemic itself. If we don’t calm down, the situation might get worse.”
Citing the Chinese example, she revealed that some Ghanaian students were in schools where they saw a lot of bodies being carried to the hospital and that caused a lot of fear and anxiety for them, though they were not infected. They didn’t just hear about it, they witnessed it first hand,” she stated.
She noted that in the same vein, videos and other audio files shared on various social media platforms were enough to cause information overload, and thus, panic to all who had access to them. And this could have serious and lasting mental implications on these individuals.
She advised Ghanaians to put some control on what to read and listen to. “Don’t make it a point to download anything automatically. Don’t be too eager to forward messages. If someone sends you any material that makes you feel stressed up and anxious, block the person,” she stated.
She also encouraged Ghanaians to stay connected virtually, look out for each other, be selective and critical about the resources and the access for information on COVID-19.
The dialogue which was facilitated by the host of Happy98.9FM’s Happy Morning Show, Samuel Eshun, and Abedi Anim of Net 2 TV had panelists H.E Edward Boateng, Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Dr. Percy Akuetteh, Hepatobiliary surgery Ph.D. student and Chairman of Ghanain Association Wenzhou, China, Mr. Abu Osuman, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Ghana Beijing China, Mr. Sampson Opoku, Ph.D. Candidate and NUGS Chapter President, Wuhan-China and Miss Gloria Akpabla, Women’s Commissioner, NUGS China.
By: Joel Sanco