{"id":71259,"date":"2022-02-24T16:55:29","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T15:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/?p=71259"},"modified":"2022-03-11T10:47:01","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T09:47:01","slug":"a-pandemic-of-mental-disorders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/a-pandemic-of-mental-disorders\/","title":{"rendered":"A pandemic of mental disorders"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The re-traumatization of Serbian society.<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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At the end of January, the Serbian Society of Psychologists (DPS) issued a statement<\/a>\u00a0that warned of the worsening state of people\u2019s mental health, describing the current situation as \u201ca pandemic of mental disorders,\u201d the result of \u201ca normal reaction to abnormal circumstances.\u201d<\/p>

The statement also served as a call for \u201csocial and personal accountability\u201d from decision-makers who affect the lives of others.\u00a0After almost a month\u00a0since the statement was published,\u00a0there have been\u00a0no reactions from institutions.<\/p>

The statement notes that existing social divides have led to this alarming situation, which are exacerbated by the \u201cdevaluation of moral and cultural values, the collapse of the quality of education, and other negative phenomena,\u201d including a public discourse that \u201cpromotes and deepens antagonism and intolerance.\u201d<\/p>

Professor Tamara D\u017eamonja Ignjatovi\u0107, president of the DPS and a signatory of the statement, says that the cause of the current conditions in society is not just due to the pandemic but also because Serbian society has been deeply traumatized for decades.<\/p>

Psychotherapist Marija \u017divkovi\u0107 agrees and points out that not a single generation in Serbia was spared some sort of severe trauma. \u201cOn its own, the pandemic is a traumatic situation, but it also had the effect of re-traumatizing people,\u201d said \u017divkovi\u0107.<\/p>

Spreading panic<\/b><\/p>

Contradictory information from public officials and doctors throughout the media has, according to D\u017eamonja Ignjatovi\u0107, heightened the panic that resulted from the pandemic.<\/p>

In February\u00a02020,\u00a0while\u00a0visiting the Presidency of Serbia, pulmonologist Branimir Nestorovi\u0107\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0that he \u201ccannot believe that a nation that has suffered from sanctions, bombardment and all kinds of mistreatment, would fear the silliest virus in the history of humankind.\u201d At that time, the authorities, including President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107, publicly called upon citizens to continue living normally.<\/p>

Then the\u00a0first registered cases of Covid ensued,\u00a0followed by the first deaths, and the government suddenly changed course with drastic measures. In March a state of emergency was declared and schools, universities and gyms were shut down. People entering Serbia had to spend 14 days in quarantine. Older people were almost\u00a0completely barred<\/a>\u00a0from going outside, and Vu\u010di\u0107 asked that everyone\u00a0respect the measures<\/a>, saying that \u201cour cemeteries will be too small to accommodate us all if you decide to listen to the advice of others. I beg you to listen to your state.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Psychotherapist Marija \u017divkovi\u0107 says that citizens have lost trust in institutions. Photo: courtesy of Marija \u017divkovi\u0107.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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At the end of March 2020, users of MTS, one of the largest mobile providers in Serbia, received disturbing messages from state institutions about the pandemic situation in the country. \u201cThe situation is dramatic. We are nearing the Italian and Spanish scenarios. Please remain at home. COVID-19 Infectious Disease Crisis Staff,\u201d the text message read.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThere was so much information in the media,\u201d said D\u017eamonja Ignjatovi\u0107, \u201cfrom \u2018the most frivolous virus\u2019 to the fact that the cemetery will not be enough \u2014 so in this chaos people can hardly cope and thus lose confidence that the information they get is reliable in any way.\u201d<\/p>

In November 2020, Minister of Labor, Employment, Veterans, and Social Affairs Darija Kisi\u0107 Tepav\u010devi\u0107, who was also a member of the Crisis Staff for combatting Covid in Serbia, sent a discouraging message: \u201cEach family needs to be its own Crisis Staff that determines what\u2019s best for its members, and everybody should check their own behavior,\u201d she said.<\/p>

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The transfer of state responsibility to the individual is an additional factor that has burdened citizens, according to \u017divkovi\u0107.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIn pandemic conditions many roles have blended. It was especially difficult for young people who had small children, where work, house chores and childcare became mixed up. It\u2019s not possible to simultaneously and effectively manage all of these demands on one\u2019s time,\u201d said D\u017eamonja Ignjatovi\u0107.<\/p>

The situation didn\u2019t improve even after the vaccination campaign started. Although the authorities ensured the availability of all types of vaccines, the vaccination process wasn\u2019t preceded by a campaign to provide citizens with sufficient information about individual vaccines and possible side effects.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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As of this February, less than half of Serbia's population was fully vaccinated.\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cVaccination is a process that needs to be implemented, and it is implemented by the state with certain means and measures,\u201d said \u017divkovi\u0107, who also emphasized that countries with the highest trust in state and health institutions are the places with the highest percentage of vaccinated people.<\/p>

Meanwhile, less than half of Serbia\u2019s population is fully vaccinated, the total standing at 46.7%, and vaccination points in Serbia\u2019s shopping malls are shutting down due to low interest<\/p>

\u017divkovi\u0107 doesn\u2019t absolve individuals entirely, but notes that in order to build trust it\u2019s necessary for the state to take on a large degree of responsibility. \u201cIn this situation, we have the individual person who is forced to educate their children, protect their children, decide on which vaccine they will get, with whom and how will they stay in touch\u2026 So, it is up to the individual to assess everything and bear the responsibility,\u201d said \u017divkovi\u0107, adding that she personally has the feeling that, for the past two years, it\u2019s as if \u201csomebody is constantly shouting at us and scolding us for being bad, disobedient children. The key thing\u00a0is trust. Where is it and why has it disappeared?\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Psychotherapist Marija \u017divkovi\u0107 says that citizens have lost trust in institutions. Photo: courtesy of Marija \u017divkovi\u0107.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The right to truthful and complete information is also a topic that the DPS touched upon in their statement, saying that \u201cin a society where critical thinking is discouraged, education devalued, where pressure is applied by means of intimidation, and conformism encouraged, that is where apathy, hopelessness, and anomy gain ground.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cBecause when you see that individuals starring in serious political talk-shows, where guests who represent institutions that govern our lives and other decision-makers use vocabulary that is unfit even for coffee shops and taverns, let alone the state assembly, then this serves to model behavior in everyday life,\u201d D\u017eamonja Ignjatovi\u0107 said, adding that this helps create a thoroughly polarized climate in society.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Making ends meet<\/b><\/p>

\u017divkovi\u0107\u00a0compares the influence of the pandemic on the individual with the \u201cboiling frog syndrome,\u201d a term used for a situation when a person is living in conditions that should be unbearable and unacceptable to her but she\u2019s failed to notice it because she arrived there gradually, getting accustomed to each individual change over time.<\/p>

\u201cDuring all these years, we have lost hope that things will get better, that we will move in a positive direction; what has been debased the most today is trust, interpersonal relationships and hope,\u201d D\u017eamonja Ignjatovi\u0107 said.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cWe are constantly living from day to day, waiting for a better tomorrow which always eludes us. You keep swimming and swimming, but the shore gets farther away. Of course, this is very draining,\u201d she said.<\/p>

\u201cWe no longer have empathy for others or even for ourselves,\u201d \u017divkovi\u0107 said. \u201cDivisions in society are ever-deepening; there is no dialogue and we are ready to aggressively defend our attitudes, whether the topic of contention be vaccination or an underwear ad. This speaks volumes about the lack of empathy,\u201d she said and concluded that in this situation, with zero institutional support, the only solution is for people to help each other. \u201cWe should lend a hand to the person who fell, and not just walk past them. We truly miss that.\u201d<\/p>

Feature photo: K2.0.<\/b><\/p><\/article>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The re-traumatization of Serbian society. At the end of January, the Serbian Society of Psychologists (DPS) issued a statement\u00a0that warned…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":793,"featured_media":70845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[898,712,137],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71259"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/793"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71259"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71276,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71259\/revisions\/71276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}