We talked with Psychiatrist Burcu Rahşan Erim from Turkey Psychiatric Association about the othering that re-emerged with the coronavirus crisis, the traces of social isolation and how we can fight stress, anxiety, and panic.
In the interview, Erim stated that stigmatization in health is a common situation, and widespread information pollution in the early days caused frightening and malevolent discourses, and that negative discourses are reflected in society as the othering of individuals and the further exclusion of some groups such as refugees. She said that the disease has a feature that makes people isolated because it is widespread and contagious and the state of loneliness negatively affects people and makes the picture scarier.
She stated that the Psychiatric Association of Turkey has been trying to popularise its slogan "let’s increase the physical distance, reduce the social distance" and she continued saying that the problems brought by the social distance can be solved easily with different communication tools. Erim, who said “The only way to overcome loneliness in such an infectious disease” for the opportunities provided by internet technology, drew attention to the information pollution in social media. Erim emphasized that it is necessary to avoid information that is unconfirmed, that emits fear, and that makes it easier for people to judge the other by increasing their fear and anxiety.