Solidarity from a distance… Italy is not alone!

Dra. Rose Nina, Ph.D.

Italy is not alone!  You are doing very well in the fight with this newest enemy of humanity called Coronavirus (COVID-19).  You have been in quarantine for more than a week now, and perhaps some have already adapted, but for others, it is a desperate situation.  In the end, do not forget the primary purpose: to preserve human life and, above all, to survive this great new threat. As a psychiatrist, I understand the importance of maintaining mental health in life.  Even though situations are difficult and complicated, we all have to try to maintain control in order to have a clear mind when taking actions and decisions.   It is essential to know that the nature of the human being is to socialize and have the capacity to TRANSFORM AND ADAPT to every situation in life.

These are recommendations that the World Health Organization (WHO) expresses in the face of this pandemic:

 What is recommended?

1. First of all, take charge and do not worry

Knowing what to do eliminates fear and anxiety.

2. Be well informed of official guidelines

Be guided by official information. The WHO says: “We must proactively communicate what we know, what we don’t know, and what we are doing to have more information, with the aim of saving lives.”

3. Prevent Infodemia

Infodemia is an excessive amount of information about a problem without providing a solution. Avoiding misinformation from social networks reduces rumors and harmful misunderstandings.

4. Create a life plan for quarantine

Home quarantine requires a routine schedule for family life. This voluntary quarantine occurs rationally and supports the elimination of massive case spread.

5. Being supplied with needed essentials

Personal hygiene procedures promote prevention. In quarantine supply what is necessary for two weeks.

 6.  Knowing about health services and taking care of health personnel

Familiarization of the clinical assistance plan by the authorities with hospitals and emergency phones. Support plan for medical staff due to overload.

 7. Have common sense and altruistic feeling

Italians are an example to the world resistance and have used a lot of common sense, respecting the national quarantine decision. Don’t forget that, although it seems like an eternity, the Coronavirus is going to disappear! It’s transitory!

 You’re doing very well! Italy is not alone!

Author: Dr. Rose Nina, Ph.D., is a psychiatrist, lives in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Picture by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

There are Spanish and Italian translations available here below:

Dr. Rose Emily Nina Estrella, Ph.D.

Dr. Rose is from Puerto Rico and has lived in the Dominican Republic for 29 years.

In 2015 he obtained a Doctorate in Clinical and Experimental Neurosciences from the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Sucre, Bolivia, in coordination with the University of the Basque Country and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development.

She has been a professor at various universities such as: Universidad de la Tercera Edad, Universidad Católica, PUCMM, UNIBE for 10 years and is a professor of Continuing Education and Professional Studies (DECEP) at the University of Puerto Rico.

In 2011 she created and directed the Blue Science Foundation, a foundation with the primary objective of developing research and training in the Neurosciences and support to the community. In 2017 with the Foundation, they worked with a mission of 12 doctors in 13 towns impacting 324 persons in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

She has been collaborating with the Redemptorist Missionaries of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic since 2005.