How many times do we hear a banal "How are you?", often followed by an equally banal "fine, thanks"? Countless times. In reality, in this question there is a relationship proposal behind which there can be many nuances that lead to entering into a relationship with another person. And if, for example, that other person is a homeless patient who is suffering the consequences of the lockdown on the street and has lost the little relational openness that he had built up to the point of completely neglecting his state of health and his discomfort, that 'how are you' (or even a 'how are you' or a 'what's up') can become the first step towards approaching healthcare facilities.
This is how it began How are you? Distancing, isolation and loneliness, the second meeting of training course "Volunteers and families online for mental health" of the Di Liegro Foundation. Speaker, Dr. Massimiliano Aragona, psychiatrist, psychotherapist and philosopher, coordinator of the SIMM, “Mental Health and Immigration” group of the Italian Society of Migration Medicine.
Inevitably, COVID-19 was at the center of his speech and of the interventions of the participants in person and online, volunteers and people active in the third sector.
Even inside homes, the total lockdown represented a shock, the change in our lifestyle that did not conceive of social distancing, the ban on physical relationships. Many have suffered profoundly, but there have been many who have appreciated some aspects: the cleaner cities and air, the canceled traffic, the respected queues, the empty cinemas.
Confirm that in every situation – even in what 60 million Italians are experiencing at the same time, each in their own way – there are resilience factors, unexpected opportunities which, if taken from the right side, can lead to positive developments. For example, forcing us to ask ourselves the question: "What is really important in life?".
But ultimately, the lockdown improved things in the communities, family first and foremost, where things were going well and worsened in those where they were going badly.
Surprises came from several people suffering from particular mental disorders, who enjoyed sharing the rules with everyone else.
During the crisis, the Third Sector continued to be present, demonstrating how important it is in society.
The Public Service as a whole has had many problems. The pandemic was a stress test for a system that showed its flaws. Health facilities responsible for the treatment of mental illnesses closed their doors in the face of the threat of the virus: patients who were outside were not able to enter, those who were inside were not able to leave, remaining closed together with the health workers for a month/a month and a half , away from family, often without explanations about what was happening. Some coped well, others didn't.
And now there is the second wave. For better or worse we were all waiting for it and we knew we had to prepare, but here we are all still in the same boat with anxiety rising.
It's a different phase. There probably won't be a second total lockdown, lethal for the economy, but there is a lack of clear indications and rules for everyone and each of us will have the task and burden of seeking the right behaviors.
