worldUpdated: Aug 05, 2020 23:08 ISTLike much of the world, Colombia shut down in March as coronavirus cases surged in Europe and began trickling into the South American country. Colombia now has the ninth-highest total of Covid-19 infections worldwide, prompting President Iván Duque to prolong the quarantine again until late August. Psychologists have seen a dramatic rise in new patients complaining of anxiety and depression. “We wanted to go at the same velocity as Europe,” said Carlos Alvarez, a clinical trial coordinator for the World Health Organization in Colombia. The escalating mental strain is happening in a country where many already feel anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress related to Colombia’s long civil conflict -– and where there is considerable stigma around psychological ailments.

Source: Hindustan Times August 05, 2020 17:40 UTC