Social Stigma During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of the Psychiatric Nurse

Main Article Content

Pronpawee Keawmungmueang
Natwara Chuemor
Sukanya Tasod

Abstract

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a worldwide emerging infectious disease that leads to death. It has sparked social stigma against those infected with COVID-19, a person or a group of people  close to the infected one, and those who have recovered from infection. This social phenomenon is due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of the disease, fear of the unknown and unprecedented disease, and the reaction toward others, which is easier to do than prove the facts. As result, the patient develops mental health symptoms, such as anxiety, stress, fear of being discriminated against, as well as experiencing discouragement which could potentially lead to depression. Therefore, this article aims to present the meaning of social stigma, the cause of social stigma, social stigma characteristics, the effect of social stigma on mental health, and the role of psychiatric nurses who provide mental health treatment focusing on mental health promotion, and long-term mental health prevention, in order to apply this knowledge to the mental health treatment for patients infected with Covid-19, their family, and relevant communities to be able to live in harmony.

Article Details

Section
Review article (บทความฟื้นฟูวิชาการ)

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