Talking about Mental Health during the Pandemic
Mrs Bright is at an appointment with a paediatrician. She is discussing some problems that
her daughter has been having during the COVID-19 pandemic…
Mrs Bright: Good morning, Dr Stevens.
Dr Stevens: Good morning, Mrs Bright. How can I help you today?
Mrs Bright: Well...I’m very worried about Sarah. Over the last few weeks, she’s been acting
Dr Stevens: What do you mean? Please explain…
Mrs Bright: Well, she refuses to leave her bedroom, even to have lunch or dinner with us
and as if that wasn’t bad enough, she’s refusing to study too! Yesterday, I found out that
she’s even getting her sister to do her homework. It’s very worrying because she’s always
worked very hard to be top of her class and now, she seems to have lost all of her
Dr Stevens: I see…Mrs Bright, you know we are going through a period which is very
traumatic for everyone. Due to school closures and social isolation, many children and young
people are suffering from stress, loneliness, and fear. The measures, albeit necessary, are
likely to contribute to poor mental health.
Mrs. Bright: Personally, I think my daughter is affected by Hikikomori syndrome. Yesterday
I was searching online, and I came across a description of this mental disorder…
Dr Stevens: Please don’t rush to conclusions based on what you have read online! I think
that Sarah’s behaviour is more likely to be caused by a lack of routine and social interactions
- it’s much more common that you might think. To put your mind at ease, I’ll call a colleague
of mine. He’s a psychologist who specialises in adolescent behavioural disorders. I’ll make
an appointment for you.
Mrs Bright: Oh yes, please - I would be incredibly grateful if you would do that for me…
Dr Stevens: Don’t worry, Mrs Bright, I have a 14-year-old son and I can understand how
worrying it can be.
Mrs Bright: Thank you for your help.
Dr Stevens: No problem at all, Mrs Bright – Once you have spoken to my colleague, we’ll
take it from there…
To come around
To become conscious again after an illness or an operation
One hour after the operation, she started to come around.
To shake something off
To get rid of an illness
I really hope I can shake this cold off before the weekend.
To pass out
To become unconscious for a short period of time.
When the ball hit her on the head, she passed out.
To pick something up
To start to suffer from something
She picked up the cold when she was- on holiday.
To come down with something
To start to suffer symptoms of an illness.
I think I’m starting to come down with the flu.