Since the health crisis and the first major confinement, we have been experiencing a succession of crises which are altering our physical and psychological well-being, our mental health, with an increase in anxiety, depressive episodes, and psychological disorders.
Crises that have deeply marked us
But crises which also have beneficial aspects by revealing to us, for example, our fundamental needs, and by asking us about major existential questions.
Nearly 4 years after this event which changed our lives, we take stock of it, with the benefit of the scientific research and clinical experience of our guests Professors Nicolas Franck and Frédéric Haesebaert.
And you, tell us how the successive crises have transformed you, in a positive or negative way…
We are waiting for you at the switchboard and on the WhatsApp application on 01 45 24 7000, on the France Inter app and on the GBVF Facebook page…
Excerpts from the show
Psychiatrist Professor Nicolas Franck, and Professor Frédéric Haesebaert, psychiatrist and doctor of neuroscience, publish Protecting your mental health after the crisis (Odile Jacob).
A never-ending crisis
Frédéric Haesebaert explains: “The Covid-19 crisis has been very difficult for some people. But for some, no. I remember someone for whom finding himself alone in Paris, being able to walk for miles without meeting anyone, and playing the piano, had done him a world of good. »
Nicolas Franck adds: “Between the end of March 2020 and the beginning of May, the first confinement took place. But the repetition of crisis sequences with lockdowns and curfews, half-lockdowns, half-curfews and the unpredictability of the future has worn down the population. There are people for whom it is not yet over with two million people suffering from long-term Covid-19. Then in February 2022 the crisis in Ukraine began, followed since by other events. There was no end to the crisis. And Covid is still there. »
Psychological consequences
Frédéric Haesebaert: “We were all traumatized. There is now a form of anticipation of the future and possible new crises. At the time of confinement, no one imagined that such a thing could happen. Today, we know that it is possible. And so some live in fear that it will start again. Furthermore, the health crisis has shaken many benchmarks: security, the stability of effective health services, freedom of movement, unconstrained social relations, a rather benevolent environment and relative economic opulence…”
Nicolas Franck: “We realized the fragility of the world. »
A weakening of the population confirmed by general practitioner Baptiste Beaulieu: “We see this in our practice through increasingly frequent, increasingly significant prescriptions for anxiolytics. This saddens us every time. And that says something about the society in which we live, about the unhappiness and violent emotions that go through our patients. There are other ways to get better than these treatments, but mental health specialists are overwhelmed. And when we refer them to psychologists, as it is not reimbursed, our patients cannot always afford it. »
1. Mental health outside of medication: reduce screen time
Frédéric Haesebaert: “We can better control what we receive on our screens, prefer in-depth articles to anxiety-provoking continuous feeds. In general, do not be passive when faced with screens. Constantly scrolling through content will excessively activate the reward circuit. And there, we are in the same physiology as what we find in the use of drugs, cannabis, toxic substances or ultimately, we go to the simplest. »
Nicolas Franck: “Permanently seeking reward also leads to addiction. And the more dependent we are, the more we avoid relationships with others and the more relationally we become impoverished. »
2. The natural allied nature of mental health
Nature is one of the allies of mental health. By two means: fascination, the capacity of nature to capture our attention, and affiliation, the feeling of belonging to nature. Being fascinated and feeling affiliated confers an advantage to people with these abilities. There are notable and powerful effects on mental health. Frédéric Haesebaert suggests simple means: “ We have a gold mine, it’s nature. It is an invaluable resource for our mental health. So, cultivating it, maintaining it, is really one of the things that can help us get better. For the biophilic hypothesis, nature for humans is a resource: it nourishes, it shelters. And so ultimately, if our psychology pushes us to get closer to it we probably increase our chances of surviving. » Nicolas Franck adds: “Indeed, those who found themselves in nature felt better thanks to this immersion in greenery, in vegetation. »
