Denial to Action: The Nine Stages of Pandemic Emotion
In coming to terms with a new normal, people across the world are at different stages of a new series of emotions: The Nine Stages of Pandemic Emotion.
1. Denial
· It won’t happen to us/me. (Perceived self risk/susceptibility is low).
· It’s far away (I’ve never been there).
· We are cleaner than the people of [source country of epidemic].
· It’s not really that bad (“the flu kills more people”).
· My friends/family/parents don’t seem to be worried, so why should I (peer influence).
· This is political propaganda to interfere with the elections.
2. Doubt
· It probably won’t happen here, will it?
· “Just in case” shopping (for extra toilet paper, pasta, hand sanitizer, masks).
· People are speculating too much; the stock market will stabilize soon.
3. Calmness
· Belief that if you do xyz, you will be safe.
· Reading all the statistics as it spreads to places you’ve been.
· Let’s have fun while we can (going to restaurants, concerts, shopping for fun).
· Silver linings — being grateful for the forced slowdown, family togetherness, time to do things you don’t normally have time for.
· For the religious — prayer.
4. Depression/Grief
· Reality sets in
· Realization that it could be true, that life as we know it may be over, that if your loved ones get it, you likely won’t be able to see or help them while they are ill.
· Fear that everyone you love is going to get sick, and maybe even die.
5. Fear
· It’s here! What do I do?
· Panic shopping — if there’s anything left by the time you get to this stage.
· Educate yourself about the symptoms and news, which changes daily.
· Blame increases towards certain segments of the population increases (stigma, racism ensues).
6. Anger
· Why isn’t my government doing more?
· Why haven’t scientists figured out a cure/vaccine yet?
· Why aren’t some people taking this seriously?
· Who can we blame for this outbreak? (xenophobia)
7. Acceptance
· Can happen simultaneously with depression.
· Realization that this is real. This is the new normal.
· Understanding that we can’t go back to the way things used to be.
8. Regret
· This is what is happening in Italy now, and starting to happen in Germany, Spain, France….
· I should have listened and stayed away from other people.
· I should have been prepared earlier, with enough medicine/toilet paper/food before it was too late (in the future, I will always have a store of these things, just in case something like this happens again).
· I should have bought an extra freezer and filled it with frozen food.
· Try to get people in countries that are behind yours in spread to take actions that you didn’t take.
· A sense of the surreal sets in. Life becomes about before and after and nostalgia weighs heavy on your mind. Pictures of yourself before the pandemic make you wistful for the time before the fear, the regret, the uncertainty.
9. Action?
·A plan to be ready next time, if we make it. Both governments and individuals can do this at different levels, but only once the threat has passed. It remains to be seen if this will actually happen on a governmental level. Taiwan did this after the SARS epidemic in 2003. Will your country?
The Nine Stages of Pandemic Emotion seem to be taking place in waves, in every country that realizes that an epidemic has taken hold in their country. What differs is how our governments respond to epidemics and the speed of their responses — how long does it take a country to go from denial to action? How effective are government actions, and at what level are they most effective — on the city, state, or federal level? The attitudes of our governments undoubtedly influence the rate at which we go from denial to action, and thus affect to what degree epidemics can be contained, because only after the acceptance stage can prudent decisions be made.
Roshan T. Ramlal, Ph.D. is an epidemiologist in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).@roshan
Saskia E. Akyil, M.A. is a science journalist in Munich, Germany.