Quarantine and isolation

While physical distancing helps slow the spread of COVID-19, it is no secret that the effects of isolation can negatively impact our mental health. Now more than ever, it is essential for all Canadians to emotionally support each other while abiding by the distancing measures recommended by government health officials.

Quarantine (separating well people who have been exposed to the virus, to see if they become ill) and self-isolation (separating people who have symptoms so that they can’t infect others, including close family members) are needed to prevent the spread of a virus in a community. 

Public Health Ontario’s guide to self-isolation gives advice on how to proceed if you are in this situation. 

Dealing with isolation

People placed in quarantine or self-isolation may experience a wide range of feelings, including fear, anger, sadness, irritability, guilt or confusion. They may find it hard to sleep. Some people might feel relieved. Humans are social creatures and need connection to others to thrive, which can make isolation challenging. The following suggestions may help you through this challenging time:

Supporting a loved one

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an excellent resource on keeping your home safe if you or any family member is in self-isolation or quarantine. Most spread of COVID-19 is between those who have close contact, so it is critical to create distance between the person at risk and others in the household. Unfortunately, this can worsen feelings of loneliness or abandonment, especially for someone who has a pre-existing mental illness or developmental problem. 

Here is how you can support a loved one:

• Keep lines of communication open and talk regularly - through video chat, phone calls, messaging apps or text messages.
• Be a good listener. 
• With permission, provide factual information without getting into an argument. 
• Ask what they make of the information you shared.  
• Ask about their general health, food they might need, tasks that need to be done and other ways you might help them. 
• Help them stay distracted with work, hobbies, music, movies and other activities.
• Help them structure the day and encourage them to limit the amount of news they consume.
• If they have a pre-existing mental illness, make sure they have access to their medications and that their condition is not getting worse. 
• Connect them to their health care provider or any reliable and validated online support service (e.g. Big White Wall in Ontario).

If you or your loved one are concerned about new symptoms, please follow your local health authority’s guidance for accessing care.