Fear of shaking hands

[Fightingback]

At this moment in time we are all social distancing to avoid spreading the coronavirus which can ultimately lead to death. I have therefore developed a fear of shaking hands which I haven’t done for weeks. My main concern is that once the lockdown is over, and even after a coronavirus vaccine has been found, will this fear of shaking hands just disappear? Or is it something that many of us will need to fight going forward?

 

[Helprequired]

This is going to be a huge problem going forward as many people already have a phobia of social contact. The fact that it is possible to contract the coronavirus by shaking hands is only going to make things worse. Whether we see some individuals wearing gloves or protective gear for years to come is a possibility or do we carry around some form of antiseptic wipes? However, using protective gear/cleaning equipment doesn't exactly give out a friendly message does it?

Personally at this moment in time, as we are still in lockdown, when I do visit the shops I do feel a genuine fear of touching somebody as I pass by. I am not so concerned about touching shopping trolleys, shelves or goods for sale but the idea of touching somebody else makes me cringe at this moment in time. Surely I am not the only one?

 

[LynnyB]

Unfortunately, I think this kind of phobia is something we will all have to live with for many years to come. The problem is that even when the coronavirus disappears, if it ever will, people will always be conscious of what happened during this period. I also believe we will see many people continue to social distance well into the future as a means of "protecting themselves". We have only scratched the surface of the damage this pandemic is and will do to society. Phobias will unfortunately become more commonplace and many people are concerned about young children and the effect this is having on them. If they were to go to school, and there was another outbreak, how do you think this would impact their mental health?

As parents, we need to have a plan in place to explain the coronavirus to young children and how there is a need to be vigilant but not let this ruin your life. Not an easy balance to find!

 

[Helprequired]

I totally agree, once everything has died down a little we will be left with a whole host of mental issues to resolve. Where do we start?

 

[LynnyB]

I think that the UK government needs to have in place an enlarged budget for mental health prior to us "returning to normal" – whatever that may be. There will be a huge overload for the current system with people concerned about shopping, social distancing and contact.

 

[Fightingback]

I also agree with the mental health issue post. Humans are tactile and taking that away from the human psyche is a big thing. However, on the flipside of the coin we all have to be safe.

 

[Helprequired]

Shaking hand is something that the authorities never seem to tackle with regards to the coronavirus? Is there any specific advice for this?