On Thursday, May 7, 2020, the "General Assembly to Fight Coronavirus Crisis in Herat" held a virtual roundtable discussion on "Corona's Psychological Aspects and the Role of Psychologists". This program was part of series of roundtables by the Assembly to discuss different aspects of the Coronavirus. Javad Hossainzada, Psychologist/University Professor; Dr. Seyed Jafar Ahmadi, Psychologist/University Professor and Sharafuddin Azimi, Psychologist/University Professor, were the speakers of the program. The event was moderated by Dr. Atefa Tayeb, University Professor.
Mohammad Javad Hossainzada was the first speaker of the program. He asserted that published statistics on the coronavirus has caused a great deal of panic in the public mind, and in fact its consequences cannot be ignored. "Acceptance" is the first step in battling emerging crises and events that would ultimately reduce the psychological strain of the event, he believes. Likewise, he elaborated that magnifying an issue by media, and creating fear among the people also affects the psychological dimension of the issue.
Sayed Jafar Ahmadi spoke in two sections; on psychological effects of an event, and its physical effects. He said that after each unpleasant event, emotions appropriate to that event occur in the body, which are initially referred to as pure pain or pure emotion. But when the first stage passes, this state turns into impure emotions. He emphasized that stress is the first emotion of any event, such as coronavirus; and that it is important to take care of yourself and your family. If stress increases, it surpasses morality and leads to violence. Stress directly affects the immune system after an accident, he further added. Ahmadi called the three effective methods to deal with this crisis; observe health principles, consume foods that boost the body's immune system, and increase psychological capability to deal with the corona crisis
Sharafuddin Azimi emphasized that the outbreak of coronavirus has increased the number of problems and domestic violence, with children suffering the most. He stressed that simple solutions can reduce the anxiety caused by the coronavirus in families. These solutions include paying attention to things like intimacy, respect, and the health of family members. Authorities are responsible to fight against corona; in particular the Ministry of Public Health should not focus solely on the medical aspect of the issue. In addition to expanding medical activities, the ministry and other institutions involved should seek help from psychological centers and psychologists in the capital and provinces.