Pandemic end: fear of returning to normal - is that normal?

Summer and finally more freedom again.

But not everyone is happy about it.

Some struggle with the discomfort at the thought of normalcy.

Dancing without a mask, crowded together in the disco, swimming in the overcrowded outdoor pool on a hot summer's day or singing your soul out at a concert?

Such images are a thing of the past.

Because: This is unthinkable in Corona times.

Instead, for months there has been a mask requirement, distance rules and disinfection bottles as far as the eye can see.

For the first time in several months, there was easing in Germany in summer *.

And with that came more freedom.

Restaurants, amusement parks, zoos, museums and cinemas were allowed to open, but only under strict hygiene requirements, with a test requirement, limited number of visitors, further distance and appointment allocation.

However, the openings and the freedom associated with them do not ensure joy for all of them.

In some people this leads to anxiety and anxiety.

Cave Syndrome: Fear of normalcy - one and a half years of the corona pandemic

Some will be uncomfortable at the thought of surrounding themselves with many people again, sitting in a full bus or going to a mass event - all things that were normal before February 2020, but have become unimaginable for many today. After a year and a half of the pandemic, hygiene is deeply rooted in people's minds. A survey by the American Psychological Association found that more than half felt uncomfortable about socializing after the pandemic ended. Even 48 percent of those interviewed there who are vaccinated share the same opinion, reports

tagesschau.de

.

In the USA, this gave rise to the term “cave syndrome”, in German “cave syndrome”.

This means that despite falling incidences and easing, people continue to withdraw and prefer to stay at home.

This behavior is probably nothing surprising, according to the clinical psychologist and fear researcher Georg Alpers from the University of Mannheim.

It is something completely normal that the reawakening of social life is seen as a challenge for some.

“We had to be very careful for over a year now.

Things that otherwise happen spontaneously and habitually, such as hugging friends or shaking hands, first had to be deliberately weighed up against the risks. "

+

Fear of infection and a lack of social contacts: According to the TK health report, many people were in a state of stress in the Corona year 2020.

© Christin Klose / dpa-tmn

Just a feeling or a serious anxiety disorder?

However, Alpers considers the term cave syndrome to be inappropriate. Syndrome stands for a mental illness with symptoms that occur again and again and can be observed. However, that is not yet known at this point in time. It sounds like a clinical picture, but in most cases it is not one. It could lead to extreme malaise in people who are more anxious and withdrawn anyway. This could be a serious anxiety disorder. Above all, the alarm bells should ring if the person concerned wants to go out but cannot because the fear is too great.

The currently low number of infections is mainly due to the progress made in vaccination.

More than half of the German population is now vaccinated at least once * and while on the one hand the test is no longer required, shopping without an appointment is possible and the first model projects with discos are starting, the warning words of the experts are getting louder and louder: The pandemic is not yet past.

The fourth wave * threatens in autumn.

*

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