The COVID-19 pandemic is a tremendous burden for many people. Everyday life is hard and the future seems uncertain. That leads to worries and anxiety. Studies have shown that contact restrictions are a great burden, especially for young people, and can trigger or emphasize feelings of loneliness.

It’s important to be aware that there are many points of contact you can turn to for help if you’re suffering from negative feelings.

• If you have acute anxiety or panic attacks you can contact crisis aid services like telephone helplines or Nummer gegen Kummer.
• There are also numerous local, religious and independent organizations offering psychosocial support, such as Diakonie (Christian, protestant), Caritas (Christian, catholic) and AWO (non-confessional national welfare organization).
• The Institute for Psychology at Greifswald University provides videos and other help for adults, young people and children dealing with mood swings, anxiety, depression and loneliness in the pandemic.
• You may want to talk to other people who’ve been similarly affected. During the pandemic, corona self-help groups have grown up in many towns. NAKOS (the national self-help groups’ support organization) provides an up-to-date overview of COVID-19 self-help groups in Germany.

In some cases, psychotherapy can also be helpful. Ask your family doctor or another physician about this. Together you can discuss what to do next and how you can find psychotherapeutic help.

The “Treatment” section provides more information and links regarding psychotherapy.

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