FEATURES OF THE MENTAL RESPONSE OF RESIDENTS OF KAZAKHSTAN, WHO SEEK PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP DURING THE COVID-2019 PANDEMIC

The article provides an analysis of international studies dedicated to the identification of mental problems involved among the population of different countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the results of the original study of the symptoms of mental disorders, which citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan sought private psychological help with during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data obtained are compared with the final indicators of similar studies in other regions of the world, claiming that the main requests are caused by anxiety-depressive symptoms. It was revealed that the manifestations of anxiety and fear associated with the threat of contracting a coronavirus infection, characteristic of the initial period of a pandemic, weaken over time, which may be associated with the phenomenon of desensitization and actual infection. Specific factors are noted, such as the peculiarities of the burial during a pandemic, which can be an aggravating factor in the occurrence of a prolonged grief reaction and a complicated grief reaction. Limitation of social contacts, closure of public institutions, and limited labour activities are considered as factors that enhance anxiety-depressive symptoms and complicate therapeutic interventions. Examples of PTSD symptoms are given, where the fact of illness is considered a traumatic event itself. The information published in some media sources about the possibility of re-infection is considered as a trigger that escalates the alarm. Patients with addictions are seen as a vulnerable population group during a massive pandemic.