Yasmina Kattou, edited by Gauthier Delomez
, modified to
06:59, January 19, 2022
According to the Ministry of Health, 47% of Covid patients entering intensive care are obese. An increased risk that can create anxiety in those affected. If they are careful on a daily basis, the stress generated by the epidemic can aggravate psychological disorders.
For two years, Catherine has lived in anguish every day. At 55, despite her three doses of the anti-Covid vaccine, her obesity forces her to live in isolation to avoid infection. According to the Ministry of Health, 47% of Covid patients entering intensive care are obese. This is a so-called comorbidity factor, so since the start of the pandemic, some people with obesity have been afraid of being infected, like Catherine, and of ending up in intensive care.
The fear of not being properly cared for
“When we go shopping, I don’t tell you about the stress”, launches Catherine, oppressed daily by the Covid-19, at the microphone of Europe 1. “Friends, outings … We cannot reunite. We feel dissociated”, she regrets, morale at its lowest in recent weeks.
The mental health of obese people has been shaken by the pandemic. Alexandra Tubiana, a psychologist specializing in eating disorders, observed this in her office in Nancy: “Anyone in a state of obesity is in a state of significant stress, saying to themselves ‘I have more risk than the others’ “. This leads to “great difficulty in managing this stress and therefore an aggravation of the disorders”, explains the psychologist. Added to this is the fear of not being able to be properly cared for, emphasizes Alexandra Tubiana, because often beds, blood pressure monitors or patient lifts are not suitable for obese people.