Letters from Lockdown

Dear colleagues and friends,

Some days ago, I received a phone call from a friend of mine who is a doctor of general medicine. He wrote that he appreciated my essay on coronavirus posted on IPA's website but that it is not too useful for him.

The doctors in the hospital and in the medical offices are at risk of falling into a serious burnout, not only because they work too much but mostly because of the anxiety of uncertainty. How long could the epidemic last? How we can resist it? What answers can we give to the anxious patients? How can we survive as physicians in this situation without knowing its duration and its outcome? How can we resist death—not only of our patients but also of our colleagues and nurses? Physicians, according to him, are equipped to give medical responses or provide common sense, but today their common-sense answers are not sufficient.

Anxiety permeates them and their functioning. Sometimes they have to decide who can survive and who has to die because it is impossible to care for all the hospitalized patients at the same time. He was relieved when I suggested to him that we might build online Balint groups led by psychoanalysts. He told me: “Whoever will be able to manage our anxieties could help us to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the panic.” I think we can explore the possibility of organizing these online Balint groups, and in this way, we can give room to our social function. Do you think that it is possible that IPA could suggest this possibility in all countries? Best wishes and take care of yourself and your patients.

Cosimo Schinaia

Cari colleghi e amici,

Ho appena ricevuto una lunga e angosciata telefonata da un mio caro amico medico, segretario provinciale della Federazione Italiana dei Medici di Medicina Generale.

Mi ha detto che ha letto e apprezzato il mio saggio sul coronavirus postato sul sito IPA, ma che questo saggio non l'aiuta molto.

I medici, sia quelli ospedalieri che quelli territoriali, sono a grave rischio di logorio psicofi