Scientific Program

Day 1

Keynote Session:

14:30

Maria Yna Eluisia Pereyra

University of the Philippines, Philippines

Title: The Prevalence of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms Among Healthcare Workers of East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Biography:

Maria Yna Eluisia T. Pereyra-Borlongan is a medical doctor currently specializing in Internal Medicine. She also is a certified consultant in Occupational Medicine, practicing as an occupational health physician for some construction and chemical companies. She has interest in the behavioral sciences since she has observed increasing mental health issues in their institution since the Covid 19 pandemic started. She hopes to develop policies which can improve workplace environment and further decrease employee fatigue and psychologic symptoms in her institutions.

Abstract:

COVID19, the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered corona virus SARSCoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2), has already reached pandemic scale worldwide. In any epidemic, it is common for individuals to feel stressed and worried, more especially for healthcare workers (HCWs), who may have direct contact with infected patients. In cross-sectional studies performed in China in Italy in 2020, several psychologic symptoms have been observed to be prevalent, some of which are anxiety, depression, insomnia, and traumatic distress. In this cross-sectional study of 390 health care workers, we use two brief mental health screening tools to identify employees with clinically significant psychologic distress. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a validated screening tool for depression based directly on the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, while Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) is a validated screening tool for anxiety. For our sample population, 31.8% did not have depressive symptoms, 35.6% had mild, 21% moderate, 9.7% moderately severe and 1.8% had severe depressive symptoms. While for anxiety, 57.69% had no to minimal symptoms, 26.92% mild, 9.74% moderate and 5.64% had severe anxiety symptoms. Factors such as marital status, educational attainment, occupation and employment status also appear to have correlation with the development of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Included among the perceived stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic are long working hours, insufficient income, inconsistent administrative policies, exposure to Covid19 positive patients and co-workers, inadequate time off from work and increasing number of patients but without commensurate additional work force. It is therefore concluded that the Covid-19 pandemic indeed caused significant psychologic symptoms among health care workers. Measures to increase work force should be put in place to decrease work burden and employee fatigue. Providing adequate protective equipment can decrease anxiety by decreasing the probability of contracting the infection.

10:00

Sam Vaknin

Southern Federal University, Russia

Title: Malignant Fantasy Defense and Its Outcomes

Biography:

Sam Vaknin is the author of "Malignant Self-love: Narcissism Revisited" and other books about personality disorders. His work is cited in hundreds of books and dozens of academic papers: He spent the past 6 years developing a treatment modality for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Over the years, with volunteers, it was found to be effective with clients suffering from a major depressive episode as well.

Abstract:

Fantasy tends to metastasize. It coopts and hijacks every resource available to the individual: emotions, affect, cognitions, memories, psychosexuality, and even one’s identity. It is addictive and anxiolytic. It is safe. It buttresses the fantast’s grandiosity (self-idealization). Actually, each of these dimensions of personality and functioning is mediated via the fantasy, colored and distorted by it. Gradually, all direct contact with and inner experience of one’s psychological world is lost. A robotic zombie emerges from within the fantastic space, regulated by its narrative.

Oral Session 1:

Psychiatry

13:00

Bajrangi Yadav

GAHSSR, Malasyia

Title: Anxiety is a natural innate response mechanism to dangers or threats from the Environment: A Psychological Study

Biography:

Bajrangi Yadav is working as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at KNI, Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. Andat International Lie-Time Research Member, GRDS, GAHSSR, Kuala Lumpor, Malasyia.

Abstract:

In contrast to fear and panic, anxiety is a complex bkend of unpleasent emotions and cognitions that is both more oriented to the future and much more diffuse than fear. But like fear, it has not only cognitive/subjective components but also physiological and behavioural components. At the cognitive/subjective level, anxiety involves negative mood, worry about possible future threat or danger, self-preoccupation and a sense of being unable to predict the future threat or to control it if it occurs. The adaptive value of anxiety may be that it helps us plan and prepare for possible threat. In mild to modrate degrees, anxiety actually enhances learning and performance.

13:30

Kalyani Kenneth

Madras School of Social Work, India

Title: Academic anxiety in students due to covid-19 pandemic

Biography:

Kalyani Kenneth is working as an Assistant Professor at the Madras School of Social Work, India, Chennai, India.

Abstract:

Since the occurrence of the COVID 19 the style of education transferred from offline to online which led to intensification of academic anxiety among students. . With online education and unexpected escalation in the screen time of students due to sequential classes and incongruous break timings has led to damaging influence on their ophthalmic health. Students are incapable to obtain the appropriate social support which is obstructing with their overall progress. Due to the pandemic, and uncertainty students are affected constantly with academic anxiety. In this presentation, the expert is going to share about academic anxiety, and physical symptoms, intellectual and emotional symptoms, recent reviews and finally the recommendations to reduce academic anxiety.

14:00