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COVID-19: Mass and individual psychology and psychopathology

Sam Vaknin

Latest by the authoritative science journal New Scientist: COVID-19 (Coronavirus) kills 0.7-1% of those infected. 99% fully recover. 227,000 people had died so far, the majority of them were above age 50 and with pre-existing conditions (such as heart disease, obesity, smoking-related complications, or diabetes). The flu decimated 650,000 people worldwide last year, according to the CDC. The measures adopted by governments, communities, and individuals the world over are far more dangerous and detrimental than this or any other virus can ever be. This mass delusion, psychosis, hysteria, or panic is a first. The only comparable reaction to a pandemic happened in the 14^th century with the bubonic plague (Black Death). The Spanish flu killed 50-100,000,000 worldwide. AIDS infected 45,000,000 and millions perished. Swine flu infected 61 million in the USA alone and killed 600,000 globally. SARS (2002-4) had a case fatality rate 10 times higher than COVID-19. There was no hint of panic or hysterical self-isolation. So, what gives? Why now? The answer is an effluent confluence of: (1) Ignorance functional illiteracy is at an all-time high and the education system had crumbled. (2) Social media fake news, rank nonsense, and conspiracy theories are the only pseudo-intellectual diet of most people. (3) Distrust of authority people distrust the government, experts, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, labs, universities, politicians, and the media. Instead, they rely on uninformed word of mouth, charlatans, and con-artists whose trashy wares are purveyed on YouTube and other such online unmitigated garbage dumps. For example: washing hands is good - most masks increase the risk of contracting the virus! (4) Narcissism Infatuation with one's self leads to extreme risk aversion and inordinate measures of pampering, self-medication, and self-protection. People consider their cosmically significant and unprecedently unique and treasured lives to be worthy of the utmost efforts at preservation.