INTERVIEW
After six weeks of confinement to fight against the spread of the coronavirus, the French are more or less coping with the situation. Guest of the program Sans Rendez-vous, Monday on Europe 1, Christian Clot, explorer and director of the Human Adaptation Institute, spoke about our capacities for adaptation and identification psychological disorders caused by the Covid-19 crisis.
Director of the COVADAPT study, which studies the impacts of the health crisis and the adaptation of the population, he explained how his institute, associated with several laboratories, wanted to "take advantage" of this crisis to understand how the French manage it.
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"Impactful for brains"
According to him, this study, currently conducted on a panel of 10,000 people, is supposed to observe two parameters. First, it's about understanding what's going on psychologically. Indeed, if this confinement is not experienced in the same way by the French, it still remains "impacting on the brains". The second step is to observe how the French adapt and will organize themselves to overcome and manage this situation in the future.
While it is still early to draw conclusions, the study has already shown certain disparities in the resistance capacities of different groups of people. "People who are very confident, who are used to succeeding, have difficulties in situations like this," explains Christian Clot.
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French more worried about deconfinement
Also, he adds, the most prepared populations may show signs of psychological distress. This is particularly the case of the Chinese who, according to the latest studies, are 40% who consider having mental trauma following confinement, adds Christian Clot.
"In France, the concern is felt more about what will happen at the time of deconfinement," he continues. Indeed, this one sees expressed a very strong expectation on the part of the French as for the post-May 11th. "There will be disappointments, we will see that this belief of 'everything will be fine' will be undermined," he said, referring to the long-term consequences left by these crisis situations. "It can be negative things that cause us anxiety, but also positive things, ways of understanding that we have to change a certain number of our behaviors."
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"Start thinking about the future"
To stay on track, the explorer, who has already had periods of confinement in much harsher conditions, insists on the need to "protect his brain". It is necessary, he says, "to give him a little air, take time to relax, have fun and play."
For this, Christian Clot recalls the importance of engaging in physical activity in order to irrigate the brain channels and thus allow it to function better, but also to drink lots of water. Taking care of your brain is also organizing your days as best as possible in order to eliminate all the things that occupy our gray matter unnecessarily in order to "save space to start thinking about the future", advises the Explorer. Today, he insists, "we have to start building".