“We are all pretty resilient. People are very different, one person can better cope with this situation than someone else”. Christiaan Vinkers says that he does not see an increase in the amount of people with a depression at the outpatient clinic. “During the first wave of infections, we also did not see an increase in suicide. There is also a group which feels better at the moment. People who are naturally very avoidant and were compelled to go outside, can now stay at home like everyone else.”
“How you react to stress depends on your genes, brain, your youth, but also on your character and how much support you receive from people close to you. The psyche has an influence on the biology and the other way around. There is a strong connection between those two, there is no separation between body and mind.”
“People who experienced a traumatic youth with neglect or abuse, react differently to stress. They get out of balance more easy, but recovery after a stressful period is much harder. Research shows that this does not only affect their psyche but also their whole body. They have an increased risk of diabetes and cancer and live 10 to 20 years shorter than average.”
Read the full article in Dutch.