The psychosocial situation in Paraguay in the COVID-19 pandemic is as follows:
Poor distribution of wealth and lack of equity. There are no adequate educational programs. The children do know how to read, but they do not understand what they are reading, and the places of teaching are not in order
Justice is invaded by the corrupt
Poor distribution of land, the invasion of soya producers, with the displacement of the peasant farmers
High salaries of the privileged people who work in the national entities (Itaipu and Yasyreta)
A precarious health system with the problem of the dengue epidemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic entered our country without warning, surprised us, and revealed the precariousness of our health system which was already fighting another epidemic, Dengue fever, which had saturated the hospitals.
The government's actions, however, were correct; life was given priority over economic aspects; a strategy was proposed and in time, it focused on a hard policy of confinement, managing to control the spread of the virus to the population.
However, undoubtedly, this new social order influences the economic, cultural, and psychological aspects.
In the economic aspect, jobs are being lost and the hunger of poor people is beginning to exert pressure.
Culturally also, there will be important changes.
The mental health in this time of pandemic is altered; a very huge stress is created among the doctors and nurses that are assisting, in the homes where people remain in quarantine that breaks totally with the daily routine and strive to generate a new routine. The uncertainty and the fear of the contagion is generating more fear, and there is a crisis of panic, depression, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, attempts of suicide, and mistreatment of children and women.
Measures of the Paraguayan Society of Psychiatry include free telephone assistance, conferences, and videos by ZOOM or other technologies.