BETWEEN 5:05pm and 5:15pm the other day, Dr. Chen Sanxing received three calls on the SARS hotline asking about mental problems caused by fear of the disease. Alongside Chen, another five consultants were also busy answering calls.

　　Chen is one of scores of consultants manning the hotline service for the Shanghai Mental Health Centre. The centre's director, Xiao Zeping, said: "SARS has had some negative impact on the mental health of some citizens so we set up the special hotline to provide professional help and guidance for them to build up a sound attitude towards the disease."

　　Since the city's special SARS hotline for mental problems was set up May 22, an average of 200 calls are being received by consultants between 5:00pm and 10:00pm each day. A total of 50 volunteer consultants have been registered to take the calls.

　　After the outbreak of SARS, many local residents were not game to take a bus or other public transport; some have become very nervous whenever people around them cough or sneeze; some dare not step out of their homes; some wash their hands compulsively, up to 30 times a day; some are finding it hard to go to sleep; and, some immediately think they have caught SARS if they have the slightest physical discomfort.

　　Consultant Chen Wenhong gave the following example. One caller suffers from chronic bronchitis which hits him every year around this time. But this year, when he had a symptom of bronchitis - dry coughing - he immediately thought about SARS.

　　So he dared not leave home, dared not see a doctor and lay on his bed all day and all night. "From his weak voice on the phone, I could tell how nervous he was," said Chen.

　　Professor Ji Jianlin at the centre explained: "It's normal for people to feel afraid and have irrational responses to sudden crises such as the SARS outbreak and this is reflected in their mental behaviour."

　　"Mild reactions are good because people become more attentive and make full use of their potential to deal with the issue and get through the crisis."

　　But if irrational responses go too far, it will harm people's mental and physical health, Ji said. Too much tension or the onset of phobias not only affects one's normal life and work but may lead to a reduction of the body's overall defenses against diseases. So that overly nervous people are more at risk than people who remain calm.

　　Ji said that the sudden crisis will aggravate people's mental problems if they are prone to depression, obsession and anxiety.

　　Experts also point out that some people's anxiety is due to their misunderstanding or ignorance about SARS. "I am astonished to be asked so many very simple questions such as what is the normal body temperature," said Chen.

　　"If the public had basic knowledge of the disease and the correct methods of self-protection, such phobias will naturally disappear."

　　In the current climate of alarm, people should learn how to become relaxed and maintain a sound mental approach. Exercises are helpful for people to reduce tension in the mind. And finding something enjoyable to do is much better than staying at home because this can help shift worry about SARS to other things.

　　"Letting the public know the truth through direct channels is also helpful in easing anxiety, because correct information overcomes widespread rumours," said Ji.

　　To help people with mental problems, the first step is to let them ventilate their anxiety or phobia to friends, family members or professional consultants.

　　People under quarantine, patients and medical staff are also in great need of mental support. "I felt extremely loneliness and terribly anxious when I was isolated and kept in a small room. And it's the calls from my husband, friends and hotline volunteers that helped me through the 'black' days," said Judy Zhu who experienced a two-week medical quarantine.

　　Experts also want to remind citizens that anxiety or phobia can also affect normal people for a certain period of time. If an abnormal mental situation lasts for too long or is strongly affecting their lives, people should turn to consultants for help.