In 2015, the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea affected 186 patients and led to 38 bereaved families. This study aimed at investigating the nature and related factors of the psychological responses of MERS victims during the acute phase of disaster.

The MERS Psychological Support Team under the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare provided counseling services to MERS survivors and bereaved families for 4 weeks, based on crisis intervention. In this study, we reviewed the counseling records of 109 survivors and 80 bereaved family members, and analyzed their epidemiological and MERS-related information along with psychological responses.

Somatic symptoms and anxiety related to social stigmatization or disease transmission were common in MERS survivors, whereas grief reactions such as sadness, and anger were frequently observed in bereaved families. Bereaved MERS survivors showed more avoidance/isolation than non-bereaved MERS survivors. Females, those with an underlying physical or psychiatric health condition, and those having experienced longer duration of hospitalization and non-healthcare workers were more at risk of suffering from psychological problems.

Survivors and bereaved families of epidemics can experience various psychological distresses depending on individual characteristics and the inherent features of the epidemic. Therefore, mental health in epidemics should be approached and considered more seriously.

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the content of the psychological responses in interviews with breast cancer outpatients receiving initial medical consultation.

The participants were 180 people who visited the breast cancer outpatient clinic at Kitasato University Hospital between November 2004 and August 2005. The remaining 176 participants (39 breast cancer patients and 137 benign tumor patients; average age ± SD: 50.7 ± 12.4 years) were analyzed. Two clinical psychologists carried out the interview, asking the participants to speak freely about their anxieties, worries, thoughts, and feelings up until the medical examination. This study used a content analysis of interviews to chronologically examine psychological response of cancer patients seeking medical consultation at three points in time.

Patients at the time of their first outpatient breast cancer consultation experience negative feelings before the examination, directly influenced by the suspicion of cancer. These include anxiety and worries, fear, evasion, depression, and impatience. These tendencies do not change at the time of consultation. However, in addition to negative feelings, some people also possess positive feelings, either simultaneously or at a different point in time. Further, many patients tend to talk at length about psychological responses before seeking treatment, understanding the process they went through to come to seek treatment as an important event.

It is important for medical workers to bear in mind the psychological conflicts that patients may undergo before seeking treatment and ensure that sufficient communication takes place.