ADVICE: Coronavirus and how to protect your mental health

Coronavirus has plunged the world into uncertainty and the constant news about the pandemic can feel relentless. All of this is taking its toll on people's mental health, particularly those already living with conditions like anxiety and OCD. So how can we protect our mental health?

Being concerned about the news is understandable, but for many people it can make existing mental health problems worse.

When the World Health Organization released advice on protecting your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak, it was welcomed on social media.

As Anxiety UK's Nicky Lidbetter explains, the fear of being out of control and unable to tolerate uncertainty are common characteristics of many anxiety disorders. So it's understandable that many individuals with pre-existing anxiety are facing challenges at the moment.

"A lot of anxiety is rooted in worrying about the unknown and waiting for something to happen - coronavirus is that on a macro scale,"

agrees Rosie Weatherley, spokesperson for mental health charity Mind.

So how can we protect our mental health? - Read more at the BBC