The COVID-19 and Munchausen Syndrome

Currently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some people are pretending to have COVID-19. The pretending to have COVID-19 can be considered as a symptom of Munchausen syndrome. It can be speculated that people with factitious disorders may pretend to have COVID-19 because of an inner need to get the sympathy and special attention from others;therefore, it is imperative that this issue should be studied with a multidisciplinary approach. In addition, people should not share any message from those pretending to have COVID-19 that may result in increasing public stress.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

The COVID-19 and Ageism in Social Media

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was recognized as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. However, the median age of laboratory-confirmed cases is about 45 years and age is not a sole potential risk for catching COVID-19;unfortunately, some social media pretend that elderly people are more likely to be infected by COVID-19. Providing such information about the COVID-19 can increase the stress and anxiety among the elderly that may weaken their immune system. It is suggested that social media provide appropriate information to reduce public stress.Copyright © 2020 Bentham Science Publishers.