HERMENEUTICS PROMOTES PERSON-CENTERED MENTAL HEALTH IN PANDEMIC TIMES

Abstract

Background: COVID 19 affects not only patients’ physical health but also mental well-being. Objective: To explore how hermeneutics, i.e., the theory and practice of interpretation, promotes person-centered mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: An excerpt of a dialogue between a patient with depression and his psychiatrist was used to illustrate how hermeneutics promotes person-centered mental health. Results: The case study, reviewed through the perspective of hermeneutics, showed that the patient needs a personal narrative to voice his COVID-19-related physical worries as well as associated psychosocial difficulties, mental health distress, and spiritual concerns. Discussion: A multi-layered personal narrative, informed by hermeneutics, ensures mental health needs are not overlooked/neglected in individuals affectedby COVID-19. Conclusion: Hermeneutics, when properly and clinically applied, promotes person-centered mental health in pandemic times.