The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is raising levels of anxiety worldwide: both appropriate anxiety in reaction to real dangers and maladaptive panic. Beyond handwashing, a key public health directive is social distancing, which entails avoiding public gatherings and generally keeping physical distance from others. The economy is shutting down, leaving people at home without the structure of their daily work routine. The closing of theatres, museums, restaurants, and bars has disrupted and diminished social life. Rapid shifts in information (and misinformation) about a previously unknown pathogen amplify ongoing uncertainty and anxiety. Social distancing seems to mean increasing social isolation while worrying about a potentially lethal illness. Isolation can easily translate to loss of social support, particularly for individuals who live alone; and loss of social support often compounds symptom severity.

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