Psychoanalysis and Non-Adherence to Medical Advice: An Ethical Dilemma in Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Mitigation measures required by Covid-19 pandemic have posed severe restrictions on individual freedom and have been met with persistent opposition in minority circles. As non-adherence to preventive measures is believed to increase health risks for the society at large, dissent from official policies has been a source of concern. Within this framework several eminent psychoanalysts have suggested psychoanalysis should be enrolled as a component of health related public opinion campaigns. The chapter will discuss the historical relation between mental health institutions and social control strategies and will formulate a psychoanalytic model of the social dialectic associated with the Coronavirus pandemic. The model will allow the author to offer grounded ethical perspectives on the issue.