Dr. Mark McDonald, a practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist in West Los Angeles, spoke at Monday’s “White Coat Summit” in the nation’s capital and pointed out that the fears exhibited by many parents over the Chinese coronavirus are “not based on reality.”
"I also know that unless we deal with this fear and take it and face it head-on, the information will not be of use. You cannot use information, no matter how accurate it is, unless you’re in a calm state of mind. Anybody who’s worked in the military knows this.
When you are in a state of panic, when you are terrorized, when you are traumatized, you cannot think clearly. Most of the adults in my practice with children that come in for treatment are in that state. They are not responsive to information. They are allowing fear to guide their decisions."
WATCH -Dr. Mark McDonald's video conference discussing this form of child abuse.