Fear, irrational behavior caused toilet paper scare, hoarding

Published 9:02 am Friday, March 27, 2020

A lack of control over one’s circumstances and anxiety over uncertainty can lead to irrational behavior, such as buying up all the toilet paper at the local grocery stores, according to experts.

Anna Baker, a psychology professor at Bucknell University in Lewisburg Pennsylvania — who has a focus on health behavior — said fear tends to motivate people to engage in behavior they wouldn’t otherwise. The latest Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index shows that nine in 10 Americans are now concerned about COVID-19 with half worried about their jobs and their ability to pay the bills.

On Thursday, first-time unemployment claims reached a record 3.3 million, including 650,000 in Pennsylvania.

Across America and the Valley last week, grocery stories and essential businesses ran out of toilet paper as people flocked to the stores to buy them out. Many stores put up signs this week limiting the amount of toilet paper and other products that a consumer can purchase in one visit. 

“We are at the height of uncertainty right now,” said Baker. “We don’t know what will happen. Between the news cycle and social media, we’re bombarded with information. We’re home, we’re isolated, and it’s the perfect storm for things like anxiety and depression and we leave no room for coping.”

Even those without a history of fear and depression can fall into the toilet paper mentality, she said.

“We can know rationally that toilet paper will not run out, but we see others doing it, we see empty shelves and pictures of empty shelves, and that response — that herd mentality — takes over,” said Baker. “Cognitively, you can know all day long that there will be plenty of toilet paper, but the scarcity of it can cause fear and anxiety. That can be more powerful than reason.”

Stockpiling can provide a sense of control and a temporary sense of relief, she said. 

Dr. Shahida Fareed, a behavior medicine psychologist with Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania, said the same kind of hoarding happens with hurricane warnings, but COVID-19 is a situation that has uncertainty. Groceries, toilet paper and supplies are items that make people feel they have control over, she said.

Fareed said controlled breathing is the “single most effective measure” to calming a person. 

“Breathing can give you a sense of control that you don’t feel otherwise,” she said. 

Baker recommends a few tips to lessen fear and anxiety. The first one is to get out of bed, get dressed and do your morning routine so there’s still a sense of normalcy, she said. 

Focus on coping skills such as home workouts, going outside in safe ways and places that are not full of large groups, and limiting news and social media time, she said.

“Technology provides us with a way to stay connected,” Baker said. “We have social support through Facetime, and we can check with our doctors through telehealth. There are ways to stay socially connected.”

Another way to cope is to help others by donating, checking up on older loved ones and residents and doing something proactive to help the community, Baker said. 

Fareed suggested that having a sense of accomplishment that helps control fear and anxiety. Decide on a task, such as cleaning out a closet, and do it, she said.