Conspiracy theories can break up families and since the pandemic broke out, sceptics have added a new level of strain.
When someone suddenly starts denying the coronavirus exists, claiming it is all a plot, families can break up, spouses split and parents, children or friends can wind up struggling.
The stress of someone becoming a Covid denier can be severe, and break up the closest of relationships.
Demonstrations against government health policies have in many places attracted coronavirus sceptics, far-right activists and anti-vaxxers.
Those whose loved ones aren't convinced by the need for special measures to prevent the spread of the virus can wind up feeling the strain.
Sarah, a student in Germany who saw her father drifting away, did not want to give up on their relationship so she set up a self-help group together with her boyfriend.
"They are all very different characters, young and old. All of them have someone in their family who is very important to them," says Sarah after the meeting of 15 people that was held online.
"And for all of them, the pressure of suffering has grown over time."
"Everyone has already had a really hard time," adds Tim.
Those who joined the group described their trouble with parents, children, siblings and partners whom they didn't want to give up on.
"You're faced with someone you love and you don't know what to do. We're all connected by that issue."
The meeting left many feeling stronger and more motivated, if only for the fact that they realised they were not alone in seeking help.
"Everyone is aware that there is no panacea," says Tim. But they were able to share tips, such as how to deal with arguments so the conversation doesn't just break down completely.
They also traded tips on getting support from specialist counselling centres.
"Everyone in the groups wants to keep in touch with the difficult person in their family circle, even if it is super exhausting. There are some where the rift goes right through the family," Sarah says.
That despair is all too familiar, she says.
"When my dad started saying stranger and stranger things and then suddenly said on the phone that as an unvaccinated person he would soon have to wear the Jewish star, I broke down."
Her father is an educated man, open to many different cultures who had worked in different countries throughout his life.
"As I saw it, that was no longer my father speaking, not the words he would choose. I cried for hours."
His entire way of thinking focuses solely on the coronavirus, vaccination denial and conspiracy theories, she said."When the belief in conspiracies becomes identity-forming, it influences your whole life," says psychologist Pia Lamberty who runs CeMAS, an organisation that deals with conspiracy theories.
Those beliefs can wreck marriages and families, lead to despair, even shame – and to pain when those near to you die because they dismissed the vaccination as a conspiracy, she says.
"That's why it's so important to share with others who are experiencing similar things," Lamberty says.
People have set up self-help groups in several places nearby, with one in Erlangen, Bavaria. There are online groups too, she says, adding that the need is far greater than the number of groups available.
Many are struggling and there's a surge in the number of people seeking counselling, says Christoph Grotepass of Sekten-Info NRW, a German group that provides information about sects.
These are worrying times. Some people question the political measures, others have diffused fears about the vaccination while still others worry the population is being lied to, decimated or replaced.
All that is eroding the basis of trust in families, creating silence, alienation and fear.
Meanwhile, those who refuse to take on protective measures endanger others, often children or the elderly.
Self-help groups aren't the right solution for everyone, says Grotepass. He says some people can gain a sense of stability through counselling first, while others might not feel safe opening up to a group.
He says counselling centres can guide individuals seeking help to find the source of support that is right for them.
A spokesperson for a church-run self-help group predicts more self-help groups are likely to spring up. After all, even once the pandemic comes to an end, that won't automatically fix some of these problems.
The spokesperson joined the Bochum group and brought along a counsellor too but the idea is for such groups to work autonomously as soon as they are able, seeking help and advice where needed.
Sarah has several difficult months behind her but now she has a strategy for dealing with her father, thanks to support from experts from the sect group, Sekten-Info.
She now seeks common ground when talking with her father.
"And I no longer try to talk him out of what I see as his strange views. It's futile, anyway."But, she says, she makes it clear to him that she is not interested in these issues and does not see the situation the same way.
Instead, she shows him that she cares about him and makes an effort to understand his motives in emotional terms.
"That's where I see fear and insecurity."Meanwhile, in Tim's view: "Nobody likes to admit to being lost. You also have to give people time and not block their way out."
They are both happy they went ahead and set up the group and are already helping out with another, such is the level of need. – dpa
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