Mumbai's Petrol Panic: How Past Traumas & Social Media Anxiety Drive Herd Behavior

As a psychiatrist at Mumbai’s SL Raheja Hospital, I have watched with growing concern as serpentine queues once again snake around our petrol pumps. While government data confirms stable stocks, the national psyche – including here in Mumbai – is currently hardwired to ignore official assurances. We are trapped in a crisis loop, and to understand why, we must look at the motherboard of our collective memory. Humans, by nature, crave predictability.

Any shift that threatens this stability triggers a primal fear response. In this state of high anxiety, a survival instinct takes over. When this happens, a person typically wants to salvage their own needs and becomes unable to consider collective needs. Factual information is not just dismissed; it is often entirely missed because the brain is functioning in a state of overt anxiety. Why is this happening now? The answer lies in the trauma of the recent past. Historically, there has been a lack of clear communication from authorities.

For instance, during the pandemic, a lockdown was suddenly announced one fine day. People were not prepared. Those memories are now trapped in our internal circuitry. Because people were not given time to prepare when the Covid lockdown occurred, they now focus on the bleakest, most catastrophic possibilities and prepare accordingly. We are currently flooded with information from social media and Instagram handles, and in such an environment, the most catastrophic news is usually what sticks. Significant global shifts, such as the mass migrations in West Asia, are broadcast incessantly.

These images evoke a level of panic that makes it difficult for people to internalise factual data offered by the government. Whether in a rural or urban sphere, the mechanism is the same. In rural areas, word-of-mouth creates a herd mentality. In urban centres like Mumbai, being glued to social media handles spikes anxiety in real-time. This constant monitoring does not help; it only evokes a sense of helplessness and triggers ‘acting out’ behaviours; like joining a midnight petrol queue out of sheer panic.

To break this loop, we need a ‘prescription for calm’. I advise consuming news only from credible, legitimate platforms and checking it periodically rather than constantly. Scrolling every five minutes only feeds the survival instinct. True safety comes from disciplined consumption and reclaiming our logic from the grip of past ghosts.

Writer is a psychiatrist and is associated with the SL Raheja Hospital – A Fortis Associate in Mahim

Published on: Sunday, March 29, 2026, 12:31 PM IST