COVID-19 A BREEDING GROUND FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

 

COVID-19 – A BREEDING GROUND FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

                                  An opportune and unsolicited acrimony in the form of Covid-19 has brought everything to standstill, be it the Life or livelihood. This virus is such a prolific breeder that within a minimal span of time it has spread from its original release point and engulfed the whole globe, surprisingly sparing all but humans. It has made each one of us to dance to its tune and unfortunately most of the times it has been the dance of death. The dance has been so horrific and disastrous that more lives have been lost in last one and half year than those in last two decades caused by the natural and health disasters together.

                                 As the public is being informed about the physical effects of Covid-19 in form of lives lost, its epidemiology, clinical features, mode of transmission and management, there has been very little concern expressed over the effects on one’s mental health. One needs to understand that pandemic is not just a medical phenomenon, but a subject of social relevance too as it affects the psychological and behavioural pattern of not only an individual but of society at large. The pandemic has not only impacted the physical health but has also increased the economic and social hardships challenging many people’s mental wellness. Apart from the virus itself, the measures like home isolation, social distancing, closure of educational institutes, workplaces, entertainment venues etc. that were taken to break the chain of transmission have undoubtedly affected the social and mental health of individuals from across the board. The current social isolation and restrictions are linked to feelings of frustration and uncertainty, clearly demonstrating that individuals at large are emotionally unprepared, frail and helpless to the detrimental effects of biological disasters.

                                 Over the past year, living in a pandemic has made it evident that the relationship between the body and mind matters for health. The separation from loved ones, loss of freedom, boredom, and uncertainty has caused a deterioration in individual's mental health status. Under the current global situation, both the children and adults are experiencing a mix of emotions with a considerable degree of fear, worry and concern among them. The children are likely to experience anxiety related disorders that can have a short‐and/or long‐term effects on their mental health as they are away from school, friends and colleagues for more than a year now and are staying within the closed walls. The adults and elderly with underlying disease are also more prone to these mental issues not only because of the social distancing from their families and friends but also due to the weaker immune system and underlying health conditions.

                                 The health workers and care givers are not an exception to this state of mind. The fear of catching a disease, isolation from their families, long working hours, unavailability of protective gear, supplies and effective medications, death of their colleagues after exposure to Covid‐19 and the dire situation of their patients have taken a negative toll of their mental health. The working efficiency of health care professionals is decreasing gradually leading on to the mental fatigue and there are reports across the country where doctors have committed suicides as well. In a recent report, a doctor at a private hospital in India's capital city Delhi took his own life in early May this year as the doctor had saved hundreds of lives in April but developed depression in the face of rising numbers of coronavirus deaths.

                                The mental health issue is not a new entity and India has been struggling with this crisis even before the pandemic. The suicide mortality rate has been highest in India and as per the report by National Crime Records Bureau there was an increase of nearly 3.4% suicide deaths in 2019 with a daily report of 381 suicides per day as compared to that in 2018. However, the conditions created by the fallout from the pandemic seems to be a perfect breeding ground for long term mental health problems like chronic stress, anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence, self-harm etc. and it is believed that this crisis might outlast the virus itself. To overcome this, measures at an individual, societal and governmental levels are required. Spending time with family members including children and elderly people, involvement in different healthy exercises and sports activities, following a schedule/routine and taking a break from traditional and social media can all help to overcome mental health issues. Furthermore, frequent telephonic conversations, virtual meetings, video conferencing, dedicated blogs and forums should be implemented in order to reduce social isolation and loneliness as well as allow the successful communication with the loved ones. Health workers should also take short breaks between their working hours, make more use of telemedicine and deal with the situation calmly in a relaxed manner. 

                               The long-term impact of the pandemic in view of economic disruption, physical loss, joblessness and subsequently mental illness seems to be severe and will take a long time to fix. Public awareness campaigns focusing on the maintenance of mental health in the prevailing situation are urgently needed. There are growing concerns that India's mental health provision is not adequately equipped to cope with a widespread mental health crisis and India’s healthcare system need to take presumptive steps in cognition with the Psychiatrists and mental illness therapists rather than the self-styled healers and fraudulent so that people don’t have to run from pillar to post at the time of crisis as we are doing right now for the essential supplies, oxygen, medications and beds.

 

Dr. Pawan Suri

Chief Cardiologist

SGL SuperSpeciality Hospital

Jalandhar, Punjab

Email: psuricardio@gmail.com