Mental health issues on rise

THERE has been an influx of patients with mental healthrelated issues, with as many as a dozen presenting themselves to a Nadi-based private medical clinic every week.

Dr Krishan Naidu said many of the issues were related to the second wave of COVID-19 and its personal and socio-economic impact.

“With COVID-19 now at its peak, we are getting an influx of patients who are presenting with anxiety, stress and panic and all other symptoms related to mental health,” he said.

“I believe last year’s scenario was a bit more different because we did not have locally transmitted cases and we were only reading things through the media.

“However, this time it’s pretty much very real, it’s on the ground and it’s happening and people are seeing relatives being put into quarantine, taken for swabbing and this is causing a lot of anxiety.

“There are cases in Nadi where some people from certain communities who are on lockdown are being victimised and this causes more stress.”

Dr Naidu said they had to refer patients to Empower Pacific and other organisations that provide proper counselling.

He said on average, he would see a dozen cases in a week and in a day around three cases.

“There are cases that are never presented and they can be at home resorting to illicit drugs, kava or alcohol to deal with it mentally because they do not know who to speak to.

“Then there are those who cannot visit a private doctor because they simply cannot afford to pay and they do not know what to do.”