Indians suffer from mental stress as Covid resurges
The second wave of Covid-19 has turned more lethal, infecting more people and taking more lives. Besides causing financial and physical problems, it has also affected people mentally, creating panic in their minds.
The uncertainty about their present and future, coupled with government mandates to stay at home, is all exacerbating mental illness. The feeling of being cooped up at home, distant from their loved ones, devoid of social support and fear about new variants is increasing mental illness, according to mental health experts.
“The current situations are affecting the mental well-being on account of the uncertainty of the present and the future, the impact on the physical health of the self and loved ones, impact on work and productivity, and as a result, an effect on the relations that surround them,” said Dr Samir Parikh, Director, Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare. While the current scenario is affecting all individuals, regardless of their age, gender or other demographics, more adolescents and adults have reached out seeking help for mental health issues.
“Since the beginning of April, there has been a rise in tele-psychiatric consultations by at least 20 per cent. While the face to face consultations have plateaued, teleconsultations requests for seeking help have steadily increased,” said Dr Satish Kumar, Consultant Clinical Psychologist,
Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru, told IANS. The most prominent problem reported by people is anxiety and depression. Teens are more stressed out about their future plans, resulting in an existential crisis while the adults are overwhelmed by the fear of survival, financial insecurity and job security.
These fears are coupled by “Covid anxiety/pandemic anxiety. People fear that they are going to die, increasing their death anxiety issues”, Kumar said. “People are also worried about being spreaders and causing harm to their loved ones. Even those people who never had mental health issues, even in their family history, are now reaching out for medical support as they are facing a lot of emotional stress,” Kumar.