Sizable chunk of patients still prefer teleconsultation, say psychiatrists

PSYCHIATRISTS SAY, DURING THE PANDEMIC, THEY SAW A 50% SURGE IN PEOPLE SEEKING THE HELP OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

MUMBAI: In April 2021, Shailaja* (62), a Surat resident, dialled a Mumbai-based psychiatrist for an online consultation to resolve the recurrent crying spells and low mood she had been experiencing for the last ten years.

“Last year, my family advised me to speak to a psychiatrist as he felt I was suffering from depression. He encouraged me to seek help saying since it is online, I did not need to worry about others knowing and the choice of opting for treatment post the consultation will be mine,” said Shailaja, who also suffers from diabetes and hypertension for two decades.

“For close to ten years, I had these recurrent crying spells and felt low. Post the treatment, I felt good for the first time. I don’t think I would have ever consulted a psychiatrist if the pandemic had not happened and online consultation was not an option,” she added.

Similarly, Chembur resident Kshitij J (21), a mechanical engineering student, found the courage to seek help online in early 2021 without his parents’ knowledge. “When I was in class 12, I had developed cold feet during exams. My parents were reluctant to take me to the psychiatrist saying it is common and there is no need to go for a consultation or take medication,” he said. Kshitij said he had a similar episode of anxiety attack last year during the pandemic.

“The whole pandemic situation and uncertainty about exams and future triggered an anxiety attack. Since there was an online consultation option, I decided to seek help without my parents knowing about it. They still aren’t aware,” he said.

While the city has returned to normalcy, psychiatrists continue to take 30-50% of their daily consultations online. A major chunk comprises first-time help seekers like Shailaja and Kshitij.

Psychiatrists said the pandemic has been a boon in disguise as many hesitant patients came forward to take help via teleconsultation.“There has always been a stigma associated with visiting a mental health professional’s clinic. With the pandemic and video consultation becoming an option, many got the courage to seek help from the comfort of their home,” said Dr Avinash Desousa, president of Bombay Psychiatric Society, who said 30% of his present daily consultation is still online.

Psychiatrists say, during the pandemic, they saw a 50% surge in people seeking the help of mental health professionals. “Of the total patients, more than 20% were first-time seekers,” said Dr Desousa.

Dr Milan Balakrishnan, a psychiatrist at Masina Hospital, said, “Everybody went through some trouble. It helped people become aware of mental health. And online consultation allowed many to take the first step in seeking a professional’s help.”

The Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) is studying the impact of the pandemic and availability of online consultation.

“The IPS plans to study and understand the experience of the patients who took video consultation, the reluctance and stigma attached to mental health,” said a psychiatrist, part of the IPS study.

Mpower, a foundation that provides mental health care, said while they had a robust online consultation option pre-pandemic, it was only in the last two years that they saw a rise in people seeking help online.

Mpower’s BMC: Mpower 1-1 helpline (1800-120-820050), a 24x7 toll-free service launched during pandemic, has received over 90,000 calls from across the country, of which about 50,000 are from Maharashtra.

Dr Vinod Kumar, psychiatrist & head of Mpower - The Centre, Bengaluru, said, “During the pandemic, we saw a 4 to 5 fold rise in people seeking help as there was no physical consultation option and many went through the stress, anxiety and depression.”