COVID-19 Pandemic and the rising Mental Health Issues

COVID-19: Present Scenario:

            Immediately when we think of covid-19 or else when we google the term, the flash that splashes our mind is the data regarding the spread of covid-19 infections and the rise of the death toll on account of covid-19 at various places of the world.

“The most deadly Virus that originated in China’s Wuhan has killed more than 2 million people and infected over 100 million.”, Keep saying all the news channels and the social media.

But one of the prime issues which are being greatly disregarded is the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health condition of an individual and the society as a whole. Pandemics are not just medical phenomena but are embodiments of stress, fear, uncertainty, confusion, misinterpretation etc., which have a severe effect on the personal and professional lives of the people and thus leading to mental disturbances.

Role of Misinformation:

The fast-spreading Covid-19 is coming along with rather fast-spreading misinformation which is being flooded all over the physical media and social media. This is creating a kind of panic situation with a linked chain of fears regarding the transmission of disease, its intensity and the self-care procedures to be followed.

 According to a study conducted at the ‘Department of Psychiatry and Department of Community Health’ of Christian Medical College, Vellore: Misinformation compounds the ignorance and fear of uncertainty leading to some ‘survival and death’ questions. Here lies the role of researchers, doctors and the media, who should come forward to disseminate the facts at the grass root levels and prevent ‘medical mistrust’, which has further adverse consequences.

Impact of COVID-19 on mental health:

The key strategies promoted for this kind of a deadly pandemic are isolation, physical distancing and personal care measures such as washing and sanitizing hands frequently, sanitizing of daily utilities etc.,– all of which can have significant impacts on our daily life and social relationships. Despite that, the impact of COVID-19 is differently felt in different groups of people based on their social status. While some try to adapt to working online, opting for online classes for their children and ordering groceries via e-commerce sites, others have no choice but to be exposed to the virus for keeping the society functioning. Our different social identities determine our vulnerability to the pandemic COVID-19.

But whatever the case may be, mental disturbances are identified in maximum number of people. Mental Health Effects of COVID-19 Pandemia: A Review of Clinical and Psychological Traits – PubMed (nih.gov).  According to a survey conducted by WHO spanning 130 countries, it is evident that more than 60% of people irrespective of age factor are found vulnerable to mental disruptions. Causes may span from a variety of sources such as family fights when all the family is under one roof, loss of income, divorce factors, loss of loved ones or fear of losing, isolation, confining ourselves to limited areas, fear of infection and the difficulty in getting accustomed to the ‘New Normal’ are triggering our mental health conditions.

Health anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks, depression and loneliness are the known outcomes of the above mentioned reasons in the scenario of living through a pandemic. All these affect the entire ‘basis of life’ question for many.

It therefore becomes necessary to dive into the causes, consequences and substantial remedies of the prevailing critical situation.

Causes of Mental disruptions in face of COVID-19:

1. Bringing up the similar fears that are experienced in case of previous pandemics (such as Nipah, Ebola or SARS), if you have lived through them in your lifetime.
2. Financial insecurities such as employment insecurity, fear of losing livelihood due to isolation and restrictions on travel for small businesses.
3. Lack of contact with family or friends who may be living far away.
4. Instilling Agoraphobia: the fear of going out of home or safe zones.
5. Behavioural indifferences shown towards people suffering from cold, cough, sneezing etc., (this might also be a simple flu).
6. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) regarding hygiene.
7. Hoarding disorder wherein we are obsessed with stockpiling the essential utilities.
8. Psychological stress created by the panic situation, many times due to reiterated fake messages in all forms of media.
9. Growing symptoms of fatigue, burnout, frustration, fear of contracting or guilt of transmitting infection which are mostly seen in frontline workers.

But sadly the focus of assessing the impact of  COVID-19 pandemic is almost entirely biased towards ‘deaths’ and ‘infections’, while mental well-being, one of the most common indicators of public health, unfortunately takes a backseat.

Remedies:

Among most of the remedies for better mental health during the pandemic, online counselling sessions are proven to be very effective according to a research conducted by Chinese researchers. Basic psychological support is giving better results despite the worsening situation in China.

We could take as an example, the protocol followed by a mental health institute at the Second Xiangya Hospital in Hunan for ensuring the quality of life of those in isolation. They followed simple steps such as – daily digital communication with their closed ones, group counselling, catering to individual dietary needs, comfort and leisure, continuation of job-related activities and updates on the outbreak condition. These measures gave a lot of relief to those in isolation.

Irrespective of infection and isolation, some simple remedies are to be followed by every one of us which include meditation, yoga practice and physical exercises that provide a great help in ensuring physical fitness and battling the mental chaos during the pandemic situation.

Regarding the financial insecurities, alternate sources of income such as online jobs shall be found. Insurance and support grants should be prioritised for the small scale businesses. Legal provisions for war time and natural calamities must be enforced for pandemic situations too.

In India central institutes like National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are working with community healthcare teams to provide on-going mental health care support at various levels.

There’s life after an outbreak

Pandemics are eventually transient. As hundreds of researchers across the world unravel the many mysteries around the virus, drugs are made and countries mount their emergency responses, there’s hope that life, economy and work will ultimately take their own course. However, this kind of global challenges can only be solved through global solutions as said by UN secretary-general. Having common suffering and a common goal of eradication, the countries shall work together more effectively in future, irrespective of geo-political differences.