Covid-19
Pandemic – Impact on Mental Health
Introduction
The long duration
of this Covid-19 Pandemic, resulting in more or less total Lock Down of
nearly two months (in our country) has
started taking its toll on the mental health of all sectors of the
common people throughout the Globe ; In India, the Pandemic has significantly affected our lifestyle, career & economy over the
past few weeks ; A recent study in India
has shown that there has been a
significant rise in the number of patients suffering from mental health issues
; People from several age groups are reporting
cases of excessive stress, anxiety, panic & depression ;
Symptoms of Mental Illness
There are
ways by which we can understand &
identify the various mental
health issues that may be manifested in any member of our family ; These are
– Fear & Nervousness, Insecure feelings about futures, Insomnia & Nightmares, Anxiety, Panic Episodes, Inability to relax, Lack of interest in
activities, Worsening of medical conditions like hypertension & blood
sugars etc. It has been observed that
during the pandemic related lockdown
the Senior Citizens are the worst affected with mental issues ; They are suffering from the intense stress
due to a deviation from their daily routine and falling into depression over
loneliness ; Along with school & office closing, the social
distancing has created a social
isolation previously unseen across the globe ;
Causes
The fear of losing livelihood due to
isolation, social distancing, mandatory
stay at home , restriction over travel ;
· The fear of stepping out of the house
& of being caught by the virus ;
· A constant sense of insecurity of
losing one’s loved ones to the infection ;
· Anxiety caused by lack of contacts
with near relatives living far away ;
· The compulsory need to store up
foods, essentials & medicines ;
· Suddenly closing of the
sources of additional income to the family if any, caused by the compulsory
confinement at home ;
· Elderly people, especially the ones
suffering from underlying diseases, have become more fearful and anxious
as most of the information pouring in from the outside suggest their
vulnerability to the fatal infection ;
Remeady
Create a daily schedule for you and your family ;
· Try to limit of amount of time you
spend reading or listening to the news ;
· Ensure your undisturbed, sufficient
sleep which helps reducing your stress and supports your immune system ;
· Avoid junk food, eat simple and nutritious food at regular
interval of time ;
· Try to develop a practice of regular
freehand exercise, yoga etc. along with
the other members of your family ; Try meditation and deep breathing exercise ;
· If you have children, give more time to them and let them know honestly what is going on outside ;
· Avoid drugs and smoking ; Limit
taking alcohol ;
· Protect yourself and be supportive to
others ;
· Honour and cooperate with the healthcare workers’ supporting
people, they are giving their
services for your betterment ;
· If you have an underlying health
condition, make sure to have access to any medications that you are currently
using and make a sufficient stock
of them ; Be prepared and know in advance where and how to get practical
helps in times of need ;
Resources
-
An Article written by Dr. Naveen Jayram, on major toll on mental
health of people by Covid-19, posted on
16th April, 2020, in the
E-Health News, Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru ;
· A
Report dated 8th April, 2020 by
Calliope Holingue, M. Daniele
Fallin &
others of Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public
Health, USA on the
various protective measures to be
adopted during the Coronavirus Pandemic ;
· World Health Organisation’s Message Ref : WHO/2019-nCOV/ Mental Health/2020.1 ;
Comments
Post a Comment