Almost 25 percent of Covid-affected patients suffered from mental health problems in Delhi, Gujarati and Jharkhand, more in urban areas than rural settings, even as the pandemic subsided, resulting in more gender-based violence in all three states, according to a study published on Friday.
A strong link was established between GBV issues and mental health, with nearly 77 percent of people affected by GBV found to have mental health issues.
The study also highlighted that 16 percent of family members of COVID-19 patients reported having mental health problems, according to World Health Partners (WHP), a leading public health organization.
WHP’s tele-counseling service helped patients with Covid-19, their families and people affected by gender violence to overcome mental health problems.
“Learning from the project highlighted the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health by focusing on the need to access affordable and timely mental health care,” said Prachi Shukla, Country Director – World Health Partners.
“The rise in mental health problems has opened the doors to deploy low-cost digital technologies that can support government efforts to build stronger health systems,” he added.
The project was implemented from June 2021 to November 2022 in 26 districts in the three states.
The teams contacted more than 500,000 people to assess their mental health status.
During the life of the project, WHP’s telehealth platform received more than 70,000 calls for mental health support.
Nearly 95 percent of people with mild mental health problems turned out to be normal after completing the telecounseling sessions.
In the urban settings of the three states, the prevalence of mental health problems among men and women in the 35-59 age group was higher, at 21.2%, compared to rural settings at 13. two %.
“Telemental health is a game changer when it comes to facilitating access to services in parts of the country that may not have access to the kind of quality care that is available to people in metropolitan areas or prime cities.” level,” said Dr. Rajesh Sagar, Professor and Head of Psychiatry, AIIMS.
“There is a need to strengthen the country’s health system and ensure effective delivery of mental health care in the primary care setting to reach the unreached population,” Sagar added.
The 18-month project was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
It was implemented with the technical support of institutions such as the Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP) and the Ranchi Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Related Sciences (RINPAS).
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