The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that India will suffer economic losses amounting to a staggering $1.03 trillion from mental health problems between 2012 and 2030. The raging COVID-19 pandemic has put people on lockdown inside their homes for the last two years, nurturing inside is a long-standing, silent pandemic of mental health.
COVID -19 hit the panic button.
Communities, families and individuals have been affected by loneliness, violence, panic, fear of infection, poor health, co-morbidities, death, bereavement, migration stress, job insecurity and financial crises. This prolonged uncertainty with the disruption of the social fabric has led to chronic anxiety and stress, leading to a variety of mental health problems. The impact was accentuated in the already vulnerable subsections. Age-based differences in one study revealed that younger age groups were more susceptible to symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety. The impact was also felt among healthcare workers, the frontline warriors in our fight against the pandemic.
While society must begin to normalize mental illness alongside other physical illnesses, it is even more critical that those in the health care field do so.
Maharashtra’s BMC-Mpower 1-to-1 mental health helpline received around 45,000 calls in the first two months of the pandemic. Of these, 82 percent of callers complained of anxiety, isolation, restlessness and depression, while others were due to sleep irregularities and exacerbation of pre-existing mental health issues.
These consequences were notably higher among vulnerable subgroups such as women, young children, people in conflict, and caste minorities. An ORF survey reported that 65 per cent of nearly 6,000 young people between the ages of 18 and 32 felt lonely during lockdown, with 37 per cent feeling their mental health had been “strongly affected”. “The pandemic saw an exponential increase in cases of depression, anxiety and stress among adolescents, who were leading abnormal and isolated lives and, in many cases, there was an increase in substance abuse,” says Dr. Rohit Garg, a prominent Indian psychiatrist. Lack of sleep, lower levels of resilience, loneliness, and a lack of social interactions with peers affected the youth.
Most important, though often neglected, was the mental health of the health workers themselves. In the face of unprecedented emergencies, they responded with agility and long working hours, often distancing or isolating themselves from their families. They had prolonged exposure to trauma, pain, and demanding circumstances during this period. Anecdotal evidence indicates that in order to appear foolproof and competent, they would dismiss and hide their symptoms such as anger, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidal behavior.
Now that we seem to have crossed the acute phase of the pandemic, healthcare workers continue to grapple with anxiety and chronic stress as they nervously step back into the new normal, guiding communities and patients alike.
mental health may
Mental Health May (Awareness Month) organized by WHO prioritizes back to basics, in which multiple stakeholders instill proactive and preventive mental health interventions at all levels.
The Center for Knowledge and Development (CKD) recognizes this need and has undertaken initiatives within all ongoing projects to mainstream mental health among its involved stakeholders and the communities it serves.
Last year brought the public health system to its knees during the peak of COVID-19 and presented an abundantly clear view of the growing need for holistic mental health services. The asymmetry between supply and demand for mental health services in India remains a challenge; the estimated number of psychiatrists per 100,000 population in India is a dismal 0.75 compared to 3 in developed countries.
Collective action: the need of the moment
Mental health is a deeply intersectional and cross-sectoral issue. To address the chronic underfunding, ongoing neglect, lack of awareness, and stigma around mental health, collective action is needed from different stakeholders, including medical professionals, activists, nonprofits, and government systems. .
Synergistic mental health conversations among all stakeholders, engaging technical experts, training health workers that strengthen early identification and management, and leveraging government initiatives such as the State Mental Health Authority are imperative to prevent a mental health epidemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world as we know it. It took us by surprise and we grappled with our response, suffering as we faced it. In the wake of this learning, it is our moral responsibility now to prevent the mental health epidemic that is looming on the horizon. There is a great need for focused synergies, cross-sector efforts, and investments to strengthen our ill-equipped mental health infrastructure.
Written by Seema Gupta, Advisor, Center for Knowledge and Development. The opinions expressed here are personal.
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