Mental health
concerns and treatment usually take a backseat when the limited resources are
geared for pandemic containment. In this global humanitarian crisis of the
COVID -19 pandemic, mental health issues have been reported from all over the
world.
We attempt to review the prevailing mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic through global experiences, and reactive strategies established in mental health care with special reference to the Indian context. By performing a rapid synthesis of available evidence, we aim to propose a conceptual and recommendation framework for mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A search of the PubMed electronic database and google scholar was undertaken using the search terms ‘novel coronavirus’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘nCoV’, SARS-CoV-2, ‘mental health’, ‘psychiatry’, ‘psychology’, ‘anxiety’, ‘depression’ and ‘stress’ in various permutations and combinations. A thorough search of all published journal articles, newspaper articles, magazine articles, webpages including World health Organisation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare- Government of India (MOHFW), State governments and independent websites of various institutions) and non-government organizations, and verified social media portals including -Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Whatsapp, etc., have been compiled after exclusion of fake and unverified updates. The authenticity of the social media updates has been ensured by thorough search and inclusion of only verified institutional/organisational social media pages and central and state government social media portals.
General Tips for
Maintaining Mental Health in Isolation:
- Develop a routine. Wake up and go to sleep at the same time and establish a schedule to help create a sense of normalcy that may be lacking due to factors such as working remotely or having children home from school.
- Stay active. Find ways to exercise at home or go for a walk or a run while practicing social distancing.
- Stay social. Using the video call feature on your smartphone or video conferencing on a computer is a great way to spend time with friends and family while apart. Gionfriddo recommends taking conversations “one step up,” by calling instead of texting or using video chat instead of a regular phone call.
- Limit news intake. Staying informed is important, but too much content can be overwhelming. Try to avoid checking the news more than a few times per day.
- Listen to public health professionals. Recommendations and guidelines provided by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) External link are the best source of information to keep yourself and others safe.
While the health
system struggles to save millions of lives daily, there is probably a risk of a
looming pandemic of hidden mental health issues which has a huge potential of
shattering the existing mental health infrastructure. To handle the aftermath of
the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of the people needs to be handled hand
in hand and given equal importance along with other strategies to manage and
control the disease and the pandemic at large. There is a definite need for
specialized psychological intervention and proper and consistent risk
communication and crisis communication. An updated, timely, uncomplicated
guidelines should be put forth in order to avoid confusion and anxiety among
the people. Hence, keeping a positive approach, effective communication
strategies and understanding the problem statement, will help in dealing with
the mental health issues faced by the world in this hour of crisis. The
recommended intervention strategies should therefore be vulnerable group
specific and further cause or risk factor specific also. Developing need-based
interventions with proper risk communication strategies and keeping at par with
the evolving epidemiology of COVID-19 would be instrumental in guiding the
planning and prioritization of mental health care resources so that the mental
health of most vulnerable groups is well served.
