Agartala, June 18: Apart from the physical health, the Corona pandemic has silently but severely affected the mental health of many people irrespective of ages. And, proper management of the mental health has emerged one of the important tasks. To address such issues, the Government has put some well-defined steps in place.
While the COVID19 surge forced the government to impose lockdown as a measure to curb the transmission chain of the virus, many of the people have experienced some uninvited mental health issues— the school children and the teenage group suffered the most.
When we took an expert’s opinion to find out the reason behind such mental health issues, anxiety disorder, depression in every age group and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder appeared as key reasons.
An expert explained, “the people, mostly the school children and teenagers, are unable go out of home and meet their friends and close ones, as everything-- the offices, markets, schools, colleges, private tuitions, amusement parks and other such establishments remained closed following the lockdown. So, naturally, the anxiety disorder, depression in every age group and Oxessive Compulsive Disorder have increased among them during this Covid time.”
The expert said some of the symptoms among the children and adolescent group to identify their mental health issues are- aggression, oppositional behavior and Attention Deficit Hyperactivities Disorder.
“While the government has taken various steps to address such issues, the parents have a major role to play in case of dealing with depression or anxiety disorder among their children. The first thing that the parents should do is to encourage their children for indoor sports and games since there is no chance for outdoor sports for the time being. They need to spend quality time with their children, avoid watching or reading excessive Covid-related news, maintain regular routine like eating and sleeping timings and control use of smart phone,” said Dr. Udayan Majumder, a renowned psychiatrist, working as Tripura State Programme Officer, National Mental Health Programme.
The common points that caused depression and anxiety among the adults during Covid period included fear of losing near and dear ones, fear of losing jobs and uncertainty about their future.
Dr. Majumder has also elaborated the steps taken by the Tripura government to provide mental support to the general public during Covid pandemic.
“We are focusing more on National Mental Health Programme under which mental support teams have been deployed in every district. Besides, in collaboration with Indian Psychiatric Society Society’s Tripura state branch, we are providing tele-counseling service,” he said.
Elaborating the other initiatives, the psychiatrist said, “Tripura has been linked with the Nimhans helpline—08046110007. If anybody from Tripura dials the number and seeks support on mental health, the call is soon redirected to state’s psychologists so that they can get help easily.”
“Tele psychological counseling of Covid-infected patients is one of the important initiatives. Every person, who gets tested positive with the coronavirus, is contacted by a team of psychologists to know if the patient develops any anxiety disorder, depression or psychological problems. Total 13 counselors are working hard in this arena to provide psychological support to the Covid patients who need it. During Covid 2.0, counseling of around 10,500 patients has already been done,” Dr. Majumder said.
When we talk about mental health, a key area of concern, the suicidal behavior remains one of the major issues. To address this particular issue, a Dedicated Suicidal Helpline—9863100639 is functioning round the clock. Whenever any person makes a call to this helpline and informs about anybody showing the tendency of suicide, the staff engaged here, all psychologists, provide the necessary support to prevent the threat with arrangement of first aid from the nearest mental support facilities, the Psychiatrist said.