Sansad TV Perspective: COVID -19 & Mental Health

In the series Sansad TV Perspective, we bring you an analysis of the discussion featured on the insightful programme ‘Perspective’ on Sansad TV, on various important topics affecting India and also the world. This analysis will help you immensely for the IAS exam, especially the mains exam, where a well-rounded understanding of topics is a prerequisite for writing answers that fetch good marks.

In this article, we feature the discussion on the topic: COVID-19 & Mental Health

Anchor: Vishal Dahiya

Participants:

1. Dr. Geetha Desai, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS
2. Dr. Rushi, Head of the Department of Clinical Psychology, PGIMER- Dr RML Hospital
3. Dr. Ishwar Basavaraddi, Director, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry of AYUSH, GoI

Context:

Psychological distress has been one of the most significant implications of the pandemic across the globe. The issue of mental health is witnessing a steep rise with the onset of threat posed by the new variant of Coronavirus, Omicron. According to a survey carried out by UNICEF, mental issues have been a major aftereffect of the pandemic especially among the children and youngsters.  

The Importance of Mental Health: 

• The wide ambit of mental health involves the well- being of emotional, psychological and social states of our minds. 
• Mental health has a huge impact on the acts and behaviours of individuals, their way of thinking and feeling.
• A considerable variation of mental state happens from childhood till adolescence which are driven by biochemical signalling pathways. 
• The society we live in, has for long conveyed a prominent sense of hesitation towards accepting mental illness as any other abnormal functioning of the body that we refer to as common illness or diseases. 
• Presently people are stepping ahead with an emerging sense of awareness about mental health as every individual living in this fast moving life with irregularities in lifestyle, has been a victim of abnormal states of mind like depression, anxiety, mood disorders, disorders stemming from doses of steroid drugs, eating disorders, addiction and so on and so forth. These mental illnesses have been triggered significantly during the pandemic. 
• Therefore, it is a necessity in its absolutism that the context of mental health and its link with COVID-19 must be treated with effective intervention by experts, government, NGO and other stakeholders. 

Mental Health Scenario in India: Shades of Challenges 

• A study conducted by India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative reported that the disease burden of India due to mental disorders has increased from 2.5% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2017 in terms of disability adjusted life years.
• There has been a profound association between depression and death by suicide among women in India.
• The Ipsos’ Global Happiness Survey 2020 observed that only 66% of Indians considered themselves as ‘very happy’. This is a sharp decline of 23 points from the 2011 survey and 11% lower than 2019.
• A 2019 McKinsey report suggested that the number of Internet users in India would increase by 40% by 2023. 
• An interesting inference has been drawn by many experts that social media is a double edged sword towards contributing to mental disorders. Perhaps, many people have adopted the practice of digital detox which prevents them from getting engrossed with social media and devices. 
• In a report by “The Lancet”, Indians accounted for 26.6% of the global suicides in 2016. 
• India runs a shortage of psychiatrists to address a large number of cases related to mental disorders adding to the challenges of the country. 
• The National Mental Health Survey 2015-16 conducted by NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences), Bengaluru under the purview of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it was revealed that 9.8% million teenagers in the age group of 13-17 years suffer depression and other mental disorders
• The Lancet found that suicide deaths ranked first among all mental disorders in women within the age group of 15-29 years across 24 states in the country.

Impact of the Pandemic:

• The pandemic brought the enforcement of isolation to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 
• This made people detached from all sorts of engagement resulting in rising cases of depression, addiction and even domestic violence on women. 
• A massive cost has to be incurred by mental health due to the shift of the entire social framework to the adoption of a “new normal” amidst the lockdown activity. 
• The period of pandemic confined many in solitude compromising the very ethos of being a human who is often awarded with the recognition of a social animal. 
• “The Lancet”  reported that there has been an increase of 35% of depression and anxiety cases as an impact of the pandemic. In 2020, there were 76.2 million cases of anxiety disorders in the country along with 53.2 million more cases of major depressive disorders. 

Meerut: A Case Study

• Meerut experienced an alarming situation during the pandemic with respect to rising cases of mental illness that were overlooked as a consequence of acute shortages of psychiatrists.
• In April 2020, the district hospital reported 158 cases out of which 16 patients were suffering from severe mental disorders and three were having suicidal tendencies. This number increased to 174 and further in the succeeding days. 
• This offers a reflection of the fact that the small towns are not immune from the widespread of mental disorders. 

An Estimate by WHO:

• The WHO, in its findings, reported that there are only 0.3 psychiatrists, 0.12 nurses, 0.07 psychologists and 0.07 social workers for every 1 lakh population in India.
• 7.5% Indians suffer from mental disorders which will reach 20% in the upcoming days. 
• It is estimated that 56 million Indians suffer from depression and 38 million are victims of anxiety. 
• The economic loss due to mental disorders amounts to $1.03 trillion approximately between 2012-2030 if the preventive measures are not taken effectively. 

Yoga: A Versatile Remedy

• Yoga imparts a healing influence on the mental state and averts several abnormalities of the body. 
• Patients with depression have high levels of cortisol which is the primary stress hormone in the body that triggers high sugar levels in the bloodstream. 
• Yoga reduces the levels of cortisol and stimulates the brain repairing chemicals by and also improves circulation of blood in essential parts of the body.
• Ahead of the biological implication of Yoga, this age-old practice synchronises the body and the mind enhancing the concentration levels of an individual with enlightenment of thoughts prone to positivity. 
• In conditions like Schizophrenia, the brain networks are repaired by yoga.
• It relieves the body from stress, reduces muscle tension, strain and inflammation. 

Also Read about International Yoga Day in the linked article

Roadmap for future:

• It has been recommended that young people must be given support by the mental health system that is expected to function with an inclusive approach. 
• It is necessary that the awareness programmes by the government, think tanks like the NITI Aayog and other agencies must reach the rural communities who are unaware about mental health. 
• It is significant to have an estimate of cases of mental disorders in the rural areas that remain unattended.
• Digital platforms can be used to connect people with experts who can counsel the individuals and reverse mental disorders at an early stage. 
• SAMYP is a programme launched by PATH and Fondation Botnar to support and encourage the youth with effective and accessible digital mental tools and bring them closer.
• Key institutions in collaboration with the government must exert emphasis on recruiting more psychiatrists to address the patients. 
• Moreover, it is often recommended and found in practice that organisations are mandating the presence of a counsellor or psychologist to address the issues related to mental health of the employees especially during the unusual hours created by the pandemic. Such initiatives must be replicated. 
• A healthy state of mind of the citizens will serve as the potential desire of strengthening the developmental steps that the nations take towards a sustainable future achieving the visionary goals and beautifying the future with happiness and prosperity.

Also Read About the National Mental Health Programme in the linked article
Read more summaries of Perspective in the link.

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