For 14-year-boy Debjyoti of Ganjam district, the Covid-19 pandemic played havoc with his aspirations. He always wanted to follow the footsteps of his grandfather who was in the Indian Navy and had aspired for joining the Navy. But all of a sudden, the unprecedented lockdown changed everything and he felt annoyed and very lonely.
“I became restless at home and would break out in a sweat every now and then. I would feel my heart beating very fast at times as these thoughts would cross my mind," he shared.Thanks to the efforts of his elder sister, a college graduate, finding changes, in his behaviour (Debjyoti’s) though initially family regarded this as usual signs of boredom and fear, when they found Debjyoti beginning to get more and more withdrawn, showing sign of mental stress, they talked to him, took him to a short walk, brought him to a slightly comfort zone and made him feel like, he is not always alone.
As of today, Debjyoti goes to a school regularly and back to his energetic self. He is also helping his friends who had to drop out of school due to financial problems. “I feel back for my friends who weren’t able to come back to our school. They are now going to a Government-run school. I stay in touch with them regularly and try and cheer them up.” Similar is story for 13-year-old Sandhya of Bhubaneswar. When Covid pandemic started, she was happily spending days despite the fear of the disease, but when her school closure continued beyond the first few months, she began to feel anxious. “I don’t feel like doing any more online classes. I feel angry, exhausted, stressed and sad at the same time,” she said. A Class-IX student, Sandhya, thought it was all because she was `bored’. However, her appetite and sleep patterns began to change. Her parents took notice and began spending more time with her and engaging her in fun activities.
Of late, Sandhya is more at peace with her situation. “I am trying my best to cope; two of my friends don’t have a mobile phone and are not able to attend online classes. I speak to them and feel very bad that they are missing out on online classes,” she said. Millions of children unlike Debjyoti and Sandhya had undergone severe mental stress during the lockdown and shutdown and they and their family members tried their best to cope with the new and unprecedented situation as the period of clamp down raised for months together and school were under closure.
These were the case studies carried in the UNICEF’s “State of the World’s Children Report 2021”. It has warned that children and young people could feel the impact of Covid-19 on their mental health and well-being for many years to come.
The report shows how even before the pandemic children and young people carried the burden of mental health conditions and on how Covid-19 has raised concern for the mental health of entire generation of children, adolescents and young people, and parents and caregivers. The report mentioned that in India, children with mental health disorders are mostly undiagnosed and hesitant in seeking help or treatment. Even before pandemic, at least 50 million children in India were affected with mental health issues; 80 – 90 per cent has not sought support.
According to a survey conducted by UNICEF and Gallup in 21 countries in the first half of 2021, around 14 per cent of respondents aged between 15 to 24 years in India reported often feeling depressed or having little interest in doing things. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report of 2018-19 says that in India one student commits suicide every hour, with about 28 such suicides reported every day. The economic loss due to mental health conditions in India between 2012 and 2030 is estimated at USD 1.03 trillion (WHO analysis says). India has spent only 0.05 percent of its total health budget annually on mental health. The UNICEF has appealed to people and Governments for commitment to promote good mental health for every child working to minimize risk factors and investing in workforce development to support children, adolescents, young people, families, parents and caregivers.
UNICEF works closely with the Government of India, especially with the Ministries of Women and Child Development and Health and Family Welfare, the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), and partners like National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and Child line to strengthen services.
