The second wave of Covid-19 coupled with the stress associated with the disease has snowballed into a new form of pandemic, which has aggravated mental health issues like never before, said Dr Siddharth Sinha, a Senior Consultant at Ranchi Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS), who would be throwing light on the effects of Covid-19 on the mental health of people from different age groups and walks of life at TEDxKanke, an independently organised TED event on Saturday.
“The fear of contracting Covid-19 has led to a significant rise in psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, depressive episodes and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCDs) in all age groups. We need to understand the gravity of the situation and treat the people suffering from such mental health issues before their problems turn life-threatening,” said Dr Sinha, who has been treating patients at RINPAS throughout the pandemic.
While such people who were already on psychotropic drugs started skipping medication during the lockdown, leading to severe symptoms, many people with no history of mental health disorders developed symptoms of anxiety and depression, Dr Sinha said, who provided online consultation to patients who could not move out of their houses during the lockdown.
Suicidal tendencies among residents were at an all-time-high, he warned, citing financial loss, loneliness and the unavailability of support systems as the major reasons behind the horrifying trend.
“Depressive episodes and anxiety are common among people who have lost their near and dear ones during the pandemic. Suicidal thoughts are common in such people. We need to extend our support to them before it’s too late,” said Dr. Sinha, who would be speaking at length about mental health issues during the pandemic at the TED event, which will go live on YouTube at 7.30pm.
Dr Sinha will also be focusing on the rise in substance abuse among the youth during the lockdown and ways of coping with such urges. The session, he said, will aim at spreading awareness about mental health issues during the pandemic and encourage people to seek help if they feel low or anxious.
Besides, the TEDx session by Dr Sinha will address the apprehensions associated with vaccination against Covid-19 and encourage people to take their jabs at the earliest.