(Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news)
01 How has COVID-19 affected
mental health?
Locking people inside for long, the pandemic has taken a
heavy toll on the mental well-being of people and not just their physical health.
A significant number of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 in the last
three years are now dealing with some type of mental disorder, with depression
and anxiety being the most common. This World Mental Health Day, Here’s a
detailed view of how COVID-19 has affected mental health.
02 Here’s what the expert has to
say
Dr. Vikas Gaur, Head of the Psychiatry Department at Amrita
Hospital, Faridabad said, “In my recent research among people from the general
population who suffered from COVID in the last two to three years, about 50% of
them are now suffering from mental symptoms of some kind such as depression or
anxiety. About 26% of people who were ill with COVID are now suffering from
sleep disorders and an equal number from anger-related issues. Interestingly,
there is also a substantial rise in the onset of new cases of psychosis, a
trend not seen earlier.”
03 Who is at the higher risk of
mental health issues?
“Elderly people above
the age of 60 years are especially affected. About 50% of them are now
reporting symptoms of significant anxiety, compared to only 2-3% before the
pandemic,” said Dr. Gaur. Many people are dealing with cognitive problems
related to memory and concentration after suffering from COVID-19. A high
proportion of patients are now seeking medical help for their issues, which was
not seen in the pre-COVID times.
04 What is long COVID syndrome?
“After physically
recovering from COVID, from the third week onwards, many patients are reporting
mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress
disorder and sleep disorders. These are new cases due to the neuro-psychiatric
manifestation of Long COVID. Most such cases being reported today are from
females, or from patients who had physical comorbidities or a history of mental
disorders in the past,” said Dr. Gaur.
05 Why does COVID cause mental
health complications?
There exist several theories as to why COVID-19 can trigger
mental symptoms. COVID triggers psychiatric symptoms as it significantly
increases inflammatory markers in the human brain. In addition, psychosocial
issues like social anxiety, loss of job and social isolation, are also shown to
be triggering factors for psychiatric symptoms.
06 Why do people shy away from its
treatment?
“There are some myths regarding mental
illness, such as that suffering from psychiatric disorder of some kind is a
sign of weakness. Due to this, patients avoid getting treatment. According to
WHO, only 7% of patients suffering from psychosis are being treated worldwide.
In low-income countries, only 3% of depression cases get treated,” said Dr.
Gaur. According to a WHO report in 2019, one in every eight people, or 970
million people around the world, were living with a mental disorder. In 2020,
the cases of anxiety and depressive disorders skyrocketed because of the
COVID-19 induced lockdowns.
