Shimla, Jan 2
Mental Health profile made during a study of Himachal Pradesh people during Covid pandemic revealed shocking results as it displayed that 18 percent complain of sad feelings and irritable notion most of time. Besides over 15 pc others are facing sleeping problem.
The survey was conducted by state Mental Health Authority to assess the impact of Covid pandemic on the mental health of people from Nov 18 to December 8 in which 5,200 people from Shimla, Mandi and Chamba joined mobile-based survey.
The study revealed that 18 pc said that they were feeling sad and irritable most of the time and 15 pc are facing problem of sleeplessness.
The respondents were asked about their mental health in the two weeks preceding to the survey.
51 p c respondents stated that they had been getting more anxious and sad after reading Covid-related messages on the social media, and 24 pc of them said that they had been preoccupied with the idea of getting infected with Covid.
2.42 pc respondents contemplated suicide, among whom some also reported having tried to “put their suicidal ideas into action”.
Only about four percent respondents sought pyschiatric consultation to reduce their anxiety or depression during the pandemic, study indicates.
43 pc people said that they were more worried than the usual times about the future of their families and themselves, and 40 pc were
worried about the financial loss incurred during the Covid-induced lockdown.
Based on the survey authorities have recommended strengthening mental health services at the district level, ensuring sufficient beds for psychiatric patients in health facilities, setting up of satellite clinics on mental health, training field health staff in handling and identifying patients with psychological disorders, verbal autopsy in suicide cases to ascertain the circumstances leading to suicide, and financial assistance to patients contemplating suicide who seek psychiatric consultation.
The Lancet Psychiatry nation-wide survey published in 2019 before the pandemic also cautioned of high prevalence of bipolar disorder. Moreover nearly one in seven Indians suffered from a psychological disorder.
The hill state in August last year reported a sharp spike in the number of suicide cases during the pandemic.
