Mental Health Crisis Amid Lockdown

The spread of the deadly novel coronavirus that has now forced our whole country to go under lockdown has taken a big toll on mental health of the people. A sense of confinement that has settled in people’s minds is giving rise to a series of mental health issues.

While the outbreak has led to philosophical questions about survival, humanity and the future, the changes and the chaos that it is bringing in our lives is getting hard to cope up with. It is more difficult than washing hands and wearing masks.

The outbreak has led scientists, doctors, public health officials and the governments looking out for a cure, the question that is often ignored is already staring at us. How will India cope with current mental health crisis?

The coronavirus outbreak combined with the lockdown has triggered an increase in the cases of stress, anxiety and domestic violence in the country. Higher incidences of domestic violence are being reported, as people with troubled relationships are forced to be in each other's presence all the time. the worst affected are children & women who are now trapped inside their home with their abusers. Suicide rates have gone up especially among those addicted to alcohol or other substances who can no longer access these with ease.

The isolation and fear in this lockdown era are driving an escalating nervousness among many people. Not just those with pre-existing conditions like anxiety, depression and OCDs (obsessive compulsive disorders), but also the elderly who are struggling with new levels of loneliness and helplessness.

With the outbreak of the pandemic and imposed lockdown measures, the worries are many: Are we washing our hands enough? Will I pass the virus to my family members? Should I move back with my parents? How safe is my job? How will I pay next month's rent? How can I live alone, with my own thoughts?

The disinfectants and the sanitisers may keep the infection at bay, but it's not doing anything to change the feeling of uncertainty. It's the feeling of helplessness. The situation is so out of control.

The WHO had earlier predicted that by 2020, roughly 20 per cent of the Indian population will suffer from mental illnesses. That means, today, more than 200 million Indians may already have mental illnesses. Depression and anxiety disorders, the most common mental disorders in India according to many studies conducted across the country. Depression is the highest in older adults, which has significant implications for the ageing population of India and relatively higher in women.

The recent Google Trends data suggests that stress levels in India has skyrocketed during the lockdown, with search levels for stress exceeding that of several other countries which were under lockdown over the past few weeks. And along with stress, searches for therapy also have risen in the country.

The situation is surely affecting our mental health. Not only it is leading to stress related to job security and debts, but it is bringing fore hidden dysfunctionalities within families and relationships. Romantic and non-romantic relationships have entered their most testing times in modern history.

With the lockdown, while most urban professionals are working from home, perhaps with a reduced work expectation, women’s labour has increased as they are now expected to cater to all family members at all times. It is inevitable that the women of the house are feeling more burnt out, not only because they are managing emotions and needs of all family members, but along with it they are cooking, cleaning, and supporting other members of the family.

With the lockdown, the “me space” has collapsed. As couples are working from home and spending all day together, they are beginning to feel the weight of their relationships. The already repressed resentments towards each other and other family members, and greater opportunity for potential conflicts, are upsetting household dynamics.

Spending a life together is not quite the same as spending every minute of the day together, as couples working from home all over the world are finding out. Facing increasing stress, many are beginning to fear that the pandemic could ruin their relationships, and in more ways than one.

A lot of industries are facing a complete drop in demand. Business owners and employees are worried about how this will affect their markets and jobs.

A lot of the information on the pandemic that we've been receiving from social media and news outlets has been negative and this is causing one's mental health to really spiral. The concept of a lockdown is alien to us and we are unable to cope with it.

Every human being at one point in his life faces stress, depression and other mental health issues. The uncertainty of Coronavirus has the potential to aggravate existing stress and anxiety, depression, and low morale. People are finding it difficult to cope with mental health issues amid the pandemic.

Mental health is still not an explored area in our country. The stigma, discrimination and neglect attached to mental illness acts as a hindrance in reaching out to people suffering from mental disorders. Unfortunately, in our society, people still think of mental health as a disorder and no one wants to talk about it.

Anxiety, frustration, panic attacks, loss or sudden increase of appetite, insomnia, depression, mood swings, delusions, fear and suicidal tendencies, have become quite common during the lockdown. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be a fallout of this crisis, as many have lost their jobs and they will have to take a lot of effort to get back on their feet.

Coronavirus pandemic will inflict a scar on people's minds that will be difficult to heal if not addressed immediately. It’s likely that many would not even have disclosed their travel history and would have just confined themselves in their homes due to the fear of testing positive for Covid-19. The fear is of getting tagged as COVID patient and harassment by society might stay longer.

We are currently more concerned about physical rather than mental health. But during the current lockdown, the vulnerable population is more prone to slip into mental illness, and the worst part of it is that these people aren’t even aware. There is a need to be more vocal and discuss mental illness on a frequent interval and at multiple levels. It is the need of the hour.