TIRUCHY: 34-year-old Sathya (name changed) had sleepless nights while she was admitted to the hospital for Covid. Her mother fell ill, her husband was in quarantine and her child was under her sister’s care. Sathya said she used to hear shrieks of patients in a nearby ward and saw the patient in the next bed shifted to ICU. Doctors said Sathya was okay physically, but would need at least two more weeks of hospital stay to address anxiety and stress.
Awareness about the impact of Covid on mental health is gaining ground and doctors said mental health issues were also a major cause for hospitalisation of Covid patients. Mental health plays an important role in recovery as Covid could rattle even the strong-willed. Ever since the pandemic spread in the country, people have been grappling with anxiety and stress. First, the lockdown, followed by an increase in cases, uncertainty in jobs left everyone shaken.
“Initially, people approached us saying they feared they would get affected by the virus. Now, we are seeing an increase in patients affected by Covid. They have nobody to talk to during hospital stay. Death of co-patients leaves a scar and they tend to lose hope. We are now treating Covid patients with psychiatric issues,” said Dr K Ramakrishnan, Director of Athma Hospitals.
A positive aspect, according to him, is that more people have started reaching out for professional help. Doctors claim there has been a 30-40% increase in patients in Tiruchy and Pudukkottai, since March.
“Since March 27, we have been getting at least seven calls daily in tele-counselling services. Before, we used to get 3-4 calls on average. Most are Covid patients, and have severe anxiety issues. Isolation is a new experience and is difficult for most people,” said Dr. Karthik Deivanayagam, District Psychiatrist, Pudukkottai.
The district psychologist for Tiruchy, Dr S Geetha, also agreed that awareness has increased.
"Anxiety due to COVID is one of the major problems that we are seeing. During isolation, patients are getting mentally isolated. They are finding it difficult to deal with this disease. Fear is also increasing, as they are worried about their family members getting affected. One good thing is that awareness has increased and we have seen a 30-40% increase in patients," said Dr Geetha