‘Mental health issues on the rise during pandemic’

The pandemic has disrupted critical mental health services in 93 per cent of countries according to a new survey by the World Health Organisation, said Ziauddin University Professor Rubina Hussain on Monday in Karachi while addressing an online seminar organised by the varsity on the impact of Covid-19 on mental health.

Joining in the webinar from London, Dr Afzal Siddiqui discussed how economic hardships during the pandemic correlated with increasing mental health issues like depression and anxiety. "Three core symptoms of anxiety and depression are; a depressed mood, lack of interest, lower energy levels for more than two weeks. The other symptoms to look out for include feelings of guilt, low self-esteem, insomnia, and change in appetite," he said.

He stressed that organisations need to understand the impact of the pandemic on employees and adopt measures for alleviating stress in the workplace since new risks to physical health and threats to survival have increased anxiety and fear among employees.

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Meanwhile, shedding light on the difficulties of managing mental health disorders during the pandemic, consultant psychiatrist on eating disorders, Dr Pia Ghosh shared some self-help tools that people could benefit from. According to her, these include quitting drinking and smoking, taking regular breaks, engaging in physical activities like exercise, swimming, walking, and the like.

Medical practitioners too are facing mental health issues and many of them are coping with depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder while working in unprecedented circumstances, said Dr Ghosh.

Presenting her views as the moderator of the webinar Dr Hussain emphasised that there is an urgent need to increase funding for mental health services worldwide and discuss issues related to mental health on global forums.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2021.