Covid-19 tops the stress chart

Medical experts believe anxiety caused by the pandemic can trigger serious health issues

PESHAWAR:

Stress has emerged as the only constant during the unpredictable Covid-19 health crisis. Medical experts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) see an exponential increase in stress levels which translate into a wide range of health issues.

Over the last ten months, medical practitioners believe the province has witnessed an increase in the number of patients who are dealing with stress-related health issues. “Apart from diabetes and hypertension, mental health issues have also increased considerably,” claimed one general physician.

Isolation, which is a mandatory ritual during the recovery process, contributes to significant increase in stress levels.

“The idea of self-isolation itself is a death sentence for many. The number of suicide cases has increased during the isolation period which is mandatory for Covid-19 patients,” said Dr Khalid Mufti, a senior Peshawar-based psychiatrist.

Even after recovery, Dr. Mufti said, stress and anxiety continue to haunt the patient. Health experts believe a constant increase in stress and anxiety levels can trigger other serious health issues.

“Stress has always been part of our lives, but the Covid-19-related anxiety is unique. It creates this fear of the unknown and a fear of a disease that usually ends in death,” said Dr. Mufti.

Another health care expert pointed out that people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes are more vulnerable during the pandemic. “For patients with diabetes, stress can be even more harmful as it prevents the human body from releasing insulin.”

Describing the pandemic as the primary source behind the increase in mental health issues, Dr. Mufti said: “The pandemic has simply triggered mental health issues.”

“I would say more than 50% of the patients I am treating right now have either tested positive for Covid-19 or have suffered in some form during the pandemic,” claimed Dr. Mufti.

According to Dr. Mufti, worries about contracting the coronavirus, lockdown, general disruption of lives, and restricted routines, have all added to the increase in stress levels.

Dr. Iram Irshad, who heads the psychology department at the University of Peshawar had similar views about the increase in stress levels during the pandemic. “When your life pattern is disturbed, it always leads to uncertainty and whenever uncertainty extends, it leads to anxiety and ultimately stress,” she said.

Such extended exposure to fear, she said, translates into anxiety. The pandemic, Dr. Irshad said, is here for an indefinite period and people will have to learn to modify their lifestyle in a way that acknowledges this new normal. Stress related to the Covid-19 health crisis, experts believe, will continue to increase until the super spreader is controlled.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2021.