Mental Health and COVID-19

Coronavirus has been spread all over the globe across almost every country and has taken lives more than 1 lac. Now, it is not only risking the physical health of a person who is suffering from it but also the mental health of those who are under lockdown and working in the frontline to curb this disease. Everyone is facing mental stress, anxiety or fear at different levels. In the working sector, employees who were expecting appraisals at the end of the financial year are suffering from the stress of wages being cut off or the loss of a job. On the other hand, employers are struggling to manage their businesses and retaining their employees in this difficult time.  The ones at the frontline are dealing with the fear of being caught by the infection during interaction with positive coronavirus cases. The rise in the number of cases and the extension of lockdown is the major cause of the tension among people. Actually, this is not only affecting mental wellness but also leading to increase in the number of domestic violence. Yes, there is a spike in the number of SOS calls to the authorities regarding physical abuse during quarantine worldwide. The fear and uncertainty of the pandemic have led to more abusive relationships and frustration among people.

There are reports showing an increase in 18 % emergency calls of domestic violence in Spain and photos of a woman being viral in China who was beaten up by her husband with a chair. India is not an exception, the National Commission for Women has said that there are few complaints filed with them but one needs to understand people generally approach police authorities first regarding these kinds of incidences which means these numbers are massive underestimates and a large number of cases are under-reported. Harming others is one of the psychological impacts, the other is committing suicide. There are many cases in which people who were suspected to commit suicide out of fear to be positive but reports suggest in most of the cases people came out to be negative. It is just the psychological phenomenon that triggers them to do such things so, just being physically strong or having good immunity is not all that is needed to cope with this tragic situation but the state of mind also plays an important.

Earlier, WHO had warned the countries that the situation of this coronavirus crisis and the measures taken by the governments to contain the spread would have a negative impact on people’s mental health and well-being. So, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences has launched the toll-free number – 08046110007 to provide guidance to people who are feeling any kind of stress, fear or anxiety. The Ministry of Health and Welfare of India also provides guidelines to cope with mental stress. They asked people to spend quality time with family and get involved in some discussions or spend time on recreational activities as board games, music, etc. Most importantly stay connected with your loved ones through phone calls or video calls to keep the stress at bay and especially cut down on listening to news; seek information from credible sources only. To lower your stress level and improve physical health, do some yoga or exercise and ask your family members to do it together. Anxiety or tension is something that develops silently in our minds so we need to take care of ourselves as well as need to keep a check on one another to get through this difficult time and help if someone is dealing with it as we are all together in this time of crisis.

Worsen Employment Rate amid Corona Lockdown.

The matter of fact, COVID-19 is not only affecting the health of people, but it is also giving a big hit to the employment rate of developing nations as well as the developed ones. There is complete or partial lock-down around the globe, shutting almost every industry other than essential services for an indefinite time period because there is no sure evidence that how and when this Coronavirus is going to stop. Doesn’t matter whether the industries are small scale or large, at the time of this critical situation every person working in any sector is going to get affected anyhow. Some are getting laid off from their jobs whereas some companies are shutting down across the world impacting the global economy. Most of all, the daily earners are facing the worst, it is hard for them to even survive right now.

If we talk about the top economy of the world that is the United States of America, Coronavirus has brought this powerful nation’s economy to a standstill. In the last report, more than 6.5 million lost their jobs last week making it 16 million in the past three weeks. Manufacturing, construction, and even the health care sectors are laying off their employees in the US. Similarly, the prime minister of Italy has said that the European Union faces an existential threat as some EU countries have failed to agree on an economic rescue package for countries worst hit by the pandemic. According to the forecast, unemployment in Italy only could reach 11.2% in 2020. All these statistics are conveying one thing for sure that the Coronavirus has a drastic impact on the lives and economies of the US and Europe. By confining people to their homes, the west is facing the collapse of economies and threat to the survival of a large number of firms ranging from airlines to the manufacturers to health care. And what could get worse than that the finance minister of the German state of Hesse has committed suicide after being worried about the financial fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic?

In India, the unemployment rate could have surged to 8.74% in March amid the lockdown implemented in the last week of March from 7.78% in February. In the latest report by CMIE (Centre of Monitoring Indian Economy) the average rate on April 11 increased to 12.9% in India, being 14.1% in the urban area and 12.4% in rural. It is estimated that more than 15 million jobs could be lost in India’s export sector with the cancellation of over 50% orders hitting the economy very badly said by the president of the Federation of Indian Export Organization. Every three out of five companies have looked to freeze the hiring and even postponing the on-boarding of candidates while around 15% of companies are considering potential layoffs in a survey on the impact of COVID-19 on corporate India hiring. All in all from these surveys or predictions one can easily estimate how badly economies of the world are going to get affected. There is no surety that how long the situation of the pandemic is going to rule the world and what worst effects could be seen are still undiscovered.

Social or Emotion Distancing?

Across the globe, social distancing is practiced through implementing lock-downs or imposing curfews to curb the transmission of Coronavirus by the governments. Social distancing is nothing but to maintain distance between people who may have symptoms of COVID-19 of at least 1m (3-4feet) and preferably staying at home. Maintaining distance in this dreadful situation is necessary but being less of emotions or getting detach out of fear is one of the scenarios witnessed by some. There are some of the cases which show less empathy towards each other. It must have been arisen because of the fear to catch coronavirus but at the same time, nobody should forget that everyone is dealing with it equally.  

In the case of Padma Shri awarded Sikh Spiritual Singer Nirmal Singh Khalsa at the Golden Temple passed away due to coronavirus infection. The incident came into light when the local residents of his hometown surrounded the cremation ground and refused to move not allowing to do the last rites. At last, the funeral was done in a secluded place at a short distance from cremation ground at 8:30 pm. All this chaos happened over the fear of the spread of the virus by cremating the body. But this is not true, as per the guidelines there is no such evidence that the virus can spread by the ash or smoke produced by cremating the body of the infected person. One more similar incident happened in the Ludhiana district of Punjab where the family refused to accept the dead body of the patient over the fear of catching the virus. Even the authorities ensured the son of the deceased women to provide him with protective gear and assured him that it would shield him against the virus still he denied performing the cremation. When nobody came forward to claim the body, the district administration took the charge and cremated the body late midnight where the family members watched it from the distance of 100metres. 

But this isn’t it, another case in Rajasthan where a pregnant woman had to deliver her child in the ambulance and lost her child just because doctors refused to treat the woman being Muslim. No doubt fear is surfaced among people especially for those who have attended the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi but putting the lives of innocent ones in danger isn’t right anyway. These are the common people who have faced such an emotional step back but the doctors and the nurses who are at the front line dealing with the patients, trying their best possible to identify and treat people are not exceptions. They are also facing discrimination by their landlords or localities and even their families are suffering too. Medical staff, police officers who are dealing with the patients of coronavirus are facing hatred like for what? Treating people? Or because it is their job only to handle this critical situation. They are too just normal human beings who are under much danger than the people sitting in their houses but still, they are doing their duty to save people working day and night. 

No doubt, there are several people who are helping those are in need but again there is another side to it which surely raises a question on the emotional well-being of humans. Will this fear over the minds of people prevail even after things get back to normal? Or is this detachment going to last long? People need to be more aware of the facts and guidelines provided by the government to deal with the patients or the deceased ones due to coronavirus and should appreciate those who are putting their lives in danger for us. Whether it is Corona or not nobody should lose humanity and shouldn't disrespect or harass the ones who are dealing with this deadly virus otherwise we may not be able to get back to normal ever. Love among humans may get lost in the fear and it may lead to some disastrous disconnection amongst human beings. It's time to unite and fight against the virus by staying at home and helping the needy. 

#StayHome #StaySafe #WeAreTogether #AgainstCorona