New Delhi: Mental health is emerging as a big problem worldwide. Almost 1 billion people across the globe suffer from some form of mental disorder, and many are deprived of their human rights due to discrimination, stigma, marginalisation, and not to mention emotional and physical abuse.
The Covid-19 pandemic has only made things worse, and particularly affected groups such as health and other frontline workers, students, people living alone, and those with pre-existing mental health conditions, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. It also acknowledges that services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders have been disrupted to a large extent during the pandemic.
October 10 has been observed as the World Mental Health Day every year since 1992, and the WHO theme for this year is "Mental health care for all: let's make it a reality", which majorly focuses on the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of people across the world.
A study published in The Lancet on Saturday said the pandemic caused a stark rise in the cases of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders in 2020.
The first global estimates of the impacts of the pandemic on mental health, published in study, found that women suffered from these disorders more than men, and that the younger generation was more affected than the older population.
Covid-19 And Mental Health
The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of a large number of people, due to many factors such as the loss of family members, job insecurity, lockdowns, and Isolation.
The World Federation for Mental Health, through its 2021 World Mental Health Day Campaign, aims to highlight ways of addressing inequality to ensure good mental health for all.
The study in The Lancet found that the Covid-19 pandemic caused the cases of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders to increase by more than a quarter globally in 2020.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, major depressive disorders and anxiety disorders affected millions of men and women of all ages. Such disorders were major contributors to the global burden of disease and increased the risk of suicide in people suffering from the disorders.
Cases of major depressive disorders increased by 28 per cent, and those of anxiety disorders by 26 per cent in the year 2020, the study said.
The prevalence of major depressive and anxiety disorders was found to be the greatest in countries that suffered the most severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, due to increased infection rate and reduced movement of people, according to a meta-analysis conducted as part of the study.
The global pandemic worsened the social determinants of mental health. Due to the social and economic consequences of the pandemic, women were more likely to be worse affected.
It is extremely important to strengthen mental health systems so the growing burden of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders can be addressed, according to one of the authors.
More research should be conducted to determine the fuller geographic distribution of depression and anxiety, and the prevalence of these disorders, and that these studies must highlight mechanisms necessary to improve mental health in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic globally, the researchers noted.
WHO Theme And Suggestions To Tackle Mental Health Problem
The WHO campaign aims to showcase the efforts made by some countries in providing mental health care to their populations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has had a serious impact on everyone's mental health, especially frontline workers, students, people living in isolation, and those with pre-existing mental health conditions. Also, there has been significant disruption in services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders.
During the World Health Assembly in May 2021, governments from the world recognised the need to make quality mental health care for all a reality.
Following are some of the steps WHO suggests to tackle mental health problems:
- Depression and anxiety can be treated with therapies, medication, or a combination of both
- Health workers can be trained to diagnose and treat mental health conditions
- People with severe mental disorders should have regular health checks to prevent premature death
- Appropriate training for caregivers can imprive the quality of life of the people living with conditions such as autism and dementia
- Mental health legislation, policy, affordable and quality community-based mental health services, and involvement of people with lived experience can promote and protect the rights of people living with mental health conditions
What A Person Living With Mental Health Issues Can Do
- Talking helps. Confide in someone trusted about what you feel
- Professional help is a must. Talk to your regular doctor first, even if he/she is a general physician
- Keep doing the activities you usually enjoy
- Stay in touch with family and friends
- Exercise, even a short walk works
- Adopt a regular eating and sleeping habit
- Alcohol and illicit drugs can make depression worse. Avoid them