The Legitimate Desk
With the second wave of COVID19 wreaking havoc across the country, psychiatrists are trying to understand the deep social impact of disease on people in addition to the economic scars.
Various renowned psychiatrists of SAARC countries have come together on a virtual platform to exchange their understanding they have come across so far while treating the patients, who have gone through the mental health issues ever since the pandemic broke out in the world one and a half years ago.
“More than the economic issues, the patients who are suffering with mental health issues due to the pandemic are subjected to social stigmas,” observed Dr Abdul Majid, a renowned Psychiatrist.
Majid said COVID19 is not a normal disease that can simply be treated. “If anyone is infected with the disease, he is being shunted out socially, stereotyped, discriminated against and pushed into isolation. This is adding to his trauma further and lands him in mental depression,” he told the virtual forum in which top mental health experts of SAARC countries participated.
Since the disease is new on earth with little or no research on it, Majid said that the social discrimination and stigma was a global phenomena.
“After the disease spread in world, it was the Chinese nationals facing discrimination and stigma and subsequently the Asian descents followed by the attacks on particular communities. The people who went through this ordeal may have a longer impact on their minds”.
The social stigma, psychiatrist believed, has led to the spread of disease among the communities since many people with symptoms hesitated to get tested fearing social isolation.
Dr Majid said that it is not only the patient who suffers in this pandemic, in many of the cases the whole families go through the nightmares.
“When someone is not allowed to give a dignified burial to his or her loved one, imagine what he will go through.”
He suggests easing the burden on the minds and hearts of affected families and urged people to come forward and talk good about the deceased on social media platforms, through phone calls and other media since physical appearance at the deceased’s place is not advisable.
He said all the top psychiatrists from the SAARC countries are joining hands to overcome the prevailing crisis and try to help people with new methodologies and aware them to avoid taking mental stresses.
“We share our experiences since all the countries are affected. Our joint work is allowing us to understand deeply its impact and discuss the effective measures to counter it”.
