Published on March 31, 2020
Ahmedabad: A Vastrapur resident under 14-day quarantine after a foreign trip recently called up his psychiatrist, reporting extreme distress on two counts – he felt stifled in his flat after a couple of days, and when he ventured out, he felt peering eyes of his neighbours, silently accusing him of putting others in risk. The man started popping pills to get a good night’s sleep.
Monday will mark sixth day of the national lockdown to fight Covid-19 and the psychiatrists are already receiving distress calls from the citizens – complaining about issues ranging from anxiety to fear. In an initiative to combat the blues, Government Hospital for Mental Health has launched TeleMIND with a team of five psychiatrists – Dr Deepti Bhatt, Dr Ramashanker Yadav, Dr Kevin Patel, Dr Sasvinder Kaur and Dr Sudeshna Mukherjee – with the message ‘Don’t let the virus invade your mind.’
“I received seven calls from persons under home quarantine, primarily anxious about their future, monetary aspects after the lockdown or even fear that they might contract the infection. However, the most common complaint we get nowadays is lack of proper sleep,” said Dr Yadav.
Dr Patel said that few realize that the persons under quarantine also feel responsible for putting their families through quarantine. “It’s needed to spread positivity about their act ,” he said.
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