It was the 14th of April, 2020, PM Narendra Modi announced the commencement of Lockdown 2.0 extended till the 3rd of May. As I gazed at my phone watching the news, my heartbeat increased instantly, at the same time my palms became sweaty, my limbs felt weak and my body sunk heavily. My pupils dilated eclipsing my iris. It was a familiar sensation from half a decade ago. No, it was not Love! It was Anxiety!
I came to Pune, Maharashtra, from my hometown, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, in March for work purposes. Unfortunately, my first professional outing changed into work-from-home which eventually turned into a nightmare. After two train cancellations, I expected the third time to be the charm for me to return home, but the lockdown extension has kept me stranded away from home for another month. Considering the perilous pandemic situation, I convinced myself that this extension is a positive decision for the betterment of humanity.
The Uncertainty Of What Lies Instore Is Triggering Anxiety
Fortunately, I’m privileged enough to live comfortably in my accommodation with a consistent supply of food, water, electricity, and wifi; an introvert myself I feel this lifestyle quite entertaining. But there is more than what meets the eyes; just like the moon such leisure also has a dark side. I spend the entirety of my daily life locked inside my single room. The majority of my time is invested in work, the rest is spent small talks with my friends and family, and binging on Anime. Once every four days I step outside for grocery shopping, therefore, for most of the week, there is not much human contact. The enduring isolation feels like the plot of The Shining and I’m not the sole victim, the entire world is.
A study conducted by the Indian Psychiatry Society (IPS) revealed a 20% rise in mental illness cases in India with at least one in five Indians currently suffering. The outbreak of COVID-19 has induced another pandemic in the forms of anxiety, paranoia, and insomnia with isolation as the catalyst. Let us talk about Anxiety Disorder first! Anxiety is the most common disorder with more than 10 million cases per year in India. Extreme stress results in compulsive behaviour which adversely affects the daily life of an individual. The unpredictability and uncertainty of events during this pandemic is the main trigger to anxiety. Ironically, anxiety itself is an uncertain and unpredictable phenomenon; you might experience a panic attack even while relaxing in your bed.
Moreover, studies have shown that isolation augments anxiety disorders like ADHD, even in children as young as five years old. The viral and quiet spread of COVID-19 has influenced fear and distrust among individuals which extremely is known as Paranoia. The human brain’s tendency to exaggerate fear is so unrealistic that nowadays even a faint cough or a tiny sneeze is treated as a crime. The effort to protect oneself from contracting the disease is so serious that in its severe form Paranoia can make a person both delusional and violent.
Delusions are in the form of constant fear of contracting the virus and violence is the physical outcome of such fear vented on others. This very much explains why doctors are victims of violent conduct by civilians who think they are the vectors of the disease, such as the case in Surat, where a doctor was attacked and verbally abused by her neighbour. Sadly, the heroes fighting against the biggest threat to humans are treated as villains by humans themselves. Anxiety and Paranoia together are killing people’s sleep. Since the inception of Lockdown 2.0, I have realized that my friends and other people I know are most active at night.
Apart From Salvaging The Economy, We Must Prioritize The Mental Health Of Migrants, Farmers And Health Workers
During a conversation with a friend at 2 o’clock in the night, I asked her why is she awake so late, her response “I am stressed… I cannot sleep!” Similar conversations with a couple more friends generated similar responses. This very clearly defined a case of insomnia! Similarly, I have also observed some people in my colony consistently stay awake the entire night. The gathering of such mass insomnia may be primarily due to general inactivity. I once suffered from chronic insomnia- had difficulty sleeping for more than three months and it took me half a decade to shrink down to an onset level. Just like anxiety, insomnia is also very common and is perpetually increasing along with the population in India. It is also bound by uncertainty and with uncertainty looming over the length of this lockdown process will indulge people into daily contemplation of life in the middle of the night.
Lockdowns and quarantine are effective measures to counter the spread of coronavirus, but the feeling of despair and solitude caused by loneliness is escalating the pandemic of mental illnesses. The battle against COVID-19 is just a prologue to the war against Depression and PTSD. An article published by CNBC reports that “after the SARS outbreak in 2013, both healthcare workers and self-quarantined people exhibited symptoms of PTSD.” The report claims that COVID-19 could have a similar effect which can be long-lasting.
Apart from salvaging the economy, the Indian government must prioritize and invest in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses along with general medical care. The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) advises countries to adopt a “whole society approach” involving and coordinating all existing components and resources for mental health support, mapping, and guidance, especially to health workers, children, and the elderly. The provision of mental health support must be in equity for the people of all income and social groups.
Free mental health treatment should be provided to migrant labour, farmers, and the people belonging to the Economic Weaker Section as they suffered more both financially and mentally, while the rest should receive subsidized mental health services. Furthermore, the designation of a psychologist must be made mandatory in every Government and Private educational institute to educate and spread awareness about mental health. Its high time that the people of India must abandon considering mental illnesses as a taboo and give mental health its due respect.
A country is made of, by and for its people. When people stay healthy then the economy stays wealthy. The extension of the lockdown is also a step towards victory over COVID-19, till then eat healthy food, exercise/meditate, read books and listen to music. Strengthen your bond with your family and friends, and don’t lose hope for we are all in this together. You’ll never walk alone.