Find in Library
Search millions of books, articles, and more
Indexed Open Access Databases
Mental health concerns and their management among individuals reaching out to the national psychosocial helpline in India during COVID-19
oleh: Ferose Azeez Ibrahim, Kamaldeep Sadh, Swati Ravindran, Malathesh C Barikar, P Lakshmi Nirisha, P Bhasker Reddy, Sobin George, Allen Daniel Christopher, Dinakaran Damodharan, Sanjeev Kumar Manikappa, Bangalore N Roopesh, Channaveerachari Naveen Kumar, Kasi Sekar
Format: | Article |
---|---|
Diterbitkan: | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2023-01-01 |
Deskripsi
Background: COVID-19 has affected the whole world. Apart from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on physical health, there has been a significant impact on the mental health of the individuals. To address these mental health concerns, our institute had started a 24/7 national telephonic helpline to enable distressed individuals to reach out and seek help or assistance. Aims: In this article, the authors described the details of 126 tier-2 call backs and the types of psychiatric disorders that were catered to, between March 29, 2020 and May 31, 2020. Methodology: Descriptive analysis was done. Results: The concerns were characterized into five groups: exacerbation of preexisting mental and physical illness (30.9%); known case of mental or physical illness (19%); COVID related mental health concerns (22.2%); administrative or logistic issues (7.1%); new-onset mental health-related concerns or illnesses (15.9%). Majority of the calls (44.4%) were addressed by the second-tier mental health professionals (MHPs) (psychiatrists). Thirty-one percent were referred to the local medical or psychiatric services; 9.5% to the 3rd tier MHPs; 9% were connected to the treating psychiatrist or neurologist in the hospital; and 1.6% were referred to emergency services in the hospital. Conclusions: Using teleservices to address such a huge mental health crisis can be a way ahead to tackle this parallel menace brought about by COVID-19. However, the effectiveness of these helplines needs to be assessed and monitored at frequent intervals.