Apart from taking toll on life, the covid19 has increased psychosocial stress among the general people in Jammu and Kashmir.
“This has happened especially because many young adults lost their jobs, schools remained closed and children confined to four walls,” said psychiatrist Dr Mannu Arora.
He said the mental disorders have increased among children, young adults and elderly persons, who used to go out, meet people and sit with their peers prior to the covid outbreak.
“The mental stress has also increased among the people who had minor mental disorders in the past,” Dr Arora said.
“The children want to go out but they are locked in homes for the last seven months. It is because of this situation, they have become mentally stressed and developed disorders like irritation, and do not speak to their parents and feel loneliness,” he said.
Dr Arora advised people that they should speak to each other and cope with the situation within families and society. “This situation is not going to end soon,” he said.
Women more prone to depression:
According to psychiatrist Dr Jagdish Raj Thappa depression has increased more among women in comparison to male. “The women remain in homes. Their interaction with relatives or others has reduced, which has led to mental disorder among them.”
Dr Thappa said that the women have developed reactive depression, irritation, aggression, sleep disturbance, sadness, helplessness and loneliness.
Citing a case, Dr Thappa said a woman who got married during Covid-19 lockdown was in depression and she developed reactive disorder. “The marriage function did not happen as per the desire of the bride due to covid restrictions and the guests were also fewer. It finally led to her depression,” the psychiatrist said.
He said due to covid situation the cases of domestic violence have increased from city areas of Jammu in comparison to rural areas.
“Besides, several working women have also complained mental disorders because they fear being getting infected by the virus.”