SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, July 25: The number of patients suffering from depression has increased multiple times in Jharkhand as compared to the pre-Covid period, according to Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry & Allied Sciences (RINPAS). Doctors say that once known as the ailment of the rich, depression is now affecting all kinds of people in the state.
Officials at both RINPAS and Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP), hospitals for mental patients, said that several people have been falling prey to depression since Covid-19. Before the pandemic, RINPAS and CIP saw 20 to 30 depression patients daily, while in the year 2022 this number has increased to 80 to 100 patients.
“The number of patients with depression is increasing. Earlier also, depression patients used to come in large numbers, but after Covid-19 their number has increased in OPD. Nowadays, even young children are in the grip of depression,” said Dr SK Munda, Psychiatrist at CIP.
According to the report of the World Health Organization (WHO), there has been an increase in patients suffering from depression after the Covid crisis. Around 28 per cent of the patients suffer from depression, while 25 per cent are suffering from anxiety disorder and panic attacks.
Dr Jayati Simlai of RINPAS said that not only in Jharkhand but also in other states, there has been a wide impact of Covid, after which people have become victims of depression.
Ranchi University Professor of Psychology Dr Abha Ekka said, “People tend to forget their home and family in the urge to run and do more than their capacity. People work more than necessary. They feel that everything is available in their professional life, but nothing is left in real life and that’s how a person goes into depression.”
While talking of children aged 12 to 18 years, she said, “Guardians pressurize children to do better in exams or in general, due to which they become victims of depression. Other reasons may include issues at school and even at home.”
When contacted in this regard, Dr Manisha Kiran of RINPAS said, “With the initial closure and now reopening of schools, it is difficult for children to cope with the changes. Earlier, children would regularly go to school and visit friends, however, during Covid, they were mostly locked in their homes, where they couldn’t meet friends and were stuck to electronic gadgets.
“After Covid lockdown was lifted and schools began, it is like children have either gone into withdrawal from the devices or have forgotten to interact with friends or they may even be having problems understanding and regularizing the changes.”
She further added that other reasons may include the issue of having to work harder as many might have stopped the homework and writing practices, while others may be having difficulties at home, either with parents or others.
Counsellors have advised that people first understand the symptoms of the disease and do not hesitate to go to a psychiatrist. People consider it a curse to visit a psychiatrist and are afraid to get treatment because there is a myth that taking anti-depressant medicines can have side effects. However, the medicine has negligible side effects.
