Handling the COVID-19 pandemic: Proposing a community based toolkit for psycho-social management and preparedness

Vaishnav

et al. 2020

Indian J Psychiatry

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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global health threat. The South-Asian (SA) countries have witnessed both the initial brunt of the outbreak as well as the ongoing rise of cases. Their unique challenges in relation to mental health during the pandemic are worth exploring. Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted for all the original studies on the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on psychological health/well-being in the SA countries of the World Psychiatric Association Zone 16. PubMed, Google Scholar, PSYCHINFO, EMBASE, and SCOPUS were searched till June 2020. Studies conducted in the age group of 18–60 years with a minimum sample size of 10, and statistically significant results were included. Results: Thirteen studies were included in the review. They showed increase prevalence in nonpsychotic depression, preanxiety, somatic concerns, alcohol-related disorders, and insomnia in the general population. Psychological symptoms correlated more with physical complaints of fatigue and pain in older adults and were directly related to social media use, misinformation, xenophobia, and social distancing. Frontline workers reported guilt, stigma, anxiety, and poor sleep quality, which were related to the lack of availability of adequate personal protective equipment, increased workload, and discrimination. One study validated the Coronavirus anxiety scale in the Indian population while another explored gaming as a double-edged sword during the lockdown in adolescents. Another study from Bangladesh explored psychosexual health during lockdown. Most studies were cross-sectional online surveys, used screening tools and had limited accessibility. Conclusion: The ongoing COVID-19 crisis and its impact serve as an important period for adequate mental healthcare, promotion, research, and holistic biopsychosocial management of psychiatric disorders, especially in vulnerable groups. Mental healthcare and research strategies during the pandemic and preparedness for postpandemic aftermath are advocated subsequently.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychosocial health and well-being in South-Asian (World Psychiatric Association zone 16) countries: A systematic and advocacy review from the Indian Psychiatric Society

Vaishnav

et al. 2020

Indian J Psychiatry

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“…Community-based programs in Iran, France and the United Kingdom have included training health-care providers dealing with COVID-19 cases in suicide prevention ( Fiorillo and Gorwood, 2020 ; Zandifar and Badrfam, 2020 ). Banerjee and Nair (2020) have proposed a community-based toolkit for the current pandemic, modelled on the Zika outbreak, to detect mental health issues at grass-root levels and train multi-purpose health workers and ASHA workers in suicide risk detection. Few ways that suicide prevention can be improvised on during pandemics are as follows: Increase in mental health helplines, liaising with the COVID-19 information services and integration with the health centers/ambulance facilities for crisis interventions.…”

Section: Suicide Prevention During Covid-19: Special Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘The dual pandemic’ of suicide and COVID-19: A biopsychosocial narrative of risks and prevention

Kosagisharaf

2021

Psychiatry Research

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168

115

Highlights Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global health threat Number of suicidal deaths during times of COVID-19 is rising though data is limited Pandemics lead to several risk factors for suicidality like isolation, loneliness, economic fallout, domestic abuse, stigma and fear Biological vulnerabilities (family history of suicide, substance use, etc.) and psychosocial risks (migration, old age, low socio-economic class, etc.) amplify the suicidal risks of pandemics Stress and immune reaction to infections like COVID-19 is hypothesized as a possible linking pathway to suicidal risk Suicide-prevention is discussed as an integral part of public health response to pandemics

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“…Based on the Zika outbreak model, Banerjee and Nair have proposed a community-based psychosocial toolkit that involves all levels of health care, with an active health-media liaison, to improve the information–education–communication (IEC) activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. 30 …”

Section: Mitigating the Social Stigma: The Way Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

The “Untold” Side of COVID-19: Social Stigma and Its Consequences in India

Bhattacharya

Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine

2020

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139

159