NIMHANS had started a helpline to provide psychological support from mental health professionals to different target groups such as children, adults, women and elderly soon after the lockdown was clamped from March 25.
Last Updated: Jul 09, 2020, 11.16 PM IST
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NEW DELHI: The helpline set up by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) has received about 300,000 distress calls in the past three months as Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on people’s mental health.
Most of the calls related to helplessness and anxiety of being separated from families, NIMHANS director BN Gangadhar told ET.
“The callers are anxious about Covid-19… 60-70 % calls are related to coronavirus. People are worried about their loved ones. We get calls from people who are anxious about being separated from their families. They are worried about the studies of their children,” said Gangadhar.
NIMHANS had started a helpline to provide psychological support from mental health professionals to different target groups such as children, adults, women and elderly soon after the lockdown was clamped from March 25.
“Ever since the lockdown started, we have been receiving calls. It’s a pan-India helpline number. Experts have been giving consultation and reassurance to people under stress,” said Gangadhar. Given the increasing pressure and stressful environment to which health workers are being exposed, a focused attempt has been made to offer them psychosocial support.
The fallout from the pandemic is growing, said health experts.
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https://covid19globalcases.com/covid-19-takes-a-toll-on-mental-health-of-many/
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