Experts studied over 1.25million people with Covid and found new diagnoses of psychosis, dementia, seizures and brain fog were more common during the two years after having the virus than with other respiratory infections like the flu.

Children saw fewer increases in most conditions than adults, apart from seizures and psychosis. The study found that in adults, the risk of having a depression or anxiety diagnosis initially increased post Sras-CoV-2 infection but returned to the  same with other respiratory infections after a relatively short time.

The delta and omicron variants were linked with more disorders than the alpha variant. Omicron is related with similar neurological and psychiatric risks. Lead author Professor Paul Harrison, from the University of Oxford, said the study showed that brain conditions linked to Covid may far outlast the pandemic. He called for research into ‘what can be done to prevent or treat these conditions’.

But Professor Paul Garner, from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, cautioned that an increased risk of dementia and psychosis may be related to ‘societal upheaval’ rather than to Covid itself.

‘I think we need to be careful in the interpretation of the reported small increases in dementia and psychosis: these are, in my opinion, more likely to be related to the societal upheaval and dystopia we have been living through rather than being a direct effect of the virus,’ he said.

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This is a comparative study and highlights the glaring difference in lifestyle habits pre-corona and post lockdown.

The last five months have been unexpected and has adversely impacted the health habits of citizens across the length and breadth of India. The situation has taken a major toll on the Mental health of citizens and has become a major talking point in the last few months. With the series of lockdowns, anxiety, job cuts, health scares, and the overall volatile environment, stress levels are at an all-time high. Copious amounts of stress can lead to depression. With the current lockdown and lifestyles drastically changing, we have seen that 43% of Indians are currently plagued with depression and are learning to cope with it. With 26% Indians facing mild depression, 17% face a more strenuous kind. It is concerning to note that 6% Indians are severely depressed.

According to the self-administered, Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ – 9, consisting of nine areas it monitors the severity of depression and response in a population.

• little interest or pleasure in doing things
• feeling down, depressed, or hopeless
• trouble falling or staying asleep or sleeping too much
• feeling tired or having little energy
• poor appetite or overeating
• feeling bad about yourself – or that you are a failure or letting people down
• trouble concentrating on things such as reading the newspaper or watching television
• moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed. Or the opposite – being so fidgety or restless more than usual
• thoughts that you would be better off hurting yourself in some way

As per the study, a large section of the population has little interest in doing things in the current scenario. There is a cause of concern with more than 59% of the population having little pleasure in doing things these days, out of which 38% have this feeling on a few days and 9% feel so more than half of the days. 12% of the population have little interest almost every day in these times.

Out of the respondents, 56% of people don’t feel down, depressed or hopeless as compared to the remaining 44% feel so. Approximately 10% feel down and depressed more than half of the days or nearly every day.
More than 57% of the population feel tired or have little energy through at least some days in the past few weeks. At least more than 15% have this feeling more than half of the days. This leads to some people sleeping too much while some others have trouble sleeping. With the change in lifestyle, approximately half of the population is having trouble with their sleep. Which is another sign of feeling down. 7% of the population goes through this nearly every day while 33% experience it on few days.

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Complex modern lifestyles with an overall lack of support system and economic disparities have caused a rapid increase in mental health deterioration.

In a discussion on Mental Health and the role of Corporate Social Responsibility by Wockhardt foundation in Mumbai on Friday it was stressed that we need to take urgent step to control growing mental illness in India.
conference to discuss the current Indian scenario of Mental Health and the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The key-note speakers for the conference Mrs. Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson of Mpower, an Aditya Birla Education Trust initiative. The welcome address was given by Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala, Founder & Chairman of Wockhardt Foundation.Various other prominent NGOs and CSR professionals active on Mental Health issueswere also present.

The conference focused on discussing mental health concerns plaguing India, forming
solution-centric approach to the issues, discussing ways to utilize CSR resources to
tackle the problems, highlight the required policy change along with the need to
increase public-private partnerships.

Mrs. Birla has been felicitated with several awards for her contribution in the field of
mental health and has initiated campaigns like ‘Ride to Mpower’ which aims to
encourage conversations & break the stigma related to mental illness. She commented,
“It is unfortunate that in our country mental health issues have traditionally been ignored
or swept under the carpet – due to lack of awareness and education on one hand, and
due to the stigma and the discrimination attached to them, on the other. Now, more than
ever the need to have more mental health services is necessary. I’m happy to be a part
of Talk for Action Wockhardt Conference where this critical issue was discussed and I
hope to see more corporates focus their CSR efforts on addressing these complex
issues.”.

Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala said, “India has one of the largest populations suffering from
one form of mental illness or the other and that one in five Indians may suffer from
depression in their lifetime, with suicide being the leading cause of dearth among those
aged 15–29 in India. We must wake up and take action now. We need to strengthen
and implement mental health policies and programs in the near future and provide the
rationale to enhance investment in mental health care in India and CSR resources must
be utilized for this purpose.”

Asmita Satyarthi, Director, Wockhardt Foundation, said, “Wockhardt Foundation CSR
HUB is committed to promoting healthy dialogue and communication, especially to bring
more emphasis on issues that need a stronger CSR focus. This conference is the first
step to bring various stakeholders together on one platform to discuss this very
important issue. Corporates must take a lead in breaking the taboo and enabling
concrete action on Mental Health.”

Some relevant facts about Mental Health in India
• Prevalence of mental illness, such as mood disorders, is higher among males (13.9%) as compared to females (7.5%)
• 22.4% of the population above 18 years suffers from substance use disorder, majorly tobacco and alcohol
• Alcohol use is found to be higher in males (9%) as against females (0.5%)
• Nearly 1% of the population reports high suicidal tendencies
• Prevalence of mental illness among teenagers (13 to 17 years) is 7.3% with the most common being depression
• The treatment gap for mental disorders ranges between 70% and 92% across different disorders
• 150 million people in India are affected by mental illness but only 10-12% of these individuals will seek help
• Suicide is the leading cause of death among those aged 15–29 in India

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