Common Mental Health Issues in COVID-19 Patients.

1. Common Mental Health Issues in COVID-19 Patients. The corona virus pandemic did not just stop at affecting the physical health of the people. It also scarred the mental health of a lot of people. The fear of this infection developed a number of mental health challenges for everyone around the globe. People developed issues like anxiety, depression, insomnia and other mental health disorders. It was an even difficult struggle for those who fell prey to this infection. People were restricted within their homes during the lock down. This condition increased their susceptibility to mental health issues. However, telemental therapy proved to be a boon in such times. Availability of telemental therapy online helped a lot of struggling people. Mental health issues in Covid-19 patients. The patients hit by the infection were facing several struggles at the same time. They were not just fighting physically but also mentally. As per the reports, they were twice more likely to be hit by

2. mental health issues. It was noted that every one out of five patients suffered a mental health issue. Mental health experts could trace out two possible reasons for the same. The fear of infection was traced to be one potential reason. The infection caused a lot of uncertainty in the patients that affected their mental health in turn. However, there was another potential reason that could have been responsible. The infection could have directly hit the central nervous system. This could have, in turn, created an ill impact on the mental health. Strained nervous system could have been the root cause of these mental health issues. What was the common diagnosis in most cases? The most common mental illnesses that surfaced in Covid-19 patients were- •Insomnia or loss of sleep. The patients were seeing a change in their sleeping and eating patterns. The infection was causing loss of taste and irritability. This was triggering insomnia in a lot of cases. •Anxiety, wherein the patients could not hold their worries or anxiety. The uncertainty that this infection posed was one strong reason of anxiety. A lot of patients experienced anxiety issues owing to the total cutoff from the outer world. Putting up all alone and facing continuous treatment triggered anxiety issues in most cases. •Depression or Loneliness Elevated levels of loneliness or sadness were also recorded in a lot of patients. Isolation post positive diagnosis of the infection resulted in depression in many cases. Depression hit a lot of people during lock down because of a sudden cutoff from their usual routines. •Episodes of Dementia Social cutoff affected patients’ social skills. They experienced social image fears and loss of thoughts. The patients suffered from forgetfulness. Their thinking abilities were impaired to a level where it interfered with their daily routines.

3. Did Telemental Therapy help fight these conditions? Telemental therapy worked like a boom in this pandemic. Hospitals had become the epicenter of the virus. People were having second thoughts before heading towards hospitals. Here, telemental therapy worked like a boon. People were finding it convenient and helpful to a certain extent. Telemental therapy online has also proved to be a go to option for many. Telemental therapy is when a therapist provides counseling over the internet. This could be through emails or video conferencing or over phone calls. Telemental therapy online has proved to be almost as effective as in person consultation. It has become a convenient option for emergency cases. Also, it has acted as a great rescue in times of pandemic. Considered as an effective alternative of conventional method, tele mental therapy is going to see a good growth in near future. How to cope up with mental issues during times of Covid-19? Go easy on yourself. Understand that you are not alone in this struggle. A lot of people are struggling with similar issues all across the world. Maintain a proper routine. You might be working or schooling from home. Do not let this hamper your schedule. Wrap up things under a schedule that keeps you occupied. This way you stay away from feelings of loneliness or negativity. Add things that you enjoy doing to your schedule. If you are a bookworm, read more often. If you love sketching, paint an hour or so of your routine for your hobby. And, if you love gardening, take out time for it. Do what makes your heart dance with delight. • • •

4. Take a regular dose of nature. Nothing heals better than nature. Step out for a while in nature each day and meditate with the birds and breeze. Go out for a walk. Walking also boosts your happy hormones. Exercise and meditate. Physical activities helps you keep boosted for the day. This way you can keep you lethargy at bay. Yoga can help you boost you mental peace. Yoga also blesses your physical soundness. • • Do not let yourself sink into pools of mental health issues. Keeping oneself invested in positivity is the need of this hour. Stay away from anything that makes you feel doubt yourself or creates clouds of negativity around you. Spend time with more positive souls and in a positive environment. Do not let Covid-19 defeat you. Keep yourself mentally and physically fit.