Emotional trauma of those bereaved by COVID-19 poses challenging mental health concerns in Kerala

Recently, a lady in her late 40s misplaced her husband to COVID-19 whereas she herself was present process remedy for the illness in a hospital in Kerala.

Since she had already gone by way of the trauma of having seen her mom succumb to the virus, kinfolk couldn’t muster the braveness to interrupt the information of one other tragedy to her.

In one other incident final Saturday, a 41-year-old housewife at Kalamasserry, who had recovered from COVID-19 just a few months again, wakened with a jolt and gasping for breath in the early morning hours. “She hugged her two children and husband as if she had a premonition of imminent death while being rushed to the hospital,” stated her 30-year-old youthful brother who nonetheless couldn’t come to phrases with the loss of his sister.

In one other incident at Moothakunnam in Ernakulam district, a 45-year-old man died of post-COVID issues simply days after his mom’s dying, leaving a younger household orphaned.

The surge in COVID-related deaths, which hit a report excessive of 128 in Kerala on Thursday, has given rise to a sophisticated mental health situation.

“It is high time we had a special advisory for the bereaved on how to cope with COVID-19 deaths in the absence of the usual mechanism of grief resolution like participatory grieving and ritualistic funerals. With the virus pre-empting even a last hug and a parting kiss for the dear ones, there is no vent for the pent-up emotions. That the victims are relatively young makes the sudden and unexpected demises more difficult to cope with for many,” says C.J. John, a famous psychiatrist.

He requires drawing up an inside mechanism by households, together with self-help teams, with the help of know-how for expression of grief whereby the bereaved settle for the fact quite than being in denial. “Even health workers and medical professionals are emotionally scarred by the deaths of people under their care,” stated Dr. John.

Seized of the matter, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has intensified its mental health help mechanism for medical practitioners and health employees. “There is the hospital-level mechanism, while the IMA is organising webinars with experts on how to stave off stress. Equally stressful is working in PPE kits, recognising which duty hours of those working in such kits are now being almost halved from the previous eight hours,” says P. Gopikumar, Kerala Secretary, IMA.

Helpline arrange

The IMA, in coordination with the Indian Psychiatric Society, has additionally arrange a round the clock helpline (0484-7199638) providing succour to those affected by the pandemic, in addition to localised helplines at IMA branches.

“There is a definite fear psychosis as the thought of death crops up the very moment a person is infected, unlike during the first wave when there were far fewer fatalities,” stated Abraham Varghese, former Kerala president of the IMA.

Meanwhile, there was a spurt in misery calls obtained by Maithri, a Kochi-based NGO working in direction of suicide prevention, with the quantity of calls virtually doubling of late.

“Anxiety has soared amidst deaths all around and calls reflecting the mental, financial, health and academic-related anxieties triggered by the pandemic are on the rise,” stated Thampi Mathai, director, Maithri.

(Maithri Helpline – 04842540530)