Citation

Rangaswamy T, Grover S, Tyagi V, Bhan A. Schizophrenia Bulletin Open 2022; 3(1).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/schizbullopen/sgac043

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

India with a population of 1.3 billion has a unique health care system in its different states. Mental health care varies widely across the country and this became even more apparent after the COVID-19 pandemic set in. This paper examines the various strategies in response to COVID-19 adopted by the Government of India, the health departments of the individual states, and other private players such as on-government organizations and the civil society. The cessation of many services including outpatient and inpatient care and the scarcity of medicines were serious impacts of COVID-19. The prolonged lockdown in many parts of the country impeded access to mental health care services since public transport was unavailable. This led to many relapses in persons with serious mental disorders. The emergence of new cases of psychosis and an increase in suicides were also seen. Tele consultations came to the fore and many helplines were started offering counseling and guidance regarding the availability of mental health care facilities. While these helped the urban dwellers, those in remote and rural areas were unable to use these services effectively. Many mental health wards were used for COVID-19 patients and mental health professionals were deployed for COVID-19 related duty. The severely mentally ill, the homeless mentally ill, and the elderly were especially vulnerable. Based on our experience with COVID-19, we urge a strong call for action, in terms of strengthening the primary care facilities and increasing the manpower resources to deliver mental health care. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the University of Maryland's school of medicine, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center.

Language: en

Keywords

human; suicide; India; aged; incidence; pandemic; psychosis; medical education; disease severity; clozapine; rural population; outpatient; teaching; mental disease; mental health care; psychiatric department; priority journal; mental health service; public health service; hospital patient; mental health center; relapse; patient counseling; urban population; health care system; vulnerable population; rehabilitation center; Article; traffic and transport; mental health care personnel; teleconsultation; private sector; homeless person; coronavirus disease 2019; lockdown; SARS-CoV-2 vaccine; mental health care access; non-governmental organization; COVID-19 responses; persons with severe mental illnesses