Interview| Mental healthcare must be integrated with physical healthcare, says NIMHANS Director

Asking people about how they are feeling, if they are sleeping well, if their mood is stable should be part of routine healthcare, says Dr. Pratima Murthy

Dr. Pratima Murthy, Director, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, talks exclusively to The Hindu about the short-term and long-term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, and what needs to be done. Initially, people's fears were about contracting the infection. They feared going out. There were worries about what kind of mask and protection was adequate. There were fears of contamination and people started sanitising all grocery items. Subsequently, once it was clear that chances of surface transmission of the virus were uncommon this fear subsided. But then during the second wave, the virus affected a lot more people; entire families got infected. It created panic. Then, generally, when a person is sick, family members rally around that person and provide a lot of care and support. Similarly, in case of death, family and friends come together to provide support to the aggrieved family. There are several rituals that take place, which in a way help deal with the loss. Lack of social support particularly during grief is very psychologically distressing.