Pandemic triggers sharp rise in cases of depression

‘COVID-19 second wave traumatic; it is causing emotional fatigue’

The steep rise in COVID-19 infections has raised anxiety levels among many persons. Psychiatrists say they are seeing more people with depression and anxiety, while every psychiatric disorder is worsening in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic. The number of persons testing positive for COVID-19 in the State has been increasing daily. Simultaneously, there are growing concerns on bed availability and oxygen supply. How the fresh wave of infections has been impacting the mental health of people and the need to seek help is of equal importance, say doctors. “We are seeing a lot of people with anxiety, palpitation, panic disorder and depression. With a lot of children testing positive for COVID-19, the anxiety levels have increased among parents too, especially in nuclear families. So, in the first wave, there was the fear of the unknown. Now, in the second wave, there is fear of the known,” said Lakshmi Vijayakumar, psychiatrist and founder of Sneha suicide prevention centre. She pointed out that the second wave was traumatic, and there was a sense of emotional fatigue among people.