Around 34 among every 100 people have been suffering from mental problems

Special Correspondent:

The number of traumatized (mental) patients is increasing in an alarming rate in the country during the corona pandemic due to various reasons including fear, depression, unemployment and severe poverty caused by ongoing lockdown.

Around 34 among every 100 people have been suffering from mental illness. This rate is gradually increasing day by day as the pandemic is becoming longer.

Among the patients, mostly are young, while many, who suffer from depression and disappointment, are choosing the path of suicide at some point. Many are getting engaged in various crimes including drug abusing, stealing, snatching, abducting, robbery, raping and even militancy. As a result, the number of patients, who are getting admitted to mental hospitals, is increasing day by day, hospital sources said.

Helal Uddin Ahmed, Associate Professor of the National Institute of Mental Health said, “The tendency of mental illness, depression and disappointment has increased during the lockdown imposed by the government centering the corona pandemic.”

Multiple studies revealed that, mental problems have developed among one in five people infected with coronaviurs. Besides, the rate of stress anxiety, depression and panic attacks has become many times higher than normal among the individuals and health workers who are not infected with COVID-19.

A study published in the Lancet in April, 2021, found that one in three people fell into mental sickness within the first six months of recovery from corona infection that forcing them to take treatment.

In some studies conducted in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety was found in about 33 percent of the relevant participants, while depression was found in about 46 percent among them. Besides, unscrupulous, aggressive and violent behaviors have been increased on the social media.

Physicians seem that, misuse of social media during the lockdown is also the main among other reasons behind the rising of mental problems.

According to a bulletin of the Department of Health in 2018, around 16.1 percent of the adults in the country are suffering from mental illness and 18.4 percent of children under the age of 18 are affected with mental illness.

On the other hand, the latest national survey conducted in 2019 revealed that, at least one in five suffers from some form of mental illness.

Psychiatrists blamed unemployment, disappointment over family and works, family unrest, breakdown of family ties, drug abusing and misuse of social media for mental illness.

According to statistics, six out of every 1 lakh people are committing suicide due to mental problems. In the same reason, killing of children by parents is happening every day. Anti-social activities including murder, rape and snatching are on the rise. Many of these patients suffering from depression are becoming addicted to drugs. Militant groups are easily targeting these exhausted youths and turning them into militant activities.

Doctors said that, when someone fell into mentally sickness, his behavior changes. Being in a bad mood all the time, not being encouraged to do any work, lack of desire to eat and drink, less interest in studies, not wanting to take care of oneself, forgetting anything – all these are signs of mental problems.

Children may not always have the same symptoms like adults. There are a lot of cyber addiction patients in the country. They are addicted to various social media, games, pornography on mobiles and laptops. There is no guideline on how old a child will be given a mobile phone. Doctors are advising that the parents should have good communication with the child for this. Besides, unemployment, frustration, changes in lifestyle, technology dependence and weakness towards foreign culture are increasing the mental instability. Irregularities in personal life, chaos, various pressures, competition in the workplace, greed, lack of justice are drowning people in despair and turning them into mental patients. These factors are working as a catalyst for the growth of mental patients not only in our country but all over the world. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 8.4 percent suffer from anxiety, 4.6 percent from depression, 1.1 percent from serious mental illness and 0.6 percent from drug addiction.

Due to these reasons, the number of patients in Pabna Mental Hospital is increasing. However, the hospital authorities are struggling to cope with the manpower crisis. The doctors of the hospital are also worried about the increase in mental patients.

According to the hospital’s statistics department, 10,270 people were treated in the 500-bed hospital in November and December alone. Besides, 248 people have been admitted indoors, which has surpassed all records of the past. Although, coronary infections have stopped the movement of long-distance vehicles, the admission of patients has not stopped. The corona situation is causing extreme adverse reactions in people’s mental health.

People are being interested in meditation to reduce stress. People of any age can meditate every day to stay well and healthy, doctors said.