Depression during Lock-down

Psychological effect of lock-down

“ The COVID-19 is negatively leading to an emotional lockdown of people’s minds.” — Arti Anand

The last two years, having spent time in our own homes, in isolation, through a curfew imposed worldwide, has led to another pandemic concurrently; a battle on mental health. It seems the pandemic brought with it, a revelation of the commonality among youth facing depression, it wasn’t just limited to The lack of social connection, an over-reliance on digital media, and the loss of daily routine, affected everyone unanimously. Some suffered in silence. Others shared their experiences through journaling, social media, and engaging themselves in activities.

“According to a report, in the year 2022 the prevalence rate of depression in India is 4.50% and the cases stand at 56,675,969. Moreover, according UNICEF reports which warned that the pandemic can impact the mental health and well-being of children and youth for years, one out of seven children among the age group of 15- to 24-year-olds feels depressed or has little interest in doing things”.

However, the experience was once in unity shared by a huge proportion of the population. A few of the many reasons for the cause of the exponential increase in depression during the last 2 years were discussed in an episode of “Such Conversations Matter” by Saurabh Nanda and Arti Anand. As people were confined to their own homes, many reported a subjective feeling of house arrest. Starting from their daily routine, which was hampered, making it difficult to maintain consistency in their day-to-day lives.

Further, a sense of fear spread around due to the news channels telecasting COVID-19, 24/7 grappled people, with their own minds, well-being, and physical safety apprehensions. This contributed to the cause of depression, hopelessness, and many a time a feeling of helplessness. People experienced a sense of conflict, with the uncertain questioning of the present, their choices, and looming helplessness of how to move ahead. Routines of psychiatric patients suffering from psychological disorders were disrupted because of the closures of all medical centers. This led them to be off their medications which severely impacted their progress and productivity.

The young weren’t the only ones affected, the elderly people who had few hours of socializing among their community also got terminated. This made them feel helpless as they were not occupied with anything and hence had long hours of boredom.

During the podcast episode, some coping mechanisms were also stated to help the people cope up with their overwhelming feelings.

• For emotional stability and well-being — meditation exercises and a good 8 hours of sleep improves your mood a lot.
• When people are angry they keep their feeling pent up which could lead to irritability and frustration — for these counting exercises prove to work best to clear your mind, slow your thoughts and help you think rationally.
• Writing your thoughts or communicating them to people whom you trust to understand them and validate them will help you look at your feelings from various directions and understand your emotions better.

In conclusion, depression rates have spiked during lock-down, their rates are not seeming to shrink any time soon. The harsh reality is that depression is neglected by numerous people as mood swings or it is not given due consideration which then leads to progressing symptoms that could have dire consequences. It needs to be understood by the masses that depression is a clinical disorder and needs to be tended to accordingly. During the early stages of depression, people should follow the “ Psychological First-Aid Kit” as stated by Saurabh Nanda which includes immediately getting help and communicating your feelings. This will make people aware of your situation and how to help you. Sharing one’s problems is a great way to release the pent-up feelings that otherwise would have consumed you mentally, physically, and emotionally.