The mental health of a lot of people was affected due to the corona pandemic. Earlier, it was due to lockdown as people were confined to their homes and were not allowed to move out and now due to increasing corona cases. People on being tested corona positive experience increased anxiety, fear, frustration, sadness and loneliness. In such a situation counselling by the experts helps the corona patients in overcoming their fears and recovering fast.
S Kumar (name changed), 52, resident of Jaipur got up in the morning with mild fever with a feeling of tightness in his chest. He was taken to the family doctor, who advised for the corona test. He was tested corona positive.
He said, “I was asked to remain isolated in a room. I was gripped by countless fears, worries, uncertainties, desperation…. At one point of time, my mind strongly said that I will die and this really shattered me. Despite trying to think positive, my thoughts wandered and I was constantly being reminded about the people I knew who succumbed to this deadly coronavirus.”
“I could feel that my mental unease was interfering with my ongoing treatment. My family members used to talk to me outside the closed door, but nothing could bring me back to normal,” he added.
Calls from his relatives and friends would only heighten his anxiety. One of his friends understood his mental condition and asked him to talk to a doctor and after hours of periodic counselling, he felt better. Now his mind was strongly saying that he will recover and he recovered.
Kumar said, “I am really grateful to Dr Akhilesh Jain, Head of Psychiatry department in ESI Model hospital who with his counselling brought me back to this world.” Like Kumar there are many such patients whom Dr Jain helped with his words and assisted them to fight corona with a positive approach.
Dr Jain has helped a lot of patients to come out of the mental trauma, restlessness and anxiety after they were infected with the coronavirus.
He said, “During such times of crisis, psychological symptoms are likely to emerge, affecting not only mental health but physical health as well. Providing them the right perspective and ways to develop a positive mindset really helps them regain confidence.”
Dr Jain was also infected with this virus and he too had gone through this phase..” He overcame the negative thoughts by speaking to his family and friends and utilised this time by penning down poems and wrote articles.
There are many such Corona Warriors like Dr Jain who are helping corona infected people with words and medicines. Their words play magic on these patients and help in speedy recovery.
