COVID Burnout: Do India's Healthcare Professionals Need A Mental Health Break?

Millions of doctors, nurses and frontline healthcare workers were pushed into physical and mental exhaustion while they were trying to keep their patients alive fighting COVID.

Covered in sweat-drenched PPE kits, and working in high-risk exposure to the virus for hours, the healthcare workers bore the silent brunt of the pandemic.

How mental health of doctors deteriorated between the first and the second wave of the pandemic

Dr Samir Parikh, eminent psychiatrist says the COVID pandemic induced a war-like situation and the doctors were called ¡®frontline warriors.¡¯

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¡°We have to understand how healthcare has been in our country over the years. For instance, consider a doctor missing a call from a patient and then that patient goes on social media tagging a few other names, calling out the doctor for his behavior. You could easily imagine the kind of uproar it would cause. So, rather than looking into what doctors could do, we need to look into the response of the society towards healthcare workers. You can't put them on the pedestal one day, and the next day you put them through violence. We had never been taught about a situation like this and the mental and physical pressures that come with it."

"We need to respect with gratitude that we are in the declining curve of the pandemic, and the one reason why that has happened is that despite all odds, the medical community has carried the burden of the pandemic," says Dr Parikh.

Lack of mental health framework for doctors

Dr Anand Bhan, public health researcher, says there is a lack of a medical framework to deal with mental health, in context to medical professionals.

"Equating doctors to soldiers is not doing them any good, despite them working long hours and being available at all times during the pandemic. It might potentially cause them harm.

Pandemic caused numerous structural changes in how doctors function,¡± says Dr Bhan.

BCCL

He adds that places like canteens, where doctors would usually de-stress were shut.

¡°Doctors were forced to spend a lot of time in isolation, away from their families due to the massive fear of passing on the infection,¡± he says.

Talking about the problems faced by the doctors while working in exhausting long shifts , Dr Pratima Murthy, professor of psychiatry, says that a lot of doctors face sleep deprivation and sleep cycles go for a toss. They are in a profession where they save lives; to see patients dying before your eyes is traumatic, and could lead to long-term issues.

How can we promote healthcare for medical professionals

Sarah Romotsky, director, healthcare partnerships, Headspace, says self care is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

¡°And that is something that is often forgotten. One must take care of mind, and in the context of the pandemic, mental health has not been addressed in the medical community.¡±

PTI

She says that mindful meditation can have a huge positive impact on dealing with anxiety, stress, loneliness, sleep deprivation -- things most medical professionals are dealing with right now.

She adds that research at Headspace found that four sessions of Headspace reduces burnout in medical professionals. ¡°While it may not be enough, it's a good point to begin.¡±