Covid put strain on mental health: AIIMS Director

New Delhi : Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Randeep Guleria, has said that coronavirus pandemic, lockdown, and communicating through technology rather than physically is straining mental health of people.

The remarks hold importance on the day the world is observing the 'Suicide Prevention Day'.

According to the data of the National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 1,39,123 suicides were reported in India in 2019, an increase of 3.4 per cent in comparison to 2018. According to the WHO, we lose about 8,00,000 people to suicide every year.

"Important aspect which has emerged both because of the pandemic, lockdown, and the whole issue of physical distancing and communicating through technology rather than physically, is strain on mental health," said Guleria while addressing AIIMS's National Grand Rounds.

He added, "The mental health issues have also become something which have affected not only those who have had Covid-19, but even sometimes the normal individuals who are sort of at home."

He said that students, old people, have now been confined to a small space and are communicating only through technology rather than physically. "So, this has also caused a lot of mental health issues."