COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health and Psychosocial Interventions in India: Decoding Past and Informing Future
摘要
COVID-19 pandemic, along with its devastating physical health threats, also contributed to distressing mental health and psychosocial (MHPS) consequences. Worldwide, health systems and voluntary sectors made efforts to respond to these impacts through a variety of interventions. Despite the large body of available literature on the mental health implications of and responses to the pandemic, the literature from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) where the majority of the global population lives, and where health resources have historically been marginal, remains scanty. India presents a prototypical example of problems faced by LMICs and yet stands as a pioneer with its mental health programmes and policies. Against this backdrop, the current chapter aimed to undertake a secondary literature review to document support measures and interventions undertaken to address the MHPS impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Thematic analysis of the secondary literature showed that MHPS interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic in India largely originated from a diverse set of stakeholders from three sectors, namely Government, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-level initiatives. The interventions could be grouped into three thematic areas: (1) For those diagnosed with COVID-19, (2) For the general public and (3) For vulnerable groups. Interventions ranged from drafting guidelines, creating reliable information sources, telemental health and counselling services, providing relief measures to address basic needs, and providing protection services to awareness campaigns and advocacy efforts. These results offer valuable lessons for imagining and organizing mental health services in the future. They also include the need for foregrounding and prioritizing mental health and conceptualizing it through a psychosocial, inclusive and rights-based lens. The chapter ends by appealing for a coordinated and collaborative approach towards mental health service provision and response.