Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Covid took a toll on the mental health of women, with 35 to 40 per cent of them suffering from anxiety, depression and other problems, but they are still hesitant or fear coming forward due to stigma. “Compared to men, anxiety and depression went up among women. It is believed that women can withstand stress and are generally thought to be better than men, but it was not so.
Women’s mental health during Covid took a beating,” Indian Psychiatric Society president Dr N N Raju said. “In general, the entire household work is done by women, whether we like it or not. They were handling various fronts — from handling workload, children’s online classes and also looking after the needs of the husband, who was working from home during the pandemic.”
Raju said studies show that mental health issues went up among the people during Covid. “It went up by 15-20 per cent. But in women, it increased by 35-40 per cent compared to men.” What is worrying, he said, is that women don’t come forward to flag mental health problems. “They don’t want to discuss. They fear stigma and discrimination not only from society but also from families. I see 20-30 cases a day. But I have not come across women discussing it with me.”
Dr Priyanka Trivedi, clinical psychologist, Delhi’s Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, said studies show women suffered from anxiety, depression and trauma during the pandemic. “It is critical for women to come forward otherwise, their condition will exacerbate further.”
Dr Alka A Subramanyam, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, TNMC and BYL Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai, said women who had mental illnesses suffered more because of lack of access to treatment during Covid. ‘‘In India, it is a known phenomenon that women wait till the end to talk about health. Urban women are still aware compared to those in rural areas.” Raju hoped the new national tele-mental health programme will help in removing the stigma and, in turn, help women.
