Need to counsel Covid-19 patients: Docs

On Wednesday, a 29-year-old patient of Covid-19 died by suicide in BYL Nair Hospital where she was undergoing treatment for the infection. This is the first case

On Wednesday, a 29-year-old patient of Covid-19 died by suicide in BYL Nair Hospital where she was undergoing treatment for the infection. This is the first case of a Covid-positive patient killing themselves. The incident highlights the urgent need to counsel patients, said doctors.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has since decided to form a special team that will provide counselling to those being treated for Covid-19.

The Covid-19 patient was a resident of Worli and had been admitted to Nair Hospital on Monday. Yesterday, she tested positive for Covid-19. According to the hospital, she killed herself between 3.30am and 4am on Wednesday, in a bathroom in the isolation ward. Agripada police station has registered a case of accidental death.

“There is growing fear among people about the virus. Fake messages on social media aggravate the situation along with social stigma. Counselling should be made mandatory for all quarantined people, especially Covid-19 patients,” said Dr Vinay Kumar, general secretary, Indian Psychiatric Society. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends counselling for both patients and caregivers.

Dr Daksha Shah, deputy director, health department, BMC, said, “We have decided to take the help of experts from our psychiatry department to counsel patients in order to strengthen the mental health of Covid-19 patients admitted to all hospitals in Mumbai.” The BMC will also deploy extra security staff in hospitals treating Covid-19 patients to increase surveillance of patients and security for doctors.

Recovered patients have complained about the unavailability of counsellors in government and private hospitals. A 56-year-old Mira Road resident, who was admitted to Kasturba Hospital in March and was alone in the isolation ward, said, “Sometimes, I would cry. Then the nurses and midwives would come and cheer me up. I wish there had been a counsellor to talk to.”

However, doctors working in isolation wards have questioned the feasibility of counselling in these areas since this would require a doctor to spend approximately 30 minutes with each patient. “Sitting in an isolation ward for so long can make the medico vulnerable to infection. Even for us, we try to attend patients as quickly as possible to avoid long stays,” said a doctor at Kasturba Hospital.

Psychiatrist Dr Sagar Mundada said counselling sessions may be conducted using video calls. “Patients can be treated through video calls. But even for that, the hospital needs to connect the patients to us, which is not happening,” he said.

After the state government announced its medical task force for patient management on Monday, psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty had alleged the team did not include any psychiatrists and written to the Prime Minister’s office, seeking a review. “This is the mental epidemic in the making. Patients with a history of mental illness require counselling. Otherwise, even though they recover from the virus, their mental health will be compromised,” he said.