RAJKOT/SURAT/VADODARA: For a Rajkot-based Patel family, a concoction of black pepper, cinnamon, haldi, ginger and tulsi had become a three-times drink for all in the family of five. The ‘desi kadha’ was the best bet to stay safe during Covid-19 to maintain immunity. But the frequent shots left boils in the mouth while some got severe acidity and indigestion.
Similarly, fear coupled with stress made Vadodara’s Hemangi Shah wash her hands every 30 minutes and she got obsessed with checking if doors and windows of her 3-BHK apartment were properly shut.
Excessive precautions during Covid have resulted in a big spurt in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) across Gujarat. OCD is a mental condition where a person repeatedly keeps performing routine actions with so much frequency that it impairs normal working.
In fact, 68% people in Rajkot alone have become victims of this psychological condition, revealed a study of 405 people done by the psychology department of Saurashtra University (SU). The survey was done by assistant professor Dimpal Ramani along with her student Krishna Kambaria based on phone calls that were attended on the helpline that SU started since the beginning of the lockdown.
“As the nature of queries clearly showed OCD, so we decided to conduct the survey,” said Yogesh Jogsan, head of the department. The highest numbers were that of teenagers (43%) while 23% women were affected.
Dr Nehal Shah, an Ahmedabad-based psychiatrist said OCD worsened in people with mild symptoms of Covid or were under treatment. A 19-year-old girl in Ahmedabad bluntly refused to allow anyone near her, fought with family members frequently and forced them to follow a cleanliness routine. She also cleaned her room with chemicals as many times as possible. “She was ultimately put on medication,” said Dr Shah.
Gitanjali Roy, assistant professor at M S University’s Department of Psychology, said, “In normal course, OCD is just out of fear, but this time its intensity has increased due to Covid. We have seen people forcing their maids to wear only a particular type of mask or use a particular brand of sanitizer.”
“Earlier, patients with mild OCD symptoms did not require treatment. But, during the pandemic, they had to be given drugs due aggravated obsessive behaviour,” added Dr Parag Shah, head of Department of Psychology at Surat’s SMIMER College and Hospital.
(with inputs from Prashant Rupera in Vadodara, Vijaysinh Parmar in Surat and Parth Shastri in Ahmedabad)