The survey by the Association of Physicians of India (Malwa branch) has brought to fore the alarming fact about the Covid-19 pandemic affecting people psychologically even as they were finding it hard to cope with the surging virus and the strict lockdown that followed it. The survey, covering the period from October 2020 to February 2021, says that 80.5 per cent of the population suffered from anxiety whereas 73.3 per cent suffered from depression and that more women than men were among those affected. The severity of the problem was similar in Punjab as in other states. The findings suggest the initiation of steps to address mental health issues and curb its adverse effects.

The pandemic has affected lives like never before. The uncertainty surrounding the disease and its fallout triggered myriad problems, economically, socially, physically and emotionally. With no known protocol initially to treat the disease and the costs involved, the loss of loved ones triggering emotional distress and the confinement arising out of the shutdown with movements getting restricted because of flights, trains, schools, colleges and facilities being closed, resulted in problems that must have exhausted the mind. The loss of livelihoods also entailed a drain on savings.

While the incidence of the problem is not clear, whether it was more in cities or in rural areas, it does call for paying attention. The problem in this case is a corollary to the outbreak of Covid-19, and a decline in the number of cases and related mortality, along with increased reliability on medical facilities, may help alleviate the problem to some extent. Inter-personal relations have become a casualty because of the fear of infection and enforcement of social distancing. With technology playing a major role in facilitating work and keeping connectivity intact, social interaction and personal ties offer the best safety valve to ward off such problems.