Mental health experts report uptick in cases

More people are seeking help for anxiety, depression and burnout.

Psychologists and therapists believe that the past year has had a significant impact on mental health. They have recorded a rise in patients with anxiety and depression in the past 6-12 months. They reason that multiple wars, communal issues, natural disasters and lingering grief from the pandemic are to blame. 

Experts say the world is in a polycrisis. A term coined in the 1970s, it is defined as a time of multiple catastrophic events occurring simultaneously.

Psychologist Afifa Kauser, founder of Let’s Talk Healing, says she noted a rise in cases during the pandemic years. After a brief lull, she’s been receiving more queries for therapy sessions. “Earlier I would receive one or two messages and calls per day, asking for help. Now it’s jumped to 15-20 enquiries a day,” she reveals.

Community healing

Anxiety caused by a sense of uncertainty due to what’s happening around the world, and the potential threat to certain minority communities are the leading causes for her patients to seek professional help. “As a lot of the problems they are facing are similar, I conducted a healing circle recently,” she reveals. Around 50 people attended the session. , which saw participants sharing their experiences. The facilitators also shared strategies for self care. After receiving more enquiries, Afifa is planning to host another session for 400 people in collaboration with multiple organisations. 

A significant number of her patients are new mothers. Being bombarded with news of the wars on social media and television has added to the trauma of those suffering from postpartum depression. “A lot of them are dealing with feelings of guilt. They feel guilty that they’re able to feed and clothe their children and comfort them when they’re upset, when at the same time mothers in strife-torn countries are seeing their children dying,” she explains. 

Other factors like vicarious trauma (caused by watching disturbing videos), cognitive dissonance (when what one believes is at odds with what one is seeing) and political gaslighting are contributing to mental health issues.

Staying in the present

Therapist Maullika Sharma shares that apart from anxiety and depression, most of her patients are dealing with burnout. “The future by definition is unpredictable. But the pandemic has heightened that feeling. It has proven that life can change in an instant,” she says. She advises her patients to “focus on what they can control and stay in the present”. “I ask them what they can do now to have a more stable future and tell them to work on that. I make them understand that they can control their thoughts, feelings, behaviour and how they react to situations,” she tells Metrolife.

Kala Balasubramanian, psychotherapist at Inner Dawn Counselling, says that a common feeling shared by a lot of her patients is a sense of futility. “They ask me what’s the point of life when innocent people are getting killed or are losing all their possessions,” she shares. 

She explains that the increase in cases could be a result of multiple factors. “First, what’s happening globally is definitely causing mental distress. Secondly, the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health has reduced drastically because celebrities are talking about it. People are more aware of what’s happening to them because of this. And lastly, getting help has become easier. We get a lot of cases from tier 2 cities and smaller towns because of online sessions. This was not the case before,” she explains.

Self care tips

First, one must acknowledge that being affected by what’s happening in the world is a normal response, says Afifa Kauser.

Afifa advises drawing boundaries and not engaging with people who are causing you distress, especially strangers on social media. “If your friends or family have opinions that could be triggering, inform them that you will not discuss the topic with them and stick to your decision,” she adds. 

Limit your exposure to social media or accounts whose content could be triggering. 

Practice diaphragmatic breathing. Doing it two to three times a day will reset your nervous system, she says. 

Lastly, she says, it’s important to take care of your physical health. “As a result of vicarious trauma, people have been complaining about pain in their body. I would advise regular physical activity to release stress,” she concludes.