Vijender Singh
AIIMS Bhopal, IndiaTitle: Impact of covid-19 pandemic on availability and utilization of mental health services: Findings of a multi-centric study
Abstract
It was a multi-centric study carried at 4 health centres across India, to explore the availability, access and utilization of mental health services during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions (1st wave & 2nd wave) in patients registered at psychiatry facilities across India. It used convenience sampling method, wherein we recruited a total of 516 subjects from all centres over a period of 6 months using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A semi structured performa was used to explore the availability, access and utilization of mental health services by patients and difficulties faced by caregivers during COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 516 subjects recruited, 53.8 % were males, 80.8% were Hindus and 56.6% were from rural areas. The 391 out of 516 subjects (76%) reported problems accessing the mental health services, owing to closure of OPD services (83.2%), non-availability of doctors (63.5%), poor availability of transport (61.9%). It was reported that 16.3% changed their psychiatrist and had to contact GPs (16.5%), their illness worsened in 66.1% of the cases, 68.8% faced difficulties in availing psychotropic medications. The caregivers of subjects reported that 80.3% of them faced difficulties during lockdown which was attributed to non-availability of doctors (67.5%) and medication (33.6%).
Based on a sample of registered OPD patients at 4 treatment facilities across India, it was found that about three fourth of subjects (n=516) had problems accessing OPD, which was largely due to closure of routine OPDs and non-availability of doctors as well as transport facilities due to pan India lockdown. One sixth of patients had to change their psychiatrist and resort to GPs for consultation. In two third of cases the symptoms worsened and around same numbers did not get psychotropic medications during lockdown. Three fourth of caregivers of these patients reported difficulties due to non-availability of doctors and medications.
Biography
Vijender Singh has 24 years of experience in psychiatry. He has been a medical teacher in psychiatry for last 21 years in institutes of repute like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi; Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) Delhi and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhopal. He has served as teacher, clinician and researcher and has also carried out significant mental health advocacy in low-income nations like India. His areas of interest have been women mental health, disaster psychiatry, COVID-19 & Mental Health, psychopharmacology, rehabilitation psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. He has been a co-recipient (co-author) of Marfatia Award, BPSS Award and GC Boral award. He has been part of many research projects in Disaster psychiatry and rehabilitation psychiatry and has been actively involved in research in mental health issues of COVID-19 and Women mental health. He has been editor of journals like Indian Journal of Behavioural Sciences. He has more than 50 publications in international, national and peer reviewed journals of the field.
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