People’s mental health has worsened gravely in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic regarding fear of infection, uncertainty about getting treatment, fear of death, economic disaster, unemployment any many other reasons.
The effect of this mental health crisis increased the amount of suicide. At the same time, the tendency to seek treatment for mental illness has also decreased. Couple of days earlier, a hanging body of a former student of Dhaka University, Masud Al Mahdi Apu, was recovered. It is believed that he was suffering from depression.
Former Dhaka University student Masud Al Mahdi Apu. Photo: Collected
Students in depression and stress
A recent study on students at Jahangirnagar University found that depression increased 28.5 percent amid the pandemic. Anxiety increased by 33.2% of people, and at least 47% have symptoms of depression. In addition, 70 percent of people are stressed about the current situation. The survey, conducted on more than 500 students, found the depression patients increased four to five times more than before.
Suicide has increased by 44 percent
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, during the first-year of coronavirus infection suicide increased by 17.36 percent. According to some non-governmental organizations, the number of suicides has increased by 44 to 45 percent during this period as compared to other times.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 11,259 people committed suicide in 2020. The bureau reported 9,310 incidents of suicide in 2019. According to the government, the number of suicides has increased by 17.31 percent during the Corona time.
Associate Professor at the National Institute of Mental Health, Helal Uddin Ahmed said, those who do not have suicidal tendencies in normal time or those who have less suicidal tendencies are also seen during this time. Children, women, the disabled, the middle class and the poor were at risk of suicide during the Corona period. Suicidal incidents among children between the ages of 8 and 10 were also reported. The children are under stress as the school is closed.
Women committing suicide most
More women than men committed suicide during the pandemic across the country, the report said. The number is 57 percent for women and 43 percent for men. The total number of suicides was 14,436 while 6,226 were female.
Children are most affected
Associate Professor at the National Institute of Mental Health Md. Zaheer Uddin told The Report that the children in the lockdown have become terribly antisocial. They very often misbehave and don't want to talk to anyone. Their mental state is not very good. They became dependent on either TV or mobile phone. This is disturbing their mental health.
Health workers are also under stress
Highlighting the results of a survey by the National Institute of Mental Health, the report said that in 2018, the rate of mental illness among adults was 18.7 percent.
Of these, 6.7 percent suffered from depression and 4.7 percent from anxiety. According to the IEDCR, several studies conducted in Bangladesh during the pandemic, showed signs of depression in about 46 percent of the participants and anxiety in 33 percent.
Dhaka is a city of stress
According to a 2017 study by a UK-based organisation, Dhaka is one of the most stressful cities in Asia.
The study lists 150 cities around the world on criteria such as air pollution, traffic jams, gender inequality, unemployment, and mental health.
But there is no visible initiative of the authorities to reduce the mental stress of the people of Dhaka, nor is there any initiative privately.
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