Psychosocial and mental health concerns among elderly people during COVID-19: Findings from national helpline in India

Abstract

Background WHO reported that the epidemic SARS-CoV-2 spread was a public health emergency of international tension in January 2020 and pandemic in March 2020. In this regard, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) launched a national helpline with the support of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for addressing psychosocial issues and mental health concerns of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recorded calls made to the National Psychosocial Support helpline were analysed to elicit the psychosocial issues seen among the elderly during the pandemic. Methods The data of 70 randomly selected helpline callers were collected by using the sociodemographic data sheet and the semistructured questionnaire. The study employed descriptive research design. Results In total, 71.1% of callers belonged to the 60-70 years’ age group. 57.1% of callers had approached the helpline by themselves. 38.6% of the callers had reported a preexisting mental illness, of which the majority (33%) reported anxiety and/or sleeplessness. 28.6% of callers complained of comorbid medical issues. Interventions provided to the callers were in the form of supportive psychotherapy (84.28%), the COVID-19-related information (72.85%), referral services (62.9%), lifestyle modifications (41.42%), and behavioural activation (35.71%). Conclusion Study findings indicate that the older population encountered several mental health issues during COVID-19, and the telephonic interventions were the most feasible, accessible, and helpful method to reach out to them.

Keywords

• covid-19
• elderly
• national helpline
• psychosocial issues
• psychosocial support