Impact of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on the state of mental health services in the private sector in India

Grover, Sandeep; Mehra, Aseem; Sahoo, Swapnajeet; Avasthi, Ajit; Tripathi, Adarsh; D’Souza, Avinash; Saha, Gautam; Jagadhisha, A; Gowda, Mahesh; Vaishnav, Mrugesh; Singh, Omprakash; Dalal, PK; Kumar, Parmod

BACKGROUND: No information is available about the impact of lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health services in the private practice in India. AIM: The current study is aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on the state of Mental Health Services in the Private Sector in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey was carried out using the Survey Monkey platform during the period of 1(st) to 15(th) May 2020 among the members of the Indian Psychiatric Society. RESULTS: Three hundred and ninety six responses were analysed. There was a reduction in revenue generation by about 70%. All kinds of services, including outpatient services, inpatient services, psychotherapy services, consultation-liaison, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) services, were severely affected. One-third of the participants were using the teleservices during the pandemic. The most common problem faced in running the services included modifying the psychological treatment to maintain social distancing, and managing the staff. Besides providing clinical care to the patients, the majority of the mental health professionals reported that they were involved in increasing awareness about the mental health consequences of pandemic and the lockdown and addressing myths related to the spread of infection. CONCLUSION: The pandemic and the lockdown have markedly impacted mental health services in the private sector. ECT services, inpatient services, psychotherapy services and outpatient services are the most affected. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have led to the expansion of teleconsultation services.