In the current world over the past few decades, people have always led a lifestyle with rigorous work routines and monotonous ways. The rapid changes and factors like loneliness, and monotony prevalent in today’s world have caused a wave of stress, anxiety and depression to be spread across the world. They have become more prevalent in the period of lockdown which was triggered around the world due to the Covid19 pandemic.  There are various reasons for this to manifest. The most common ones among them are fears of change, unemployment, swift and unpredictable changes, inability in sustaining supplies during the lockdown, and family issues. The doctors who had to double up their work schedules 24×7 with the risk of contracting the spreading virus had been muddling through psychological problems more in comparison to all others.

The damage that the spreading virus is causing on the human health both physically and mentally includes some unavoidable areas of concern all around the world. Many people, who have typically had rampant high social lives, were locked in their apartments alone. This costly and convivial and sociable lifestyle changed for many people. Many, on the lower strata of income are enduring even when the basic needs are under the doubt of being fulfilled. The procrastination of what will be the world after the Corona subsides has made people stay awake through nights triggering them into insomnia. The improper sleep schedules have added significantly to the issue of depression.

The Covid19 induced lockdown is being gradually eased around the world (with the exception of EU, where the nations are reimposing it). Despite that, the depression does not seem to lose its ways to affect the people.

The nature of the Coronavirus disease that it spreads with contact has done more harm in terms of people to people contact for the purposes of work and business, and induced a panic and social distrust. As people are not getting to do what they generally do, with the norms getting broken, with a more prevalent talk of a new normal, they are bound to feel stressed. The social distrust created by the Covid19 has resulted in more panic and resultant depression than the viral disease itself.

In the context of perinatal anxiety, a recent study by Liu et al, 2020, conducted among pregnant women in Wuhan reported that 24.5% of women were suffering from anxiety, while a less affected city, Chongqing, China reported an anxiety prevalence of 10.4%. On a comparative scale, in other countries like in India and Sri Lanka, women displayed a higher rate of anxiety than that observed in Chongqing. In the context of SriLanka, the study is relevant as the higher rate of anxiety was observed despite the fact that Sri Lanka had successfully contained the spread of the virus at the time of the study (10.4% vs 17.5%). Other studies have also reported higher prevalence of perinatal and postpartum anxiety and depression during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study indicates that the prevalence of depression (especially in pregnant women) due to Covid is more prominent in countries other than the country of origin, China. This shows that the population who were less prepared for the pandemic are more susceptible to depression caused due to the pandemic.

Another study (Catherine K et al, 2020) has pointed out that the symptoms of depression are three times higher during the current pandemic. It was a comparative study on prevalence of depression in Covid times compared with pre-Covid times. This particular study found out among participants that there were fewer people with no symptoms of depression and more people with more symptoms during COVID-19 than before COVID-19. It also observed that certain groups were at a greater risk of depression symptoms, such as lower-income groups and those that have less than $5,000 in household savings. They had a 50 % greater risk of depression symptoms than those of higher income. But the income is not the only factor. Isolation due to lockdown and the resultant associated uncertainty contribute to depression symptoms in people of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

Dr. Collin Reiff, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Health said, “The rates of depression have significantly increased during the pandemic because people are more socially isolated, have less structure and routine, and more uncertainty about the future, which leads to doubt and negative predictions”. Beyond that, Dr. Reiff added, there is also a change in the “big picture.”

The Covid-19 has indeed induced the world towards depression, but it is the people who need to take precautionary steps so that this situation does not get the better of them. It is also the undeniable responsibility of the governments and health services to assure that there would be assistance and intervention available to the public to counter the effects of the depression, which can impact the lifespan and the productivity of the population.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness.