Mental health issues in Pakistan and COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19)
pandemic surfaced new challenges to
the global community. Trembling global
economy, blown up of healthcare systems and
new social challenges lugged the attention of
think tanks to these new challenges resulting
from pandemic. To date, this pandemic has
claimed 1444596 lives globally till November
30, 2020 at 00:10 am Pakistan Standard
Time (PST) and in Pakistan 7942 deaths
have been reported at the time cited before
[1]. The end of this pandemic is not certain
till now although first case of COVID-19 was
reported on February 2, 2020. Due to serious
steps of the Government of Pakistan in
different tiers slowed down the spread of this
disease nationwide firstly on May 26, 2020
and then rose again. A second decline was
observed on August 03, 2020 and from that
date it is rising continuously. It seems that
this is second wave of outbreak now engulfing
more lives and spreading exponentially to
all areas of Pakistan. Government steps
related to quarantine, self-isolation, physical
and social distance compulsion, smart
and general lockdown played a key role in
slowing down of the spread. Mental health
problems are being reported from all over
the world. General lockdown creates many
problems related to both individual and
community. In individuals, loss of job, anger,
panic, fear, and stress prevails and aggravates
with each passing day. In community
economic losses worsen the social system
anomalies. Economy of the country has
inverse relationship with the crime rate of
that country [2]. Preponderance of fear in
majority of the public in Pakistan has already
been reported [3]. Mental health issues may
arise in pandemics and their effect may be
worsened in the vulnerable majority [4].