Remya Raj, a Kozhikode based social worker, has been going to the Government Mental Health Centre at Kuthiravattam in the district since February 3. This is where counsellors provide psychosocial support to those under home quarantine for COVID-19. Till date Remya has made thousands of phone calls talking to people who returned from foreign countries or who have been in contact with persons tested positive for the disease.
Like Remya, 849 people across the state make hundreds of phone calls everyday to provide psychosocial support to more than a lakh individuals in Kerala, where over 1.5 lakh persons are confined to home quarantine as of March 30.
Through the tele counselling services, over 77,000 persons under quarantine have already been provided much needed psychosocial support. Kerala is one of the states which is giving mental health support to people under quarantine or isolation on such a large scale.
From concerns about being socially ostracised because of the taboo of quarantine to support for medical emergencies, the needs of people vary, say the counsellors.
“During the initial days, the majority of the people were concerned about the taboo and stigma associated with COVID-19. They were concerned about being isolated from their dear ones and even in some cases, being ostracised by neighbours after going into quarantine. But later when COVID-19 cases started to be reported in the state, the nature of the calls changed. Now in most of the calls, people’s concern is about the chances of them being infected,” says Remya.
She says that many people in quarantine are stressed.
“In some cases, we even have to connect them to doctors for medical help for stress. A few among such people might even have a medical prescription. In such cases, we will arrange for medicines to be delivered to their homes,” adds Remya.
Repeated interventions
Providing this psychosocial support to people undergoing quarantine might not be as easy as it sounds. According to those providing the counselling, some people who are initially uncooperative might need repeated interventions before they begin responding.
“There have been cases where people used to be angry at us when we called. Most of them come from Gulf countries for their 15 days or one month leave, and they cannot digest the fact that they need to be in home quarantine. When we call at first they will not at all be interested in talking to us, it is only after repeated calls on consequent days that they finally open up to us about their needs and concerns,” Remya says.
The number of counsellors in each district varies as the number of people under quarantine increases. According to Dr Kiran, the State Nodal Officer for the Mental Health Program, Ernakulam district has 120 counsellors, the highest compared to other districts.
Separate counselling for disabled children
The Kerala government also decided that counselling will be started for vulnerable sections like people with mental health issues and children with intellectual disability.
“We just started counselling for persons with mental illnesses on Monday. We will take their number from various mental health centres in the state and will contact them to provide support and meet their various needs. This will also be done in the case of differently abled children, we are yet to start it. We have also decided to start counselling support to police personnel too,” said Dr Kiran.
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