Ever heard a psychologist having a bad day? Probably not. They’re good at hiding pain. Afterall, they’re supposed to be in ‘control’. But things began to change at the dawn of the pandemic in India in March when an unprecedented number of frantic calls and emails were received seeking assistance. It put tremendous physical and mental pressure on them, under which, they’re still reeling.
This has left behind a troop of frayed and frustrated mental healthcare providers who’re facing occupational burnout and emotional exhaustion caused by the sheer volume of work. “It’s a case of caregiving fatigue,” says Arvind Rana, a Noida-based life coach and trauma specialist. “We’ve been rather busy talking about the psychological implications of Covid-19 on the non-medical populations but the medical fraternity too has been suffering silently. We’ve been fighting a battle of our own,” he says.
A look at the doctor-to-patient ratio in India makes his point clear. There just aren’t enough mental healthcare providers. There is about one psychiatrist for over two lakh people, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), proving that a bigger pandemic—the rapidly increasing mental health crisis—looms over us.
Sahiba Rattan Sethi, Counselling Psychologist at Umeed Healing, Jaipur, opens up for the first time since Covid-19 hit Indian shores.
“The thing we often forget is that doctors (psychologist, psychiatrists, healers and life coaches) are humans with real emotions. Despite being trained to be detached observers, our mental resilience was seriously challenged this time. It cracked many times in more ways than one. And it’s not over yet. Far from it, actually.
"The scary part is that we aren’t prepared because the community of mental healthcare providers is very small and the emotional onslaught is unstoppable,” she says.
The beginning was particularly rough, she recalls. She was trying to wrap her head around the spread of the virus when panicked phone calls inundated her every waking hour. With the lockdown imposed, isolation was becoming an imprisonment for many. People with mild anxiety reported full-blown panic attacks.
Cases of depression rose. “The tipping point came when I was dealing with this young, emotionally distraught girl who was extremely anxious with the uncertainty the pandemic had brought about. After a couple of sessions, I was losing my objectivity. It was hard to not get affected by her pain. I immediately reached out to my senior asking for help,” says Sethi, who began meditating regularly to stay calm and found music therapy useful.
There is more stigma within the community of mental health physicians than one can imagine. Close to 300-400 physicians die by suicide each year, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “Cases of depression among practitioners are on the rise and this number is estimated to have increased during and post lockdown phase,” says Abhishek Banerji, an integrative psychotherapist and expressive arts-based therapist from Mumbai, who remembers feeling exhausted with surging cases after Covid-19 broke out.
“I found myself lacking effectiveness to deal with the increased workload. When you’re listening to heart-breaking stories all day and trying to assist the helpless, distressed and suicidal, it starts impacting you. Back to back telephonic or e-sessions left me with no time to recuperate,” he says. Banerji found solace by connecting to his community of fellow therapists. He heard their experiences and began undertaking assisted ‘self-checkups’ from time to time.
“We would mark ourselves on the spectrum of well, stressed, distressed, and impaired, and take necessary actions.” Doctors make the worst patients, according to Sethi. “They find it difficult to reach out for assistance. Maybe it’s about not wanting to lose ‘control’. The mental barrier needs to be first broken within the community before we can try breaking it outside,” she says. The pandemic once again exposed the glaring need for more counsellors.
It has also shown that individuals need to take responsibility for their mental health as there are no quick fixes for the shortage of therapists. “Children need to be taught coping strategies from an early age so if there is another Covid-19-like situation, they don’t crack under pressure,” shares Mumbai-based Kavita Damle, a spiritual life coach, tarot and angel card reader.
Creating an environment of emotional literacy is crucial. It’s important to make provisions for professional courses and upskilling workshops for existing professionals. “Rigorous training in the latest psychotherapeutic modalities coupled with funding for urban and rural mental health projects, through authentic accrediting institutes, is important,” says Banerji.