HYDERABAD: The Institute of Mental Health, Hyderabad, on Monday, witnessed a surge in the number of patients with severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
They had apparently developed symptoms as there is no access to alcohol following closure of liquor shops due to the ongoing lockdown in the State.
Close to 100 patients with symptoms like disillusionment, vomiting, chills and cramps turned up at the Institute, which is also known as Erragadda Mental Hospital.
Around 45 of them have been admitted to the hospital whose condition is said to be of some concern. Doctors fear that the number of such patients may rise in the coming days.
It may be mentioned that two homeless men died of suspected alcohol withdrawal symptoms and starvation in Raidugram on Sunday.
Speaking to Express, Dr M Umashnakar, superintendent of the hospital, said, “We have received 96 to 100 patients today who are suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Close to 90 per cent of them are dealing with withdrawal of alcohol. Of them, 45 have been immediately admitted and are under treatment. The others have been treated in the OPD and had been asked to go home. Many of them have been prescribed medication as well.”
“The age of these patients ranges between 25 to 55 years. There are also some women. The patients who have been admitted, have been given an IV fluid as many are severely dehydrated, and detoxins were administered to them,” he added.
When Express visited the hospital, many daily wage workers and migrant labourers along with their spouses were spotted.
Many were seen shivering and banging their heads against walls. One middle aged man, who works at a textile shop in Secunderabad, had forgotten his own name and his wife’s name.
He kept imagining that he is the owner of a cloth shop in Afzalgunj.
“A person may develop alcohol withdrawal symptoms anywhere from two hours to four days after stopping consumption of alcohol. The symptoms may include headaches, nausea, anxiety, hallucinations and seizures,” Dr Umashankar said.