Psychosocial and mental health concerns among elderly people during COVID-19: Findings from national helpline in India

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: WHO reported that the epidemic SARS-CoV-2 spread was a public health emergency of international tension in January 2020 and pandemic in March 2020. In this regard, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) launched a national helpline with the support of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for addressing psychosocial issues and mental health concerns of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recorded calls made to the National Psychosocial Support helpline were analysed to elicit the psychosocial issues seen among the elderly during the pandemic. Methods: The data of 70 randomly selected helpline callers were collected by using the sociodemographic data sheet and the semistructured questionnaire. The study employed descriptive research design. Results: In total, 71.1% of callers belonged to the 60-70 years’ age group. 57.1% of callers had approached the helpline by themselves. 38.6% of the callers had reported a preexisting mental illness, of which the majority (33%) reported anxiety and/or sleeplessness. 28.6% of callers complained of comorbid medical issues. Interventions provided to the callers were in the form of supportive psychotherapy (84.28%), the COVID-19-related information (72.85%), referral services (62.9%), lifestyle modifications (41.42%), and behavioural activation (35.71%). Conclusion: Study findings indicate that the older population encountered several mental health issues during COVID-19, and the telephonic interventions were the most feasible, accessible, and helpful method to reach out to them.