‘Long Colds’ May Exist As Well As Long Covid, Study Finds

New Delhi: An overwhelming 90 per cent of Indians blame fast-paced lifestyle for growing mental health issues in the country, a new survey ahead of the World Mental Health Day on October 10. The pan-India survey, conducted by location-based social network Public App, also recorded a growing willingness of people to engage in conversation on mental health, where 55 per cent of respondents admitted that they feel comfortable discussing mental health issues openly with their friends and family. The survey with a sample size of over 4.5 lakh people read,

The number of people blaming fast-paced lifestyle for growing mental health issues highlights the importance of work-life balance and stress management. Whereas, we also found 55 per cent of the respondents are open to conversations, suggesting that individuals are increasingly open to discussing mental health challenges, further reducing the stigma associated with them.

However, the count of people taking some form of counselling or therapy for their mental health issues continues to remain low — 14.66 per cent. It added,

Only 11 per cent of respondents were aware of ‘Kiran’, the government’s 24X7 toll-free mental health rehabilitation helpline, suggesting the need for increased promotion of this valuable resource.

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As per the survey, the interest of people on mental health topics or their awareness on mental health policies is on the rise as close to 53 per cent of respondents admitted seeking out and reading mental health-related topics, underlining a genuine interest in understanding and addressing mental health concerns.

In terms of policy awareness, around 41 percent of people said they knew that all “health insurance policies in India are now mandated to cover mental health”.

In 2022, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) made it mandatory for all insurance companies to cover the costs related to mental health treatment within the healthcare insurance plan.

Also, recording coping mechanism of the respondents, the various activities incorporated by them to reduce mental stress include listening to music (43 per cent) followed by practising meditation (19 per cent), playing sports (17 per cent), reading (15 per cent) and Yoga (six per cent).

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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoilets are used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.