We know that COVID-19 is not creating a new mental health crisis but expanding an existing crisis and highlighting that we simply do not have the resources and breadth of effective treatments to deal with it. We talk with global expert Prof Vikram Patel from Harvard Medical School about how we can prioritize and put mental health front and center in India’s response to and recovery from COVID-19.

We also meet three young people, Divya, Kehkasha, and Suraj, about that one day in the pandemic they will never forget.

Through the pandemic, and in the second wave, we have seen or experienced grief everywhere, but most people have had few places to mourn, and the traditions of mourning that help bring comfort have been interrupted.
In this episode, we meet three young people, Divya, Vinay and Mona, and hear their stories of loss, grief and how they coped through the pandemic. We're in conversation with Dr Eleanor Hodgson, a clinical psychologist from the UK with ten years of experience working in mental health services in the UK and India, with a particular interest in trauma and severe and enduring mental health difficulties.

Due to the lockdown imposed in Delhi on 17th April 2021, we recorded all the interviews and audio included in this episode via Zoom.

The humanitarian crisis being caused by the second wave of COVID-19 in India has challenged the very definition of 'frontline' workers. In this episode, we feature the stories of eight different frontline workers, specifically, journalists, volunteers and essential service workers, on what they saw, experienced, and how they coped.

Content warning: This episode contains content that may be alarming to some listeners. We advise listener and reader discretion for graphic depictions of death, discussion of mental health and existential struggle. Please check the show notes for a detailed description and take care of yourself.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes stories and descriptions of suicide, some contents may be upsetting or trigger an adverse reaction. Listener discretion is advised.

The effects of COVID-19 are much beyond just medical concerns, and will long outlast the infection itself.  Adapting to lockdowns, remote studies, unemployment, unstable housing, and the potential of family sickness and loss comprise a range of stresses, in addition to non-pandemic-specific suicide risk factors. These in turn may increase vulnerability to depression, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders and therefore suicide risk, especially among vulnerable adolescents and young people.

In this episode, we talk to Dr Soumitra Pathare, Director, Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy, who tells us that COVID-19 presents a crucial period to focus on political will, financial investments, and the global community vital imperative of suicide prevention. We also hear from Raashi Thakran, a mental health advocate who led a petition asking the Government of India to launch a National Helpline Number for Suicide Prevention and E Tharun Sai, a 21-year-old suicide survivor building a mental health startup, findhope.in.

Healthcare workers are the first line of defence to combat this pandemic, and many battles of life and death are being fought inside the Covid-19 ward. In this episode, we are in conversation with Ms Mirai Chatterjee from SEWA, as we bring you the accounts of five women healthcare workers from across India. These workers' stories shed light on the shortage of protective equipment, high patient volumes, risk of infection, psychological and even physical abuse by patients, and constant exposure to deaths of patients and colleagues. The psychosocial consequences of all of these challenges on the mental health of our health workers are likely to be very serious. If we are to provide good quality health care and cope with not only this pandemic but future health crises too, we need to take the time to process what we have lost and make the investments necessary to prepare ourselves for the future.