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Rediff Chat: How to deal with coronavirus stress?

April 01, 2020 19:10 IST

Noted psychiatrist Dr Kersi B Chavda will answer all your queries on the mental stresses surrounding the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus is a busy time for psychiatrists all over, especially in heavily-packed Mumbai, whose inhabitants live in much smaller spaces.

The pandemic and the stifling curfew have multiplied people’s anxieties.

 

Many -- actually most of us -- wake up in the morning wondering if the little tickle in our throats or a sneeze indicates we might have caught the virus. And morbid fear sets in.

Fear that cannot be chased away. It paralyses you.

Being confined to a limited space brings its own, often severe, mental stresses. Claustrophobia. Isolation. Loneliness. Suicidal thoughts.

Psychiatrist Dr Kersi B Chavda’s phone has been ringing non-stop as he handles Covid-19 worry-related queries from both old and new patients.

Senior psychiatric consultant at three Mumbai hospitals -- P D Hinduja National, Hinduja Healthcare and the Sir H N Reliance Foundation -- Dr Chavda now video-consults.

He has also joined various initiatives -- like the all-India Wellbeing Volunteers United with its free helpline, and Project Mumbai -- to assist people in connecting with psychiatrists during these trying times.

Dr Chavda will be on Rediff Chat on Friday, April 3, 2020, at 2 pm IST to answer your questions on any mental health issues you may be facing during the lockdown.

Please ask him only questions related to Covid-19 mental stress and mental health.

Click here to join the Rediff Chat with Dr Chavda to know how to deal with the disturbing thoughts Covid-19 has brought.

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