Today marks the 70th day of the nationwide lockdown and there is a lot going on. The coronavirus has affected multiple sectors worldwide. First and foremost the health sector has been strained the most because of the ongoing pandemic. The world is predicted to suffer from an economic crisis. The educational institutes are all shut and we all are unaware of its re-opening. The unemployment rate of people is spiking up and people are striving to death. There are many people homeless as they are not welcomed in their nation because of the threat of the virus. The domestic violence cases have risen up since the lockdown. And according to the Department of Health, Nepal, 30 mothers have lost their lives after giving birth to their baby because of the unavailability of the health facilities. And in these uncertain times, we all have the same question in our minds: WHEN IS THIS ALL GOING TO END?

With the increasing number of COVID-19 cases daily, the lockdown seems to last forever and we all are well aware that the restriction of movement of people is very likely to develop a wide range of psychological stress and disorders which also includes anxiety and depression. In Nepal, the number of people who committed suicide during the lockdown period has reached 875. According to the data assembled by the Nepal Police, the suicide cases across the country have increased by 16 percentage during the lockdown. Prabhakar Pokheral who is a Consultant Psychiatrist says, ”the cause of the increase is the number of suicide during this lockdown is because many people have started to feel hopeless because of the uncertainty surrounding this pandemic.” Some mental health experts also claim that it is very obvious that the pandemic will leave a negative psychological impact on people from all walks of life. 

The negativity in the world can drain our energy and leave us insane. With all that is going around us, we may get overwhelmed at times but we must always remember that our personal well being always comes first. We must be responsible for our sanity in these tough times even though that may seem hard. To make things a little better for ourselves we can take a moment to feel grateful for the things we have. We must also remember that as a responsible citizen it is very necessary to address the current situation wisely. We cannot let the current situation leave us hopeless. We can still hope for good days to come. Till then, Let’s Stay Home, Stay Safe, And Hope for better days.

Some helplines if anyone is having mental health issues:

                    Patan Hospital Helpline for Suicide Prevention: 9813476123
                Transcultural Psychosocial Organization-Nepal Crisis Hotline: 16600102005
                                        TUTH Suicide Hotline: 9840021600