A study paper published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatric Nursing by G Balamurugan, G Radhakrishnan, and M Vijayarani found that fear, burnout, anxiety, fatigue, stress, depression and insomnia were some common mental health issues faced by Indian nurses during a pandemic.
The study further added that not just in Indian nurses, but similar mental health issues were studied in nurses across the world. Other issues included mental phobia, grief, insecurity and helplessness, the study said. Radhakrishnan, who has co-authored the research paper, said that the Indian Society of Psychiatric Nurses (ISPN) and Indian Nursing Council (INC) had supported these healthcare personnels fighting the COVID-19 battle during the second wave, “A list of mental health nursing volunteers along with their phone number, preferred language and preferred time was mentioned on the INC website as well as on the ISPN India website.”
G Balamurgan, who has also co-authored the research paper, said, “Between May and August 2021, these mental health nursing volunteers received around 177 calls. During May and June 2021, there was an upward trend in the number of calls. After that, the number of calls started going down gradually.” “This trend is correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases in India during the second wave, which shows that the caseload was directly affecting the nurses’ mental health,” he added.