Covid 19: Impact on Mental Health
Dr. Sameer Sarkar (Batch of 1978)
Dr. Sameer Sarkar (Class of 1978) gave a talk on the impact of Covid 19 on mental health in the Praktani Adda session held on 30th of May, 2021. The premise of the session was to deal with the challenges which individuals are facing in terms of their mental health as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. This talk is very relevant in current time so we had a great build-up and countdown for the same.
Dr. Sameer is a renowned mental health specialist with decades of experience in the field. He is currently working as a consultant psychiatrist for the British Army and is the Associate Dean for Defence Medical Academy, UK. After initial post-graduate training in Calcutta he moved to the UK and has been working in the field for more than 20 years. He also studied law at Harvard Law School and Newcastle University in the UK.
The Adda began with exploring the social elements of the pandemic, isolation being one of the most significant impacts of this pandemic. The never-ending series of lockdowns and resultant isolation has taken a massive toll mentally on the majority of us. He advised us to focus on the present and not stress worrying about the future. He also pointed out specific coping mechanisms to deal with the pandemic like exercising regularly and structuring the day to fit in activities to be productively engaged.
The talk also explored the importance of inculcating self discipline and resilience to deal with the pandemic and its adverse mental health impacts. It was quite informative and engaging which enabled all the participants to understand the importance of inculcating coping mechanisms which will help them take care of their mental health. The talk ended with some questions being asked by the participants and with a final note of gratitude to the speaker.
