In a study at SevenHills Hospital (SHH), one of the largest Covid-19 facilities in Mumbai, doctors have found 7 per cent of the total admitted patients were suffering from psychiatric illness. The recent study involved 17,676 patients who were admitted from January 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021.  Doctors have warned that Covid-19 is taking a toll among both patients and non-patients, and urge the government to facilitate screening of people for emotional wellbeing. "The virus has made a psychological impact on both affected and non-infected people," said Dr Rashmi Joshi, psychiatrist, SHH Covid facility. She said quarantine and isolation for a long period of time has made healing difficult for the patients.

As per the study, out of 17,676, at least 1,233 (almost 7 per cent) patients had newly diagnosed psychiatric illnesses along with Covid. Doctors said most of these patients had depression, anxiety and adjustment disorders along with other major psychiatric illnesses - including psychosis, insomnia (sleep related disorders are considered psychiatric illnesses), panic attacks, etc. While 23.8 per cent of them had depression, 20.1 per cent had anxiety disorder, 16.1 per cent had adjustment disorder and 14 per cent had delirium.