Witnessing rising Covid-19 deaths, young doctors face anxiety, depression

Even though fresh postgraduates on COVID-19 duty try hard to save the lives of patients, they witness so many deaths that they find it difficult to cope with them.

Speaking to ANI, Dr. Jalaja, Additional Medical Superintendent and in Incharge of Covid Centre at King Koti Hospital in Hyderabad said, "For the last one year, amidst this Covid pandemic, there has been an increase in the death rate due to Covid and especially during the second wave of Covid. It has been difficult for many doctors who are dealing with Covid patients to look at such a huge number of deaths."

She said that many doctors who completed their studies last year have been put on Covid duties across various hospitals. She said that due to the ongoing Covid pandemic these young doctors have seen a lot of deaths in their initial stages of career and have difficulties in coping up with this situation and the deaths.

She said, "I have received many calls from the young doctors who are posted on Covid duties saying that, they have been feeling depressed by looking at the death rate due to Covid."

She said that due to their young age and at this age watching people lose their lives might get into their heads and due to this they might feel depressed, but at the end of the day, they get back in trying to save as many lives as possible. She mentioned that even experienced doctors who have been in the field for years have been facing this problem as they have not encountered such a huge number of death throughout their experience.

She said that in the second wave of Covid, wherein mostly young people are getting infected and are losing their lives. The young doctors on the field are also of the same age, they are empathising with their deaths and this is leading to their depression state.

A resident doctor, Laxman who is dealing with Covid patients for the last year has been posted on Covid duty immediately after his post-graduation said, "The young doctors are facing a lot of depression and are unable cope up with the deaths happening due to Covid as they are witnessing such huge number of deaths at very initial stages of their careers and haven't experienced and are not prepared for this during their studies."

Further speaking Dr. Laxman said, "Many people have been affected with Covid during the second wave, most of them being young and most of the age of young doctors who treat them are losing lives. The young doctors already hold empathy towards them and then if the patient loses his/her life, it gets even more stressful to the doctors especially the young ones leading to insomnia, anxiety, stress, and depression."

Dr. Shailendra a Pulmonologist at King Koti Hospital said that witnessing such a huge number of deaths at a very young age and at the beginning of a career, creates an impact on the personal life and sometimes the professional life too in some cases of the young doctors.

Further speaking, Dr. Jalaja said that many countries hold post-traumatic counseling sessions for the doctors to cope up when some patient dies.

"This might be helpful to the young doctors when they are counseled by a superior doctor or anyone who understands their situation. They must be given a pat on the shoulder and explain to them about their duties and how to deal with the situation, " she added.

She further said that fear and anxiety increase the inflammatory mark leading to death, she appealed people to not to get afraid but to take all the necessary precautions and appealed to people to get themselves tested if any symptoms are found.

( With inputs from ANI )