ENGLISH INVESTIGATORY PROJECT ON MENTAL

HEALTH

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 ACTION PLAN
1. Project initiation
Instructions from the teacher including criteria for assessment
Class discussion on various possible topics related to the prescribed text.
Choosing the theme/issue

2. Listing of aims and objectives

Formulate the aims and objectives
Review them
Put in order of priority & importance

3. Project planning for execution

● Choose the project topic and title
● Searching for the content
● Extract the information
● Condense the necessary points
● Collect and record the evidence
● Prepare views and opinions agreeing or disagreeing with the content and
● information gathered
● Make a rough copy of the report/essay
● Format for the project report/essay
● Title of the project
● Introduction to the topic
● General view
● Conclusion
● Bibliography

4. Implementation
Preparing the final and fair copy of the project file keeping in mind
the criteria
Preparing for the project presentation
Preparing for Q & A session with the teacher and peer

5. Closure
Submitting the project file
Project presentation before the class (ASL)

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I would like to express my deep gratitude to my English
teacher Mrs Deepa Dsouza for her guidance and support
and for providing all the facilities required for the project.
I'm immensely thankful to Dr Shameena Abdullah for her
valuable time for the project.
I sincerely thank my parents for their constant support
throughout the project, without whom, this project would
never have reached completion.

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 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Fathimath Lamha, student of Class
XII has completed the project titled Impact Of Lockdown
On Mental Health, under the guidance of Mrs Deepa
D’Souza during the year 2021-22 in partial fulfilment of
Chemistry Practical Examination conducted by AISSCE,
New Delhi.

Signature of Teacher-in-charge:

Signature of External Examiner:

Date of Examination: Official school seal

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 INTRODUCTION
Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person understands his or her
abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and
fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community.

Both physical and mental health is the result of a complex interplay between
many individual and environmental factors, including:

● family history of illness and disease/genetics

● lifestyle and health behaviours (e.g., smoking, exercise, substance use)
● levels of personal and workplace stress
● exposure to toxins
● exposure to trauma
● personal life circumstances and history
● access to supports (e.g., timely healthcare, social supports)
● coping skills

When the demands placed on someone exceed their resources and coping
abilities, their mental health will be negatively affected. Two examples of
common demands are i) working long hours under difficult circumstances, and ii)
caring for a chronically ill relative. Economic hardship, unemployment,
underemployment and poverty also have the potential to harm mental health.

Our mental health determines how we think, feel and act. Good mental health is
when you feel positive about yourself and cope well with the everyday pressures.
If you experience issues dealing with everyday problems, it could be a sign of a
mental health problem and should be addressed immediately.

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 An Interview About
Impact Of Lockdown: Dr.
Shameena Abdullah
January 15, 2022
This global pandemic has changed our lifestyle
completely. We went through a very tough time during
this pandemic. What does that mean to you? We asked
Dr. Shameena Abdullah, a covid casualty doctor and
psychiatrist. She offers her tips for staying mentally
healthy, plus insights about when to get help.

Dr. Shameena Abdullah is a psychiatrist, licensed

therapist, and mental health expert.

1) How much impact did lockdown have on mental health?

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 Lockdown was an unexpected thing and so it created a big
impact on everyone. Because everything was unplanned. The
unexpected financial crisis, lack of social interactions, anxiety
about the symptoms and the fear of getting this disease,
Increased screen use in children, all caused a negative impact on
people’s lives and their mental health. Everyone was busy
identifying and giving awareness about the physical symptoms
and I think the awareness about symptoms due to mental distress
was not given much importance which again led to further
deterioration in mental health.

2) Is mental health as important as physical health?

There is no doubt that mental health is equally important as
physical health. To be physically healthy we need a sound mind.
Mental distress can lead to various physical problems and
diseases like Hypertension, Diabetes mellitus, Headache,
Insomnia, Muscle spasms and joint pains, Acid peptic disease,
Allergic diseases, Skin diseases etc.

3) How was mental health affecting you as a doctor during this

phase?
Doctors had a very hard time. The unexpected entry of the
pandemic and its rapid contagiosity was a serious problem. The
shortage of staff and resources was a challenge and seeing
people suffering and dying was yet another distress. The sudden
rise in cases and the sudden increase in the workload with the
available resources was exhausting. The anxiety about the health
of ourselves as well as our family was yet another stress because

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we had daily exposure to this virus and we always had to be
vigilant and cautious which also gave us sleepless nights.

4) What were the types of Mental disorders that had an impactful

rise during this pandemic?
There was a sudden increase in the prevalence of Depressive
disorders and Anxiety disorders. Depressive symptoms like
decreased sleep, Decreased appetite, Tiredness, Low mood,
Decreased activity, Lack of interest in activities that were joyful
before, Increased negative thoughts etc were seen more in
patients who were diagnosed with corona as well as patients who
were in quarantine. And some developed symptoms even after
the remission of symptoms of the corona infection. Some were
treated at the right time and many of them were neglected and led
to suicide. Increased suicide rates were also noted.
Anxiety disorders were seen more in elderly people regarding the
spread of disease and their physical health

5) If there is possibly another lockdown, how would we maintain

our mental health?
It is the decision of the government whether lockdown is required
or not. But we should practice being always ready to face any
pandemic at any time. Some of the key points we should keep in
mind in the lockdown period is
● Follow and maintain a daily routine in our day to day life.
● Adequate sleep and maintain good sleep hygiene. 7 to 8
hours of sleep is a must.

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 ● Daily exercise is very good both for mental and physical
health. Exercise causes a release of endorphins which
elevates our mood and gives us positive energy.

● Always consume healthy food and avoid junk food.

● Limit and maintain regular screen time. An increase in

screen time has a negative in pact on our mood and can
lead to various behavioural changes and sleep disturbances.

● Maintain relations with your family and friends and open up

and share your problems and worries with them through
social media or phone. Because ventilating your worries is
good therapy for stress relief.

● Never go behind fake messages regarding the pandemic as

it can increase your anxiety. Limit the use of social media to
lessen our distress.

8) What was the effect of the lockdown on students?

The lack of interaction with friends and the increased use of
screen time leads to serious behavioural changes in children like
sleep disturbances, anger outbursts, low mood etc and
deterioration in scholastic performances. An increase in screen
addiction and game addiction was also noted.

9) How important is it to prioritize our mental health during the

pandemic?
Surely we should give priority to our mental health because if we
are mentally down, it can lead to lots of issues and can cause

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difficulty in facing problems and supporting our loved ones.
Mental health is as important as physical health.

10) How do we check on our loved ones if they are suffering from
any mental disorders? And what do we do to help them?
First of all, we should be ready to spend at least a minute of our
life with someone in distress, maybe our friend, relative or
colleague who is trying to open up with us. If they have symptoms
like Decreased sleep, Decreased appetite, Tiredness, Low mood,
Decreased activity, Lack of interest in activities which was joyful
before, Increased negative thoughts, suicidal thoughts never
hesitate to advise them to reach for professional help. Always
keep your stigma away in consulting a psychiatrist and encourage
them to reach for help, because in some instances counselling
alone cannot help the issues and so medicines are required. Stop
the stigma of using psychiatric medications because certain
psychiatric disorders like Depression definitely require
medications or else it can lead to suicide and you are going to
lose a life and a family have to face a severe loss and the sad
part is that this is a curable disorder and with fewer treatment
expenses, but due to lack of awareness and stigma these are
always neglected

CONCLUSION
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93%
of countries worldwide while the demand for mental health is increasing.

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Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions
or exacerbating existing ones. Many people may be facing increased levels of alcohol
and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety. Meanwhile, COVID-19 itself can lead to
neurological and mental complications, such as delirium, agitation, and stroke. People
with pre-existing mental, neurological or substance use disorders are also more
vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection ̶ they may stand a higher risk of severe outcomes
and even death.

“Good mental health is absolutely fundamental to overall health and well-being,” said Dr
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
“COVID-19 has interrupted essential mental health services around the world just when
they’re needed most. World leaders must move fast and decisively to invest more in life-
saving mental health programmes ̶ during the pandemic and beyond

In young children and adolescents, the pandemic and lockdown have a greater impact
on emotional and social development compared to that in grown-ups. In one of the
preliminary studies during the ongoing pandemic, it was found younger children (3-
6years old) were more likely to manifest symptoms of clinginess and the fear of family
members being infected than older children (6-18 years old). Whereas, the older
children were more likely to experience inattention and were persistently inquiring
regarding COVID-19. It was also shown that children experienced disturbed sleep,
nightmares, poor appetite, agitation, inattention and separation-related anxiety Globally,
the pre-lockdown learning of children and adolescents predominantly involved one-to-
one interaction with their mentors and peer groups. Unfortunately, the nationwide
closures of schools and colleges have negatively impacted over 91% of the world's
student population. The home confinement of children and adolescents is associated
with uncertainty and anxiety which is attributable to disruption in their education,
physical activities and opportunities for socialization. Absence of a structured setting of
the school for a long duration results in disruption in routine, boredom and lack of
innovative ideas for engaging in various academic and extracurricular activities. Some
children have expressed lower levels of effect for not being able to play outdoors, not
meeting friends and not engaging in in-person school activities These children have

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become more clingy, attention-seeking and more dependent on their parents due to the
long term shift in their routine. It is presumed that children might resist going to school
after the lockdown gets over and may face difficulty in establishing rapport with their
mentors after the schools reopen. Consequently, the constraint of movement imposed
on them can have a long term negative effect on their overall psychological well being

older adolescents and youth are anxious regarding the cancellation of examinations,
exchange programs and academic events. Current studies related to COVID-19
demonstrate that school shutdowns in isolation prevent about 2-4% additional deaths
which are quite less if compared to the usage of other measures of social distancing.
Moreover, they suggest to the policymakers that other less disrupting social distancing
strategies should be followed by schools if social distancing is recommended for a long
duration. However, in current circumstances, it is controversial whether complete
closure of schools and colleges is warranted for a prolonged period.

It has been reported that panic buying in times of distress indicate an instinctual survival
behaviour. In the present pandemic era, there has been a rise in hoarding behaviour
among teenagers. It is also found that among youth social distancing is viewed primarily
as a social responsibility and it is followed more sincerely if motivated by prosocial
reasons to prevent others from getting sick. Further, due to prolonged confinement at
home children's increased use of the internet and social media predisposes them to use
the internet compulsively, access objectionable content and also increases their
vulnerability for getting bullied or abused Worst of all, during lockdown when schools,
when legal and preventative services do not function fully, children are rarely in a
position to report violence, abuse and harm if they have abusive homes.

Although the rate of COVID-19 infection among young children and adolescents is low,
the stress confronted by them poses their condition as highly vulnerable. Many cross-
sectional studies have been conducted to analyze the impact of COVID-19 and
lockdown on children and youth. The results of these studies show that the nature and
extent of this impact depend on several vulnerability factors such as developmental age,
educational status, pre-existing mental health conditions, being economically
underprivileged or being quarantined due to infection /fear of infection. Studies show

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that young children show more clinginess, disturbed sleep, nightmares, poor appetite,
inattentiveness, and significant separation problems.

The containment measures like school and activity centres closures for long periods
together expose the children and youth to the debilitating effects on educational,
psychological, and developmental attainment as they experience loneliness, anxiety,
and uncertainty. Compulsive use of internet gaming and social media puts them at
higher risk. Children and adolescents with mental health conditions are not used to
variation in the environment. Hence there could be an exacerbation in symptoms and
behavioural problems.

The children who receive training, therapy, and other treatments are at high risk of
being derailed from therapy and special education. Economically underprivileged
children are particularly prone to exploitation and abuse. Children quarantined are at
high risk for developing higher risk for mental health-related challenges.

There is a need to ameliorate children and adolescents’ access to mental health

services by using both face to face as well as digital platforms. This collaborative
network of parents, psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, community volunteers,
and NGOs are required. There is a need for ‘tele mental health compatibility’ and to be
accessible to the public at large. This would be crucial to prevent during and post-
pandemic mental challenges in the most vulnerable and underprivileged section of
society. The focal point of the healthcare system and policymaking should be
prevention, promotion, and interventions corresponding to the public mental health
system to meet the mental health needs of the population at large by taking the regional
contextual parameters into account.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
● www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
● www.who.int
● www.dhs.kerala.gov.in
● www.ndtv.com

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