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Background: No information is available about the impact of lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health services in the private practice in India. Aim: The current study is aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on the state of Mental Health Services in the Private Sector in India. Materials and Methods: An online survey was carried out using the Survey Monkey platform during the period of 1st to 15th May 2020 among the members of the Indian Psychiatric Society. Results: Three hundred and ninety six responses were analysed. There was a reduction in revenue generation by about 70%. All kinds of services, including outpatient services, inpatient services, psychotherapy services, consultation-liaison, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) services, were severely affected. One-third of the participants were using the teleservices during the pandemic. The most common problem faced in running the services included modifying the psychological treatment to maintain social distancing, and managing the staff. Besides providing clinical care to the patients, the majority of the mental health professionals reported that they were involved in increasing awareness about the mental health consequences of pandemic and the lockdown and addressing myths related to the spread of infection. Conclusion: The pandemic and the lockdown have markedly impacted mental health services in the private sector. ECT services, inpatient services, psychotherapy services and outpatient services are the most affected. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have led to the expansion of teleconsultation services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is some information from different developed coutries that mental health services have been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Little information is available from India. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic on mental health services in India's various training centers. Materials and Methods: In an online survey, information was collected from various training centers of India through E-mail or WhatsApp. Results: Responses were received from 109 institutes. The majority of the responses were received from state-funded government medical colleges and private medical colleges. Since the lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic, brain stimulation treatments have completed stopped. Other, most affected services included electroconvulsive therapy, inpatient services, outpatient services, and psychotherapy services. However, there was an expansion of teleconsultations services because of the lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic. In three-fourth of the centers mental health services were being provided to the patients with COVID-19 infection. In most of the institutes, mental health professionals were involved at different levels in the COVID-19 responsibilities. These included providing helpline services to the general public, screening people in quarantine for mental health issues, providing clinical care to COVID-19 patients, screening health care workers (HCWs) for mental health issues, and training the HCWs. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have led to the collapse of regular mental health services. The present study also shows that mental health professionals are playing a significant role in addressing the prevailing psychiatric morbidity, specifically related to the COVID-19 related issues, and taking care of the HCWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reflects on mental health of migrants and risk factors such as poor medical care, separation of family and children as well as other relatives. It include homelessness, lack of food and water, xenophobic attacks, poor education, perceived and experienced discrimination, and a high risk of death and injury. It also mentions prevalence of dementia among those with a migrant background are currently lacking and psychiatric disorders in refugees and internally displaced persons.

An introduction to this issue is presented in which the editor discusses topics including mental health laws that govern the practice of psychiatry, the Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA) 2017 that protects the rights of persons with mental illness in India, and speciality psychiatry for mentally ill.

The article focuses on the vice president of Indian Psychiatric Society talks regarding the 71st Annual Conference of Indian Psychiatric Society (ANCIPS 2019).