The manifestations of the pandemic have been aplenty, especially on the mental wellbeing of everyone. To address concerns regarding this, Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) organised its International webinar in association with Famhealth on ‘COVID Pandemic and its Impact on Mental Health.’ The webinar was addressed by Prof. Stefano Pallanti, Stanford University, USA; Dr. Ranjana Verma, Maryland, USA; Mr. Atul Sobti, DG, SCOPE; Dr. Amitabh Saha, Max Hospitals, India and Dr. Anjali Nagpal, CMD, Serenity Clinic, India. Over 1200 participants including senior officials of PSEs attended the webinar through SCOPE’s various platforms.
Prof. Stefano Pallanti in his address highlighted the impact of the pandemic on mental health of individuals globally. He cited the urgency of looking at the virus as a major threat to the brain and the need for self assessment to overcome anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders in these crisis times.
Mr. Atul Sobti in his address said that SCOPE, as the apex organisation of PSEs in India, will continue to address challenges faced by the workforce. He also said that after addressing physical health perspective in its previous webinars, SCOPE organised this webinar to seek counsel from global experts amidst unprecedented pressure on the workforce and their families.
Dr. Anjali Nagpal drew attention to the various challenges arising due to the sudden disconnect among individuals due to the pandemic. She also signified that we need to be alert and identify mental struggles being faced by our friends and family and reach out to them in times of need.
Dr. Ranjana Verma spoke about the impact of the pandemic on young minds and the adverse effects of the disruption in the rhythm of everyday life on them. She reiterated the importance of creating confidence and reassuring children in times of crisis and seeking professional help as and when needed.
Dr. Amitabh Saha in his address spoke about the biggest challenge is adjusting to the new normal mentally and gave tips to preserve mental wellbeing as the quantum of psychological stress was alarming and one of the worst seen in recent times.