Madurai
Anxiety of having symptoms of COVID-19 was a common psychological problem faced by people irrespective of their age, during the time of lockdown, said S. Selvagomathy of Justice Shivaraj V. Patil Foundation, who has been offering counselling for people in distress.
The Justice Shivaraj V. Patil Foundation for Social, Legal Studies and Development, Fatima College and Action Aid have come together to conduct counselling, through phone, for people in distress in the wake of COVID-19 spread.
“It was not only the elderly who were anxious about COVID-19. We have received several calls from all sections of people saying that they feared of having the symptoms. We have been offering psychological support to them and are in constant touch with them”, she said.
Apart from the fear of COVID-19, she said that they have received calls from the elderly, unemployed youth, women complaining of domestic violence and also people seeking financial assistance. “These people are receiving counselling through our team of experts” she said.
“ As a solution we have advised people to identify an area of interest and hone their skills which will act as stress busters”, she said. Along with her, M. Meenakumari, Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Fatima College, also offers counselling.
“It has been a challenge for us too. Being in constant touch with them has helped the people to cope with their anxiety issues. They have also shown a fighting instinct to overcome their problems which in encouraging”, said Ms. Meenakumari.
“One of the positives of the programme was that we received a phone call from a woman who told the team that her husband had turned over a new leaf and given up alcohol”, said Ms. Selvagomathy. People in need of help could contact 24-hour helplines 9843460061, 9894611838 or 9524318207.
Published - April 21, 2020 09:10 pm IST
