Pertemuan Ke-7
Dosen Fasilitator :
Oleh :
Kelompok 3
i
KATA PENGANTAR
Puji syukur penulis panjatkan kepada Tuhan YME yang telah memberi
rahmat dan hidayah-nya sehingga penulis dapat menyelesaikan makalah case
study yang berjudul “Pengkajian Psikososial Studi Kasus Pasien Covid 19".
Makalah ini disusun khusus untuk memenuhi tugas Keperawatan Paliatif
tetapi, penulis menyadari bahwa makalah ini masih jauh dari kesempurnaan.
Segala kritik, koreksi, dan saran yang bersifat membangun sangat penulis
Penulis
ii
DAFTAR ISI
iii
BAB 1
PENDAHULUAN
psikologis (C. Wang et al., 2020; Ying et al., 2020). Beban psikologis dan
stigma sosial negatif yang muncul membutuhkan perhatian serius dan sampai
16,5% gejala depresi berat, 28,8% gejala kecemasan berat, dan 8,1% tingkat
stres berat (Qiu et al., 2020). Beban psikologis dan stigma sosial negatif yang
muncul membutuhkan perhatian serius dan sampai sekarang masih belum ada
1
& Levine, 2020). Berdasarkan hasil diskusi pakar psikolog mengatakan
diskriminasi dan terjadilah stigma negatif pada masyarakat yang kontak erat
dan kasus-kasus kontak erat sebagai individu yang harus dijauhi, karena bisa
positif COVID-19 (Torales et al., 2020). Penderita bisa merasa cemas atau
2
mulai munculnya stigmatisasi menakutkan bagi ODP, PDP dan pasien positif
yang dilakukan adalah melalui bentuk konseling baik secara langsung, secara
online atau melalui aplikasi (Jung & Jun, 2020; S. Li et al., 2020; Sun et al.,
2020; Zhou et al., 2020). Di Indonesia masih belum banyak penelitian yang
dan konseling selama di rumah sakit menggunakan media leaflet, vidio dan
lanjut.
akibat COVID-19. Oleh karena itu perlu untuk mengetahui dan melakukan
3
1.3 Tujuan
covid-19
1.4 Manfaat
masalah psikosial.
4
BAB 2
TINJAUAN PUSTAKA
1. Pengertian
akut seperti demam, batuk dan sesak napas. Masa inkubasi rata-rata 5-6
2. Epidemiologi
5
kemudian diberi nama SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome Coronavirus 2). Virus ini berasal dari famili yang sama dengan
virus penyebab SARS dan MERS. Meskipun berasal dari famili yang
(Kemenkes, 2020).
6
yang tersebar di 34 provinsi. Sebanyak 51,5% kasus terjadi pada laki-laki.
Kasus paling banyak terjadi pada rentang usia 45-54 tahun dan paling
sedikit terjadi pada usia 0-5 tahun. Angka kematian tertinggi ditemukan
3. Etiologi
menunjukkan bahwa virus ini masuk dalam subgenus yang sama dengan
7
of Viruses (ICTV) memberikan nama penyebab COVID- 19 sebagai
permukaan plastik dan stainless steel, kurang dari 4 jam pada tembaga
dan kurang dari 24 jam pada kardus. Seperti virus corona lain, SARS-
4. Penularan
kucing luwak (civet cats) ke manusia dan MERS dari unta ke manusia.
5-6 hari, dengan range antara 1 dan 14 hari namun dapat mencapai 14
disebabkan oleh konsentrasi virus pada sekret yang tinggi. Orang yang
8
sebelum onset gejala (presimptomatik) dan sampai dengan 14 hari setelah
Penularan droplet terjadi ketika seseorang berada pada jarak dekat (dalam
dan hidung) atau konjungtiva (mata). Penularan juga dapat terjadi melalui
melalui kontak langsung dengan orang yang terinfeksi dan kontak tidak
langsung dengan permukaan atau benda yang digunakan pada orang yang
9
bronkoskopi, suction terbuka, pemberian pengobatan nebulisasi, ventilasi
5. Manifestasi klinis
gejala apapun dan tetap merasa sehat. Gejala COVID-19 yang paling
umum adalah demam, rasa lelah, dan batuk kering. Beberapa pasien
mungkin mengalami rasa nyeri dan sakit, hidung tersumbat, pilek, nyeri
(ARDS), sepsis dan syok septik, gagal multi-organ, termasuk gagal ginjal
atau gagal jantung akut hingga berakibat kematian. Orang lanjut usia
(lansia) dan orang dengan kondisi medis yang sudah ada sebelumnya
seperti tekanan darah tinggi, gangguan jantung dan paru, diabetes dan
10
WHO merekomendasikan pemeriksaan molekuler untuk seluruh
balik, sebagai akibat terjadinya perubahansosial dan atau gejolak sosial dalam
11
pemasungan, penderitagangguan jiwa, masalah anak: anak jalanan dan
stress pasca trauma, pengungsi/ migrasi, masalah usia lanjut yang terisolir,
2011).
Kebutuhan fisiologis merupakan hal yang perlu atau penting untuk bertahan
temperatur, eliminasi, dan seks. Klien yang sangat muda, sangat tua, sakit
dan cacat atau bahkan penurunan kesadaran tergantung pada orang lain
12
3) Nutrisi. Untuk membantu klien dalam memenuhi kebutuhan nutrisinya,
fisiologis yang khusus. Dalam hal ini contoh dan tindakan perawat yang
dapat dilakukan antara lain memantau suhu tubuh klien khususnya bagian
dekubitus.
sampah tersebut. Salah satu cara yang dapat dilakukan berupa pemberian
kebutuhan yang lebih tinggi. Seksualitas melibatkan lebih dari seks fisik.
13
pasien, namun untuk pasien yang tidak sadar cukup dengan ditemani
2. Aspek Psikologis
proses kesembuhannya.
3. Aspek Sosial
14
setiap orang dapat berinteraksi dengan orang lain. Saling bertukar pikiran,
curahan hati maupun yang lainnya sehingga orang tersebut merasa dekat
baginya dan merasa tidak aman. Kebiasaan hidup seharihari juga berubah,
keagamaan atau tidak dapat berkumpul dengan keluarga atau teman dekat
dekat dengan lingkungan seperti orang tua, teman dekat, dan kerabat pasien
4. Aspek Spritual
spiritual juga dapat memenuhi kebutuhan untuk mencarai anti dan tujuan
15
Masalah yang sering terjadi pada pemenuhan kebutuhan spiritual adalah
dengan tanda fisik seperti nafsu makan terganggu, kesulitan tidur. Dan
16
BAB 3
STUDI KASUS DAN ASUHAN KEPERAWATAN
MASALAH PSIKOSOSIAL
Deskripsi kasus
sembuh. Setelah keluar Rumah Sakit klien baru tahu kalau ibunya telah meninggal
dengan diagnosis Covid 19 yang membuat klien terkejut dan mengatakan sangat
ibunya dan tidak ikut berpartisipasi dalam upacara pemakaman. Anggota keluarga
sudah menghibut tetapi kien hanya menangis sepanjang hari, tidur dan nafsu
makan serta perawatan diri normal pada periode ini. Setelah 2 minggu klien
mengalami perubahan pola tidur dari normal menjai 1,5 sd 2 jam perhari tetapi
klien tetap aktif sepanjang hari. Klien banyak bicara tentang ibunya, berwibawa
depan keluarga dan harus mengikuti semua instruksinya. Klien terlibat terus
Suasana hati klien mudah tersinggung, marah dan mencoba keluar rumah
meskipun dikunci, jika dihentikan klien menjadi agresif secara verbal sehingga
klien dibawa ke psikiatri. Riwayat ayah klien menderita penyakit mental yaitu
bipolar tanpa penanagan tetapi klien tidak ada riwayat penyakit jiwa. TD 110/70
mmhg, Nadi 81 x/m, pernapasan 14 x/m. Indeks massa tubuh 23,9. Pemeriksaan
mata ke mata ada tetapi tidak dipertahankan dan hubungan tidak dapat di bangun.
Jika bicara kecepatan nada, volume meningkat. Perhatian dan konsentrasi klien
17
therapi 15 mg olanzapine dan 1 mg clonazepam selama 1 minggu. klien
1. INFORMASI UMUM
a. Inisial klien : Tn. X
b. Usia : 48 tahun
c. Jenis kelamin : laki-laki
d. Pendidikan : SMA
e. Status perkawinan : menikah
f. Tanggal masuk : Tidak terkaji
g. Tanggal pengkajian : Tidak terkaji
h. Ruang rawat : Tidak terkaji
i. Nomor rekam medik : Tidak Terkaji
2. PENAMPILAN UMUM DAN PERILAKU MOTOR
a. Pengkajian Fisik
1) Berat badan : Tidak terkaji
2) Tinggi badan : Tidak Terkaji
3) BMI : 23,9
4) Tanda-tanda vital : TD 110/70 mm Hg, RR 14/menit, N
81/menit,
5) Riwayat pengobatan fisik : Tidak terkaji
6) Riwayat Penyakit : Tidak ada riwayat penyakit kesehatan jiwa
dan klien dirawat dengan Covid 19
7) Kebiasaan yang Berhubungan dengan Status Kesehatan: Klien tidak
mengkonsumsi Alkohol/Obat-obatan dan tidak merokok
8) Istirahat dan Tidur: Ada perubahan pola dan jam tidur klien (klien hanya
tidur 1,5 sd 2 jam perhari)
9) Nutrisi: Klien tidak mengalami masalah nutrisi
10) Eleminasi: Klien tidak mengalami masalah eliminasi
18
11) Orientasi: Tidak ada gangguan orientasi
12) Tingkat Aktivitas: Klien sangat aktif sepanjang hari
b. Tingkat Ansietas
Klien gelisah, sulit tidur dan sulit mempertahankan konsentrasi
3. KELUARGA
a. Genogram: Tidak tergambar
Ayah klien ada riwayat masalah gangguan jiwa dengan Bipolar
b. Masalah Keluarga dan Krisis: Ibu klien meninggal saat klien dalam
perawatan medis dengan diagnose Covid 19 dan klien tahu peristiwa itu
setelah klien keluar dari rumah sakit sehingga klien tidak menerima dan
merasa bersalah
c. Interaksi dalam Keluarga: Klien dominan mengambil alih anggota
keluarga dalam aktifitas
4. RIWAYAT SOSIAL
a. Pola sosial
1) Teman/orang terdekat; Istri
2) Peran serta dalam kelompok; dominan mengambil tugas
3) Hambatan dalam berhubungan dengan orang lain; Klien agresif secara
verbal sehingga sulit untuk bersosialisasi
b. Obat-obatan yang dikonsumsi
Klien mendapatkan pengobatan dengan dosis harian seperti olanzapine 15
mg dan 1 mg clonazepam selama 1 minggu.
5. STATUS SOSIAL BUDAYA
a. Pekerjaan: Tidak terkaji
b. Hubungan Sosial: Tidak terkaji
c. Sosio-budaya: Tidak terkaji
d. Gaya Hidup: Tidak terkaji
6. STATUS MENTAL DAN EMOSI
a. Penampilan
1) Tidak ada cacat fisik
2) Ada kontak mata yang dilakukan tetapi tidak dipertahankan dan
hubungan tidak dapat dibangun
19
3) Perawatan diri tidak ada masalah
b. Tingkah Laku: Klien dominan mengambil alih tugas dalam keluarga
meskipun sudah dikerjakan oleh istrinya, klien mudah marah, mudah
tersinggung dan klien suka memberikan ide-ide besar.
c. Pola komunikasi: Klien dominan dalam komunikasi, respon verbal meningkat
dan aktif dalam komunikasi
d. Mood dan Afek: Klien Sedih, mudah marah dan mudah tersinggung
e. Pada pemeriksaan status mental (MSE): klien agak tidak terawat, berwibawa
sama pewawancara, ada kontak mata-ke-mata (ETEC) tetapi tidak bisa
dipertahankan dan hubungan tidak dapat dibangun. Perhatian dan konsentrasinya
terangsang tetapi tidak berkelanjutan.
7. KULTURAL DAN SPIRITUAL (Tidak Terkaji)
a. Agama yang dianut
1) Bagaimana kebutuhan klien terhadap spiritual dan pelaksanaannya?
2) Apakah klien mengalami gangguan dalam menjalankan kegiatan
spiritualnya setelah mengalami kekerasan atau penganiayaan?
3) Adakah pengaruh spiritual terhadap koping individu
b. Budaya yang diikuti
Apakah ada budaya klien yang mempengaruhi terjadinya masalah
c. Tingkat perkembangan saat ini
20
ANALISA DATA
21
NDx Diagnosis Tujuan Intervensi
1. Berduka berhubungan dengan kematian keluarga Berduka teratasi dengan kriteria: Dukungan Proses berduka dengan tindakan:
atau orang yang berarti yang ditandai - Identifikasi proses berduka yang dialami
Tingkat berduka membaik:
dengan:(PPNI, SDKI 2018a) - Identifikasi sifat keterikatan pada orang yang
a. Verbalisasi menerima kehilangan
DS: meninggal
meningkat
- Keluarga mengatakan klien sedih - Tunjukkan sikap empati dan menerima
b. Verbalisasi harapan meningkat
- Klien merasa bersalah - Motivasi agar mau mengungkapkan perasaaan
c. Verbalisasi perasaan berguna
- Klien tidak menerima kehilangan kehilangn
meningkat
- Klien merasa tidak berguna - Motivasi menguatkan dukungan keluarga atau
d. Verbalisasi perasaan sedih menurun
DO: org terdekat
e. Verbalisasi perasaan bersalah atau
- Klien nampak menagis - Fasilitasi melakukan kebiasaan sesuai budaya,
menyalahkan orang lain menurun
- Pola tidur klien berubah dari normal menjadi agama atau norma social
f. Marah menurun
1,5 atau 2 jam perhari - Jelaskan kepada pasien dan kelurga bahwa
g. Pola tidur membaik
- Klien nampak tidak bisa konsentrasi sikap mengingkari, marah, tawar menawar,
h. Konsentrasi membaik
- Klien mudah marah dan mudah tersinggung depresi dan marah adalah hal yang wajar dlm
Status koping membaik:
- Komunikasi verbal klien meningkat menghadapi kehilangan
a. Perilaku koping adaptif meningkat
- Anjurkan mengidentifikasi ketakutan terbesar
b. Perilaku asertif meningkat
pada kehilangan
c. Orientasi realitas meningkat
- Ajarkan melewati proses berduka secara
d. Perilaku permusuhan menurun bertahap
(PPNI, SLKI 2018c) Dukungan emosional dengan tindakan:
- Identifikasi fungsi marah, frustasi dan amuk
bagi pasien
22
- Identifikasi hal yang telah memicu emosi
- Lakukan sentuhan untuk memberikan
dukungan
- Kurangi tuntutan berfikir saat sakit atau Lelah
- Ajarkan penggunaan mekanisme pertahanan
yang tepat
- Rujuk untuk konseling jika perlu
Dukungan perasaan bersalah
- Identifikasi adanya keyakinan tidak rasional
- Fasilitasi mengidentifikasi dampak situasi pada
hubungan keluarga
- Fasilitasi dukungan spiritual
- Ajarkan menggunakan teknik menghentikan
fikiran dan subsitusi pikiran dengan relaksasi
otot
- Ajarkan mengidentifikasi pilihan untuk
mencegah, mengganti, menebus kesalahan dan
penyelesaian (PPNI, SIKI 2018b)
23
BAB 4
PENUTUP
4.1 Kesimpulan
yang berasal dari faktor internal dan juga eksternal seperti yang sudah
dari perubahan yang terjadi pada fisiologi, psikologi, spiritual serta perilaku
kesembuhannya.
4.1 Saran
dan juga mengatasi masalah psikososial terutama pada pasien Covid-19 kita
mulai dari hal-hal kecil yang tentunya bersifat positif bagi diri kita dan
yang lebih tenang, bahagia dan juga berkualitas bagi setiap individu dan
24
DAFTAR PUSTAKA
25
COVID-19 control. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, March, 0–1.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.03.007
Liu, C., Yang, Y., Zhang, X. M., Xu, X., Dou, Q.-L., & Zhang, W.-W. (2020).
The prevalence and influencing factors for anxiety in medical workers
fighting COVID-19 in China: A cross-sectional survey. MedRxiv,
2020.03.05.20032003. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.05.20032003
Manderson, L., & Levine, S. (2020). COVID-19, Risk, Fear, and Fall-out.
Medical Anthropology, 00(00), 1–4.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2020.1746301
PPNI. (2018a). Standar Diagnosis Keperawatan Indonesia; Definisi dan Indikator
Diagnostik.
PPNI. (2018b). Standar Intervensi Keperawatan Indonesia; Definisi dan Tindakan
Keperawatan.
PPNI. (2018c). Standar Luaran Keperawatan Indonesia; Definisi Kriteria Hasil
Keperawatan.
Qiu, J., Shen, B., Zhao, M., Wang, Z., Xie, B., & Xu, Y. (2020). A nationwide
survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19
epidemic: Implications and policy recommendations. General Psychiatry,
33(2), 19–21. https://doi.org/10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213
Rochmyaningsih, D. (2020). Indonesia finally reports two coronavirus cases.
Scientists worry it has many more. Science.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abb5653
Sun, L., Sun, Z., Wu, L., Zhu, Z., Zhang, F., Shang, Z., Jia, Y., Gu, J., Zhou, Y.,
Wang, Y., Liu, N., & Liu, W. (2020). Prevalence and Risk Factors of Acute
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Wuhan,
China. MedRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.06.20032425
Torales, J., O’Higgins, M., Castaldelli-Maia, J. M., & Ventriglio, A. (2020). The
outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus and its impact on global mental health.
The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 20764020915212.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020915212
Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., Ho, C. S., & Ho, R. C. (2020).
Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial
stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the
general population in China. International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health, 17(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051729
WHO. (2020). Events as they happen. Rolling updates on coronavirus disease
(COVID-19). Who.
Ying, Y., Kong, F., Zhu, B., Ji, Y., Lou, Z., & Ruan, L. (2020). Mental health
status among family members of health care workers in Ningbo, China
during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak: a Cross-
26
sectional Study. MedRxiv, 2020.03.13.20033290.
https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.13.20033290
Zahrotunnimah, Z. (2020). Langkah Taktis Pemerintah Daerah Dalam Pencegahan
Penyebaran Virus Corona Covid-19 di Indonesia. SALAM: Jurnal Sosial Dan
Budaya Syar-I, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.15408/sjsbs.v7i3.15103
Zhou, X., Snoswell, C. L., Harding, L. E., Bambling, M., Edirippulige, S., Bai, X.,
& Smith, A. C. (2020). The Role of Telehealth in Reducing the Mental
Health Burden from COVID-19. Telemedicine and E-Health.
https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2020.0068
27
LAMPIRAN JURNAL CASE REPORT
Open access
To cite: Mahapatra A, Sharma P. Case series associated with COVID-19 pandemic in causing psychiatric
morbidity. General Psychiatry 2021;34:e100343. doi:10.1136/ gpsych-2020-100343
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re- use permitted under CC BY- NC. No commercial re- use. See
rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
1
Deaprtment of Psychiatry, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Post Graduate Institute of Medical
Education and Research, New Delhi, India
2
Department of Clinical Psychology, Dr Ram Manohar
Lohia Hospital and Post
Graduate Institute of Medical
Education and Research, New Delhi, India
28
chiatry
reduced to 1.5–2 hours/day. Despite not sleeping, the patient would appear active
throughout the day. He also became more talkative and would constantly talk about his
mother. He would also appear authoritative to his family members and order them to
follow his instructions. He would be constantly engaged in household chores, even when
they had already been done by his wife. His predominant mood was irritable, and he
30
would have anger outbursts. He would try to go out of the house despite the lockdown,
saying that he was going to the Prime Minister’s office to instruct him on how to control
the pandemic. If family members stopped him, he would try to run out of the house and
become verbally aggressive. Because of unmanageability, he was brought by his family
to the outpatient services of our psychiatry department. History revealed that the patient’s
father suffered from mental illness suggestive of bipolar disorder, which was never
treated, and he had expired at the age of 64 years. However, the patient had not suffered
from any mental illness in the past. General physical examination and systemic
examination revealed no abnormality. His blood pressure (BP) was 110/70 mm Hg, pulse
rate (PR) was 81/min, respiratory rate (RR) was 14/min and body mass index (BMI) was
23.9. On mental status examination (MSE), he was mildly unkempt, authoritative towards
the interviewer, eye- to- eye contact (ETEC) was made but not sustained and rapport
could not be established. His speech was spontaneous with increased rate, tone and
volume. His affect was irritable, and he reported ideas of grandiosity. His attention and
concentration were aroused but ill-sustained, and his judgement was impaired. Based on
his history and MSE findings, a diagnosis of first-episode mania was entertained as per
ICD-10 (International Classification of Disorders). Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)
was applied, which yielded a score of 27. The patient was started on a daily dose of 15
mg olanzapine and 1 mg clonazepam optimised over 1 week. He showed clinical
response over the next 2 weeks on the above-mentioned medications. His sleep increased
to 6–7 hours/day; there was a reduction in irritability, anger outburst and increased
talkativeness, but the ideas of grandiosity and increased psychomotor activity persisted.
The YMRS score was reduced to 16 after 2 weeks of pharmacological management.
CASE 2
The patient is a 14-year - old girl, a student of class 9, belonging to a Hindu nuclear
family of low socioeconomic status. She had an easy temperament, no medical
comorbidity and no history or family history of mental illness. The patient was studying
in a private school, and she was considered as a meritorious student by her teachers and
family members and participated in extracurricular activities. Since March 2020, with the
imposition of nationwide lockdown, her school has been closed, and all academic
activities were conducted through online learning. Although the patient’s father
possessed a smartphone with an internet connection, she did not have access to a
computer or laptop. The patient was required to attend online classes regularly as
organised by her school authorities. She also received online assignments through email,
which had to be completed and mailed back within the stipulated period. The patient
would try to attend the online classes on her father’s phone, but she was unable to
complete her assignments. Both her parents were not educated beyond middle school and
could not assist her in her academics. The patient would remain constantly preoccupied
with her inability to follow the curriculum. She would express apprehensions regarding
her schoolwork. She would frequently report to her family members that she would lag
behind her other peers and would not be able to clear her exams. She started reporting
intermittent anxiety symptoms, crying spells and sleep disturbance for the next 2.5
months. Then, 10 days prior to the assessment, the patient’s mother noticed that she
would not sleep at night and appear fearful. She would not interact with family members
and have unprovoked anger outbursts. Occasionally, she was seen muttering to herself.
Her appetite and self- care also deteriorated significantly following which she was
brought to the OPD. General physical examination revealed mild pallor. Her BP was
90/70 mm Hg, PR was 98/min, RR was 16/min and BMI was 18.4. Blood investigations
revealed no abnormality. On MSE, she was unkempt, appearing fearful and muttering to
31
self intermittently. ETEC was not made or sustained and psychomotor activity was
increased. Her attituded towards the interview was guarded. Her affect was irritable and
speech was irrelevant with increased rate, tone and volume, and she was not cooperative
for further interviews and would become verbally aggressive. Based on the history and
clinical evaluation, a diagnosis of acute transient psychotic disorder was made as per
ICD-10, and the patient was started on a daily dose of risperidone 2 mg and lorazepam 1
mg over which her family members reported mild improvement in fearfulness, muttering
to self and anger outburst over next 1 week. There was also improvement in her sleep and
self- care.
CASE 3
The patient is a 9- year- old girl, dropped out of school, belonging to lower
socioeconomic status, with no significant medical or psychiatric history in the family,
was brought to OPD during the lockdown. The child’s functioning before the illness was
adequate with good academic performance. The family members gave a history of
sudden onset spells of unresponsiveness that were usually preceded by a stressful event
and were often associated with concomitant symptoms of headache, light- headedness
and palpitations. These spells had been occurring intermittently over the last year, during
which period, her family had sought consultation from a neurologist. She was diagnosed
with psychogenic non- epileptic seizures; her EEG revealed no abnormality, and she was
not on any pharmacological treatment.
During the lockdown, the garment factory in which her father worked was shut down,
because of which he lost his job. This led to a financial crisis in the family as her father
was the chief earning member, and they faced difficulties in paying their rent and meeting
the expenditure for daily essentials. The patient was exposed to discussions among
parents over money matters. She would be constantly preoccupied with the financial
issues of the family. She became anxious and upset when she came to know that her
mother was contemplating working as a domestic help to meet the financial needs of the
family. She would repeatedly ask her family members to allow her to share the workload
at home. Even though she was a student of primary school, she tried to tutor students
younger to her in her neighbourhood, as an attempt to earn money for the family. She
would remain anxious most of the time and have a sudden outburst of crying. This would
often be followed by an unresponsive spell. Previously, these episodes would occur one
to two times in a month, whereas now they started to occur three to four times/day. The
family members initially sought help from a local faith healer, but after perceiving no
improvement, she was brought to the psychiatry OPD. Her general and systemic physical
examination did not reveal any abnormality. Her BP was 100/60 mm Hg, PR was 88/min,
RR was 16/min and BMI was 17.9. Blood investigations revealed no abnormality. On
MSE, she was well kempt, ETEC was made but not sustained and rapport could be
established with great difficulty. Her affect was constricted. She reported preoccupations
with the financial problems of the family and ideas of guilt about not being able to
contribute to the family. Based on the history and clinical assessment, a diagnosis of
conversion disorder with seizures was made as per ICD-10. A differential diagnosis of
syndromal depressive or anxiety disorder in addition to her pre-existing conversion symp
toms was also entertained; however, on evaluation, she did not fulfil the criteria for a
separate comorbid diagnosis. The patient was referred to a clinical psychologist for
psychotherapeutic intervention. Psychosocial stressors were explored in detail. On
Children’s Apperception Test, the major themes obtained were of uncertainty, loss of
32
finances and lack of food, failure and poor problem solving ability. The intervention
focused on teaching emotional self- regulation skills and breathing exercises for
relaxation. The child was asked to keep a record of the frequency of episodes and skill
practice. After the initial three sessions, the next sessions were conducted telephonically
to enable the family to save travel fare. By the fifth week of treatment, the patient’s
episodes of headache and unresponsive spells had reduced to one to two times per week.
DISCUSSION
From being a global public health emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved into
a socioeconomic and humanitarian crises across the globe. The fear and General
Psychiatry
anxiety surrounding COVID-19 and the nationwide lockdowns have both led to a
psychosocial crisis in the lives of people, leading to increased psychological morbidity.4
The effect of these psychosocial issues is more pronounced in at-risk and vulnerable
populations such as those already suffering from mental illness, children and
adolescents.5 The first case highlighted the role of bereavement and the sudden and
unexpected loss of a family member as a precipitating factor for a manic episode in a
person with no history of mental illness. The patient’s father however suffered from
bipolar disorder, which possibly conferred a genetic vulnerability in the patient. The
inability to give company to his mother in her last moments was a significant source of
stress for this patient. The interaction of pre- existing vulnerability and environmental
stress in the form of his mother’s death played a significant role in the onset of mental
illness in this patient. The COVID-19 pandemic has also disrupted the usual experiences
of grief due to the measures of isolation and quarantine.6 The absence of participation in
ritual, such as funeral, has been shown to cause disenfranchised grief and lacking social
or cultural recognition impairs support resources that assist the grieving process.7 This is
expected to lead to complicated bereavement process and prolonged grief leading to
short-term and long- term mental health conse- quences, as is evident in this case.
The socioeconomic disparities in low- income to middle- income countries such as
India lead to more severe psychosocial adversities for the marginalised and disadvantaged
sections of society, such as industrial workers, daily wage and migrant labourers.8 In both
the second and third cases, the mental health issues emerged and exacerbated due to the
financial crisis and lack of access to digital resources in the family. In the second case,
lack of access to a computer led to academic stress and anxiety that paved the way for
more severe symptoms of psychosis. In the third case, a sudden financial crisis in the
family due to parent’s unemployment in lockdown led to an exacerbation of dissociative
episodes in the patient. Children and adolescents form a vulnerable group for mental
health issues. While the second case manifested a typical picture of adolescent-onset
psychosis, the third case being of classical paediatric age group, manifested as
conversion disorder. Stressors, such as home confinement, lack of social contact with
peers and teachers and family financial losses during lockdowns, can potentially trigger
adverse mental consequences in children.9 Closure of schools and sudden shift in the
mode of education to online classes has also become a major source of academic stress,
which can lead to depression, anxiety, sleep problems as well as suicidal tendencies.10
Although a case series cannot definitely establish a causal relationship between the
psychological stressor and onset/exacerbation of mental illness, these cases highlight the
need for increased focus on psychosocial issues of different strata of the society and
policy implementation by government agencies and other stakeholders to handle the
psychosocial crisis ignited by this global General Psychiatry
pandemic. This also reiterates the need for addressing the structural barriers to
33
ORCID iD
Prerna Sharma http://orcid . org/0000 - 0002-9025 - 5431
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34
Dr. Ananya Mahapatra completed her medical graduation (M.B.B.S)
from Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, India in 2011. She
completed her post- graduation (M.D Psychiatry) from All India
Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India in 2014. She has been
employed as Faculty, Psychiatry in Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital,
New Delhi since 2018. She currently holds the position of assistant
professor (Psychiatry) in the Centre of Excellence in Mental Health,
Dr, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi. She is a life member of
Indian Psychiatry Society (IPS), Indian Association of Social
Psychiatry (IASP) and Indian Association of Child and Adolescent
Mental Health (IACAM). She is also a recipient of Samuel Gershon
Young Investigator Award by the International Society of Bipolar Disorder (ISBD) and
Michael Hong Travel
Award by Asian Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied
Professions (ASCAPAP) for her research activities. Her main
research interests include social psychiatry, child and adolescent
psychiatry, and severe mental illness.
35