Two mobile apps were developed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi (AIIMS), to help patients with mental disorders and their caregivers.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought down the entire world's economy, and anxiety and depression rates have risen.
AIIMS developed two mobile apps for severe mental illness. The apps were created for patients with chronic mental illnesses and those who have just experienced their first episode. Both patients who experience the first episode of severe mental illness or those with it, Shaksham and Disha, can use these apps.
Mamta, a senior psychiatrist at AIIMS said to IANS that "We have created two mobile apps -- Shaksham, and Disha -- for mental illness." She said that the Shaksham app was for people with chronic mental illnesses, while Disha is for people who are experiencing their first episode.
Both apps were created in collaboration with computer science departments at Indraprastha University of Technology, Delhi and University of Warwick, UK. The National Institute of Health Research (UK) funded the project.
"The apps will become available to the public free of charge starting in January next year." Sood said that we are more concerned about patient data and will release the apps once data restoration has been completed.
She said that apps will remind care givers of medicines and other patient needs.
Sood was asked about the mental issues faced by people during this ongoing pandemic. He said that an AIIMS survey of healthcare workers revealed that half of them are experiencing symptoms like anxiety, depression, stress, and other symptoms.
However, she said that the symptoms of the disease and the symptoms themselves are distinct. Symptoms do not affect patients while disease affects everyone.