COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE PROVISION FOR ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY AND OTHER NON-INVASIVE BRAIN STIMULATION IN INDIA: A TEMPLATE FOR FUTURE PANDEMICS

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged as a major public health concern worldwide. While containing the infection and caring for the ill has been a focus over the last 2 years, there has also been a burgeoning concern for mental health issues during this never-ending pandemic. The focus of health care machinery prioritized confronting and containing the pandemic that had majorly side-lined other aspects of public health. This also impacted persons with mental illness (PMI) requiring Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), an often essential and life-saving treatment and thus an essential procedure. ECT and other non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) services have seen a setback during this pandemic both in terms of its accessibility by the PMI and in effectively delivering its benefits by psychiatrists. In this article, we will be discussing the problems with provision and delivery of ECT services as well as other NIBS during this pandemic with a brief outline on the solutions for such with special focus on a developing country like India. This article will also endeavour in providing a roadmap in the delivery and provision of NIBS modalities of therapy for future pandemics, if any.