Hiding behind Covid-19

The daily toll of deaths and new infections we receive updates about every day on our laptops and television are scary enough. But there is lurking behind these another equally terrifying problem which may have a long-term impact, particularly on young people and also children.

The lockdown, or since there was in practical terms never any real lockdown in our cities, the prohibition placed by families on leaving home, has created increased levels of anxiety, stress and depression especially amongst young people accustomed to a large amount of daily activity outside the home and interaction with peers. With schools and colleges closed, cinemas shut down, recreational spots not available and so many essentially enclosed within their homes, mental health issues have become a real concern worldwide, as pointed out by the WHO. The organization says that past studies have shown a global rise of 15 to 20 percent in mental health issues during epidemics.

Mental health is a less spoken about issue in Pakistan. The stigma attached to it continues. But figures suggest that at least 50 million people suffered mental health issues, especially depression, even before the pandemic. Things have become worse following the Covid-19 crisis. This is especially true for young people. According to parents, some have taken up smoking secretly. The use of other illegal substances has also increased even among children as young as 13 or 14 years old. There are tens of thousands who suffer similar mental issues or are even in greater jeopardy when they also struggle to find a means or worry about a parent who must go out of work and who they fear could contract the virus.

Globally, there is a specific dimension to this. Young athletes, no matter at what level they compete, whether it is for their school or whether they aim for the Olympics which will now be held in 2021, are among the worst sufferers. The reasons for this are being studied by psychiatrists worldwide. A key factor is of course the stringent routine most serious athletes, and also dancers or others with a similar vocation follow, spending hours perfecting their skills. Suddenly being confined to their homes leaves them without goals or motives. Some have attempted to cope by setting up home-based exercise programmes or making YouTube videos – but a large number of athletes say this is not enough.

In Australia, a special programme has been set up headed by Justin Langar, the national cricket coach, to remain in contact with young cricketers and also swimmers and ensure that they are keeping as mentally fit as is possible. Swimming, Langar has said, is a time-intensive sport with many extremely disturbed by the disruption of their schedules and the lack of pools available to them.

Experts also point out that endorphins released by the human body help stabilize mood and prevent anger or depression. The release of endorphins increases during exercise or similar activity which is perceived as being beneficial. With athletes suddenly deprived of these hormones, which were previously routinely rotated through their bodies, the lockdown has been particularly hard, combined with the closure of sporting spaces. Some governments have made an attempt to compensate by opening up specified running tracks or setting times which people can spend at distanced outdoor activities. But this is not true for every country.

In Pakistan, sports receives extremely low budgeting, and apart from cricket very little support in the first place. While some athletes have been able to resume activity at a certain level, many have not. It is also expected that for some sports, including swimming, squash, karate and other sports traditionally involving practice or play in smaller spaces, there may be no national or international events this year.

In this situation, credit has to be given to the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation, which even during the worst of the Covid spell, and with the support of the International Taekwondo Federation and the Pakistan Olympics Association organized a full-scale online tournament, allowing athletes in a sport where Pakistan has one international medals to retain motivation, interest and with it bring mental health benefits. Karate is following with a similar programme asking for katas to be sent in online – again with help from the Olympics Association and its international body while other sporting federations have also in some cases put in place programmes which they hope can help athletes keep fit.

But at the national level, more has to be done to help young people. The government of Pakistan should seriously consider what can be done. Sports is a hugely important part of national life in many countries. In Pakistan, it has been tragically neglected even under a government run by one of the country’s most prominent sportsmen. The allegations for the sporting federations by the Pakistan Sports Board have been negligible and it is believed that charges of doping that crop up from time to time, and have appeared once more against three medal-winners in athletics at the South Asian Games, are linked to the failure to allocate money to the National Anti-Doping Organisation which goes against protocols signed with Unesco and the UN.

Experts believe that the use of substances in sport may encourage young athletes when in a situation of lockdown or an inability to compete or practice to turn to other substances to help relieve stress and anxiety. Naturally, in Pakistan there has been very little study on this problem and of course a very large number of young people may be left permanently scarred by the Covid-19 pandemic and their experiences in a nation where there is only one trained psychiatrist for every 100,000 people and where experts point out that the government has adopted policies that help no one and offer no support to people attempting to cope with severe mental distress.

The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor.

Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com