Aligarh: Adept experts spoke on mental health issues and strategies to cope with them during a five-day webinar series on ‘Mental Health Management during Covid-19’, organized by the Department of Psychology, Aligarh Muslim University.

On the inaugural day, Prof Manju Agarwal, Dean Students’ Welfare, Amity University, Lucknow spoke on ‘self-help for happiness and resilience. Highlighting the role of meditation, she also taught some effective techniques to counter stress and anxiety.

Speaking on ‘Covid-19 and mental health: implication, issues, and management, Prof Azizuddin Khan, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Bombay said, one should not hesitate in consulting mental health practitioners, as Covid-19 has taken its toll on people’s state of mind.

Dr. Athar Kamal, Chief Cardiologist, Varun Hospital, Aligarh spoke about the implications of Covid-19 on the heart. He suggested several activities and interventions keep the heart healthy.

Prof Asma Parveen, Convener of the webinar and Chairperson, Department of Psychology, AMU, made a presentation on ‘Bereavement: dealing with the repercussions of pandemic’. Referring to a few case studies she highlighted various coping strategies which are found to be beneficial especially for those who lost one or both parents in the second Covid wave.

On the last day of the webinar, Prof Roomana N Siddiqui elaborated mental concerns and the impact of news media on health. “Infodemic has also triggered mental health problems. Remain informed but try to reduce how much you watch, read or listen to news that makes you anxious or distressed”, she emphasized.

She also spoke about how pandemic fatigue could trigger more waves and one needs to religiously follow the Covid-19 appropriate behavior.

Approximately 100 participants from diverse backgrounds attended the webinar and asked questions from the speakers.

Prof Asma Parveen proposed a vote of thanks.