Management of post-COVID-19 depression among patients of Western Uttar Pradesh of Northern India

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects not only individual's physical health but also their well-being and makes them vulnerable in different ways. Post-COVID-19 depression is dependent on the dynamic interaction between social, medical, economic, geographical, and political factors determining the availability, vulnerability, and distribution of pandemic outbreaks that create fear apprehension and instability among the population. Aim: To evaluate the level of depression (pre and post) and the management of depression among patients from Western Uttar Pradesh of Northern India after the pandemic of COVID-19. Materials and Methods: It was a longitudinal study involving a total of 156 patients with depression. Through chit randomization methods, patients are allocated into two groups, that is, experimental (n=92) and control (n=64). Both groups received appropriate pharmacotherapy. The experimental group in addition also underwent eight therapeutic sessions of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) (relaxation breathing exercise, activity scheduling, and cognitive restructuring). The period of study was from July 2021 to January 2022. Depression was assessed by applying the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) pre- and post-intervention. Results: According to BDI II, 59.78% of patients report severe levels, 25% of patients report moderate levels, and 15.21% report mild levels of depression. Patients who received medications plus CBT showed significantly better improvement than the patients who received only medications. Conclusion: Patients with post-COVID-19 depression showed better improvement with medications plus CBT than medications alone. The finding of this study underline the importance of CBT in the treatment of depression.