MediBuddy records a 48% increase in consultations relating to mental health

MediBuddy, India’s largest digital healthcare platform, witnesses a 48% increase in mental health consultations in the last three months. As COVID-19 cases continue to surge with the advent of a new variant, mental health concerns amongst individuals also rise parallelly on the digital platform. The data reflects consultations recorded twice more often in men than in women.

The digital healthcare platform further witnessed a 42% increase in queries relating to anxiety and panic, a 32% increase in relationship management queries, and a 34% increase in cases of depression. Out of these queries received, most were amongst young individuals in the age bracket of 21 to 30, suggesting that millennials and young adults have been adversely affected by the pandemic and uncertainty.

The most common emotional and behavioural reasons and reactions for mental distress were observed relating uncertainty of the future, anger towards public behaviour, anxiety, panic, relationship queries, boredom, loneliness, amongst other things.

Commenting on the release, Satish Kannan, Co-founder & CEO, MediBuddy, said, “The pandemic has been extremely hard for individuals and has exponentially given rise to many mental and physical ailments. Uncertainty and a feeling of loneliness have been key factors in triggering a lot of these ailments. People are anxious about their future, about their health, and about those close to them. It is extremely worrisome and disturbing to see the rising number of mental health queries. While we continue to provide our unwavering support to anyone seeking help, we also urge those who find themselves going through a tough time mentally or physically to seek professional help.”

MediBuddy has always been at the forefront of India’s healthcare digital acceleration. They recently surpassed the 7lakh vaccination mark and are gearing up to provide vaccination services for children as well, in accordance with government rules and regulations.

Amid the second wave, MediBuddy launched several initiatives such as the Hospital Bed Availability Tracker, a 24×7 helpline number, and a Coronavirus Risk Assessment Tool apart from providing vaccinations, apart from vaccinations to help tackle the surge of coronavirus infection and contribute its bit in combating the virus.