Governor Punjab Inaugurated tele-counseling center, set up by GCU, Lahore

In the ongoing crisis, quarantine and social distancing is the only cure to this lethal disease. That being said, countries have imposed lockdown as a measure to prevent people from interacting and forcing them to stay inside. Social media has been used as a tool to influence the public to stay indoors and to spread awareness to which people have responded positively and a major section of the population has self-quarantined itself.

But as physically beneficial as this is, these people have been suffering from many mental health issues such as stress and anxiety. People have become so afraid of running out of food and have anxiously started hoarding groceries. Human interaction is such an essential part of our everyday routine that a break from that has led to depression, especially for those either far away from home or those who are living alone. At first, what seemed to people like vacation has soon turned into what many have described as a ‘jail.’ Frustration and stress levels have increased in people and that has even ruined the environment at home.

Taking care of our mental health is just as important as taking care of our physical health. In at attempt to aid this Government College University, Lahore has introduced a Tele counseling helpline to help people with their mental issues. This helpline was inaugurated on 14 March by the Governor of Punjab, Ch. Muhammad Sarwar and has been possible due to the initiative of the vice-chancellor of Government College University, Professor Doctor Asghar Zaidi and the chairman of the department of psychology,  Dr. Syeda Shahida Batool and her team of clinical psychologists. G.C University has already taken up many initiatives to aid in the prevention of COVID-19 and will continue to do all in its power. The programs and initiatives that have been introduced by Dr. Asghar Zaidi are commendable and we are very grateful to him. This venture is a great example of all the efforts of the government of Punjab to battle this epidemic and its adverse effects, for that we thank Ch. Muhammad Sarwar.

As a first step, people need to recognize the presence of a mental issue and need to acknowledge that mental health is just as important as physical health. Many people do not give much importance to their mental health as compared to their physical health. Secondly, a lot of people are not comfortable with opening up about their problems. It is a kind request to the public to initiate this step and treat it as you would treat a physical health issue.