@article{ref1,
title="Mental health in mass gatherings",
journal="Industrial psychiatry journal",
year="2016",
author="Khan, Shahbaz Ali and Chauhan, V. S. and Timothy, A. and Kalpana, S. and Khanam, Shagufta",
volume="25",
number="2",
pages="216-221",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Hajj pilgrimage, in Saudi Arabia, is one of the world's largest religious mass gatherings. We have similar mass gathering scenarios in India such as the Amarnath Yatra and Kumbh. A unique combination of physical, physiological, and psychological factors makes this pilgrimage a very stressful milieu. We studied the emergence of psychopathology and its determinants, in this adverse environment in mass gathering situation, in Indian pilgrims on Hajj 2016. <br><br>MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a descriptive study analyzing the mental morbidity in 1.36 lakh Indian pilgrims during Hajj 2016, using SPSS software version 19. <br><br>RESULTS: Totally 182 patients reported psychological problems. Twenty-two patients (12%) required admission. Twelve (6.8%) pilgrims reported a past history of a mental illness. One hundred and sixty-five (93.2%) patients never had any mental symptoms earlier in life. The most common illnesses seen were stress related (45.7%) followed by psychosis (9.8%), insomnia (7.3%), and mood disorders (5.6%). The most common symptoms recorded were apprehension (45%), sleep (55%), anxiety (41%), and fear of being lost (27%). Psychotropics were prescribed for 46% of pilgrims. All patients completed their Hajj successfully and returned to India. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Cumulative stress causes full spectrum of mental decompensation, and prompt healing is aided by simple nonpharmacological measures including social support and counseling in compatible sociolinguistic milieu.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0972-6748",
doi="10.4103/ipj.ipj_15_17",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/ipj.ipj_15_17"
}