Need to focus on mental health amid pandemic: NIMHANS Director Sun, Jul 18 2021 10:12 IST | 41 Views Need to focus on mental health amid pandemic: NIMHANS Director. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, July 18 : The Covid-19 pandemic, which has been causing havoc in India and the world for the last one and a half years, has led to many people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, said Dr Pratima Murthy, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences. In an interview to IANS, Dr Murthy said that it has emerged that Covid-19 doesn't affect just the lungs, but multiple organs in the human body, including the brain. It can cause inflammatory responses in the brain.