Epidemiology of mental health problems in COVID-19: a review.

Md Mahbub Hossain,E Lisako J Mckyer,Helal Uddin Ahmed,Farah Faizah,Samia Tasnim,Liye Zou,Hoimonty Mazumder,Abida Sultana,Ping Ma

doi:10.12688/f1000research.24457.1

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a pandemic affecting health and wellbeing globally. In addition to the physical health, economic, and social implications, the psychological impacts of this pandemic are increasingly being reported in the scientific literature. This narrative review reflected on scholarly articles on the epidemiology of mental health problems in COVID-19. The current literature suggests that people affected by COVID-19 may have a high burden of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, stress, panic attack, irrational anger, impulsivity, somatization disorder, sleep disorders, emotional disturbance, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and suicidal behavior. Moreover, several factors associated with mental health problems in COVID-19 are found, which include age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, income, place of living, close contact with people with COVID-19, comorbid physical and mental health problems, exposure to COVID-19 related news and social media, coping styles, stigma, psychosocial support, health communication, confidence in health services, personal protective measures, risk of contracting COVID-19, and perceived likelihood of survival. Furthermore, the epidemiological distribution of mental health problems and associated factors were heterogeneous among the general public, COVID-19 patients, and healthcare providers. The current evidence suggests that a psychiatric epidemic is cooccurring with the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitates the attention of the global health community. Future epidemiological studies should emphasize on psychopathological variations and temporality of mental health problems in different populations. Nonetheless, multipronged interventions should be developed and adopted to address the existing psychosocial challenges and promote mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has become a pandemic with a growing number of cases globally[1]
A lack of social support, working under stress, guilt about suboptimal care to the patient or leaving hospitals understaffed, or and worrying about their families may result in critical mental health challenges among healthcare providers amid COVID-1923,28–30. In this narrative literature review, we aimed to describe the epidemiology of mental health problems in COVID-19 from available articles retrieved from Medline and Google Scholar using a non-systematic approach
COVID-19 is a global public health emergency with enormous impacts on mental health. This narrative review found that individuals affected in the pandemic may have a high epidemiological burden of depression, anxiety disorders, stress, panic attack, somatization disorder, sleep disorders, emotional disturbance, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, suicidal behavior, and many more mental health problems

Summary

Introduction

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has become a pandemic with a growing number of cases globally[1]. People around the world are grappled with fear and worry about their personal safety, a lack of effective vaccine or treatment, and adverse socioeconomic consequences like unemployment and lack of access to necessary commodities resulting from quarantine and lockdown measures in different contexts[6,7] These issues may have multiple impacts on mental health across populations, which necessitates the attention of global health researchers and practitioners. A recent umbrella review of mental health outcomes of quarantine and similar prevention strategies has found that depression, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, posttraumatic stress symptoms, sleep disorders, panic, stigmatization, low self-esteem, lack of self-control are highly prevalent among individuals impacted with physical isolation[11] Another rapid review suggested that stressors like prolonged quarantine, fear of infection, frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, inadequate information, financial loss, and stigma have resulted in long-lasting posttraumatic stress symptoms, confusion, and anger in the mass population[12]

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