The hidden face of the pandemic that reverberates harm to the mental health of health professionals: a reflective study

Abstract

Throughout the various critical phases of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has imposed an environment of panic and insecurity, the process of mental exhaustion of health professionals has been taken to the extreme, leading to the development and worsening of psychological distress. The aim of this study was to reflect on the emotions expressed by health professionals and the psychological damage caused by their active participation in the pandemic. The methodology applied was a reflective analysis study based on the reading, review, and interpretation of articles, with a time frame between 2020 and 2022. The studies analyzed reveal a major impact on the mental health of health professionals, related to the pandemic, resulting in the outbreak of anxiogenic and depressive signs, with short-term implications already identified and medium and long-term repercussions yet to be evidenced, causing mental health to present psycho-emotional changes at various levels.