Please see below the studies, data and specialists opinion suggesting the huge mental health risks during and after the covid-19 pandemic and it’s implications on people, society, companies, economy
“perceived mental healthcare need was seen in more than 80 % of participants”
“During epidemics, the number of people whose mental health is affected tends to be greater than the number of people affected by the infection.”
“During the Ebola outbreak, for example, fear-related behaviors had an epidemiological impact both individually and collectively during all phases of the event, increasing the suffering and psychiatric symptom rates of the population, which contributed to increases in indirect mortality from causes other than Ebola.”
“Researchers are warning that the coronavirus pandemic could inflict long-lasting emotional trauma on an unprecedented global scale. They say it could leave millions wrestling with debilitating psychological disorders while dashing hopes for a swift economic recovery.”
” In a recent KFF poll, nearly half (45%) of adults in the United States reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the virus.”
“Half of Canadians (50%) report a worsening of their mental health, with one-in-ten (10% overall) saying it has worsened “a lot”.”
“93% of employees believe that companies that survive COVID-19 will be those who support their employees’ mental health.”
“69 percent of workers claimed this was the most stressful time of their entire professional career, including major events like the September 11 terror attacks or the 2008 Great Recession.”
“43 percent of employees have become physically ill as a result of work-related stress.”
“Over long periods of time, social isolation can increase the risk of a variety of health problems, including heart disease, depression, dementia, and even death. A 2015 meta-analysis of the scientific literature by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a research psychologist at Brigham Young University, and colleagues determined that chronic social isolation increases the risk of mortality by 29%.”
“Of the multiple symptom domains, obsessions of contamination and compulsive hand washing are amongst the commonest.”
“Among quarantined hospital staff, almost 10% reported “high depressive symptoms” up to three years after being quarantined.”
“Another study reporting on the long-term effects of SARS quarantine among healthcare workers found a long-term risk for alcohol abuse, self-medication and long-lasting “avoidance” behaviour.”
“Just when we need all able bodies to repair the economy, we can expect a sharp spike in absenteeism and burnout.”
“The “red” part of the population has increased by 10 percentage points to fully 25% of the population.”
“Even if they stay at work, research from Eurofound reports a loss of productivity of 35% for these workers.”
“The severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic in 2003 was associated with a 30% increase in suicide in those aged 65 years and older; around 50% of recovered patients remained anxious; and 29% of health-care workers experienced probable emotional distress.18, 19, 20”
“A major adverse consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to be increased social isolation and loneliness (as reflected in our surveys),4 which are strongly associated with anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts across the lifespan.24, 25”
“He said that, historically, substance use has increased during regional disasters, like in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Today’s pandemic amplifies stress amid job loss, illness, fear, isolation — all of which contribute to substance use.”
“The economic crisis in Europe and North America led to more than 10,000 extra suicides, according to figures from UK researchers.”
“The likelihood of dying during the study period“ (average of seven years) “increased by 26 percent for those who reported loneliness (feeling alone), 29 percent for those who were socially isolated (having few social contacts) and 32 percent for those living alone, the team found.”
“In addition, psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, developed in high-risk persons, especially survivors and frontline healthcare workers (7).”
“10.8% of respondents suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after returning to work.”
” … the multivariate studies done on the previous outbreaks show that they have longterm cognitive and mental health effects on the population. It is vital to emphasize the mental health well-being of the population and take proactive steps to minimize its detrimental effects during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“We found high rates of negative mental health outcomes in the Italian general population three weeks into the COVID-19 lockdown measures and different COVID-19 related risk factors.”
“Studies suggest that simply watching news coverage of a traumatic event can trigger acute stress symptoms”
“… the impact of 9/11 is still felt by many, including New Yorkers, nearly 20 years after the attacks.”
In this study, sleep difficulties, paranoia about acquiring COVID-19 infection and distress related social media were reported in 12.5 %, 37.8 %, and 36.4 % participants respectively. The perceived mental healthcare need was seen in more than 80 % of participants. There is a need to intensify the awareness and address the mental health issues of people during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: Apr 2020
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7139237/
Robert Klitzman, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, extrapolates from a recent Lancet study in China to estimate that about 50 percent of the U.S. population is experiencing depressive symptoms. “We are witnessing the mental-health implications of massive disease and death,” he says. This has the effect of altering the social norm by which depression and other conditions are defined. Essentially, this throws off the whole definitional rubric.
Date: May 2020
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32085841/
During epidemics, the number of people whose mental health is affected tends to be greater than the number of people affected by the infection.12 Past tragedies have shown that the mental health implications can last longer and have greater prevalence than the epidemic itself and that the psychosocial and economic impacts can be incalculable if we consider their resonance in different contexts.11,12
Since the economic costs associated with mental disorders is high, improving mental health treatment strategies can lead to gains in both physical health and the economic sector. In addition to a concrete fear of death, the COVID-19 pandemic has implications for other spheres: family organization, closings of schools, companies and public places, changes in work routines, isolation, leading to feelings of helplessness and abandonment. Moreover, it can heighten insecurity due to the economic and social repercussions of this large-scale tragedy.
During the Ebola outbreak, for example, fear-related behaviors had an epidemiological impact both individually and collectively during all phases of the event, increasing the suffering and psychiatric symptom rates of the population, which contributed to increases in indirect mortality from causes other than Ebola.13 Currently, ease of access to communication technologies and the transmission of sensational, inaccurate or false information can increase harmful social reactions, such as anger and aggressive behavior.14
Source: Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry
Authors: Felipe Ornell, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3881-4283; Jaqueline B. Schuch1, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2195-4407; Anne O. Sordi, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4629-1646; Felix Henrique Paim Kessler1, http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7059-2564
Source: https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1516-44462020005008201&script=sci_arttext
Researchers are warning that the coronavirus pandemic could inflict long-lasting emotional trauma on an unprecedented global scale. They say it could leave millions wrestling with debilitating psychological disorders while dashing hopes for a swift economic recovery.
The COVID-19 crisis has combined mental health stressors that have been studied before in other disasters, but which have never been seen consolidated in one global crisis, experts in trauma psychology said.
It has left millions without jobs, sent billions into isolation and forced nearly everyone on earth to grapple with the feeling that they or those they love are suddenly physically vulnerable. The nature of the disease means that there can be no certainty about when the worst will pass. Hundreds of thousands have been infected, thousands have died, the virus continues to spread, and a vaccine could be more than a year away.
“The scale of this outbreak as a traumatic event is almost beyond comprehension,” said Yuval Neria, the director of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and a professor of psychology at Columbia University Medical Center.
Neria, seeking a precedent to point to, said that not even the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or World War II were adequate comparisons, as the anxiety those events caused was at least limited by geography. In this case, he said, “there are no boundaries.
Elana Newman, who researches trauma and disaster mental health at the University of Tulsa, said she has had to consult the literature of several different subjects to get a handle on the unfolding crisis. There is research on how humans cope with quarantine, mass disasters and ongoing stressors, she said, but not on all three.
“This is a mass community disaster, but it is also a little bit like terrorism in that the fear component is there, ongoing fear,” Newman said.
“You can open it up. But this is not a field of dreams. You can build it, but they might not come,” Atwater said. He predicted that as a result of the crisis, emotionally scarred consumers are likely to spend less and save more — a type of “Great Depression mindset.”
“After 9/11, we had the first indication that even people who were not directly exposed to trauma, but spent many hours in front of the television or looking at their smart phones were at high risk for psychopathology, including PTSD, depression and anxiety,” Neria said.
93% of employees believe that companies that survive COVID-19 will be those who support their employees’ mental health.
69 percent of workers claimed this was the most stressful time of their entire professional career, including major events like the September 11 terror attacks, the 2008 Great Recession and others. Every demographic, including adults over the age of 55, rated COVID-19 as the most stressful time.
43 percent of employees have become physically ill as a result of work-related stress.
Source: https://go.ginger.io/hubfs/Workplace_Attitudes_2020_Preview_R4.pdf
Nearly 7 in 10 employees indicated in a survey by mental health provider Ginger that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the most stressful time of their entire professional career, which has aligned with stark increases in new prescriptions of antidepressant, antianxiety, and anti-insomnia medications.
“As employers wrestle with business continuity planning during COVID-19, this research confirms that employers need to make mental health support a critical aspect of that plan, or risk a dramatic impact on employee health and productivity,” said Sally Welborn, former vice president of global benefit for Walmart Stores.
Date: 20 Apr 2020
“We are already seeing the devastating impact of Covid-19 on mental health, with more people in crisis,” said Prof Wendy Burn, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
“But we are just as worried about the people who need help now but aren’t getting it. Our fear is that the lockdown is storing up problems which could then lead to a tsunami of referrals.”
A survey of 1,300 mental-health doctors from across the UK found that 43% had seen a rise in urgent cases while 45% reported a reduction in routine appointments.
One psychiatrist said: “In old-age psychiatry our patients appear to have evaporated, I think people are too fearful to seek help.”
Another wrote: “Many of our patients have developed mental disorders as a direct result of the coronavirus disruption – eg social isolation, increased stress, running out of meds.”
Dr Bernadka Dubicka, who chairs the faculty of child and adolescent psychiatry at the RCP, said: “We are worried that children and young people with mental illness who may be struggling are not getting the support that they need.
“We need to get the message out that services are still open for business.”
Dr Amanda Thompsell, an expert in old-age psychiatry, said using technology to call a doctor during lockdown was difficult for some older people.
They were often “reluctant” to seek help, and their need for mental-health support was likely to be greater than ever, she added.
In a survey of 1,000 people, many said their mental health had got worse since the pandemic had started, due to the disruption to routines that keep them safe and well.
“The NHS is doing an incredible job in the most difficult of circumstances, but mental health must be a clear priority, with investment to ensure services can cope with this anticipated surge in demand,” said the charity’s Danielle Hamm.
She said it could take years for some people to recover from the setbacks.
Date: 16 Mai 2020
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52676981
The preliminary results reveal adults in locations more affected by COVID-19 had distress, and lower physical and mental health, and life satisfaction.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200408102137.htm
The greatest increase was in prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications, which rose 34.1% from mid-February to mid-March, including a week-over-week spike of nearly 18% during the week ending March 15. The number of prescriptions filled for antidepressants and sleep disorders increased 18.6% and 14.8%, respectively, from February 16 to March 15.
An Angus Reid report published this week found half of all people surveyed said their mental health has worsened over the past month a half.
Eaton said it can take up to two years for someone who’s experienced a tragedy to resume their normal life, and bolstering existing community programs that provide cognitive behavioural therapy, for example, could be one way to meet the long-term need for services.
“What we’re looking at right now is scaling up programs that can be done online and on the phone,” she said of the immediate need, noting one such program managed by the association, called BounceBack, provides online support for adults and youth over 15 to deal with mild to moderate depression, anxiety and stress. She said it has recently received more funding in British Columbia and Manitoba.
Surveys suggest anxiety and isolation are already affecting the public.
“Increased social isolation, loneliness, health anxiety, stress and an economic downturn are a perfect storm to harm people’s mental health and wellbeing,” said Prof Rory O’Connor, one of the paper’s authors, from the University of Glasgow.
He said doing nothing would risk a rise in conditions such as anxiety and depression, and more people turning to alcohol, drugs and gambling, as well as other consequences, such as homelessness.
While a rise in anxiety and stress is expected during the pandemic, the paper says there is a risk that the numbers of people with depression and those self-harming or taking their own lives will increase.
It added that the policies used to manage the pandemic would “inevitably have serious effects on mental health by increasing unemployment, financial insecurity and poverty”.
Source: https://acmedsci.ac.uk/file-download/99436893
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52295894
In a recent KFF poll, nearly half (45%) of adults in the United States reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the virus. As the pandemic wears on, it is likely the mental health burden will increase as measures taken to slow the spread of the virus, such as social distancing, business and school closures, and shelter-in-place orders, lead to greater isolation and potential financial distress.
Mental Health Risks due to Job Loss and Income Insecurity
According to the most recent data from the Department of Labor, 5.2 million people filed for unemployment benefits during the week of April 5, bringing the four-week total to a historic 22 million people filing for unemployment. Certain industries have been hit harder than others, such as the leisure and hospitality sector. Analysts at S&P Global predict the U.S. unemployment rate will continue to rise in the wake of the pandemic and that the country is nearing a recession. Research also shows that job loss is associated with increased depression, anxiety, distress, and low self-esteem; and may lead to higher rates of substance use disorder. Additionally, as unemployment rises and a recession nears, suicides may increase. During the Great Recession, the U.S. unemployment rate rose to 10% and was associated with increases in suicide rates.
In the Early April KFF Tracking Poll, 54% of those who lost income or employment reported negative mental health impacts from worry or stress over coronavirus, compared to 40% of those who had not lost income or employment (Figure 3). Twenty-six percent of people experiencing job or income loss reported major negative impacts on their mental health, compared to 15% of those who had not experienced job or income loss.
Date: 21 Apr 2020
Source: https://www.kff.org/health-reform/report/kff-health-tracking-poll-early-april-2020/
Half of Canadians (50%) report a worsening of their mental health, with one-in-ten (10% overall) saying it has worsened “a lot”.
Asked to describe how they have been primarily feeling in recent weeks, Canadians are most likely to say they’re worried, (44%), anxious (41%) and bored (30%), although fully one-third (34%) also say they are “grateful”.
The combination of deteriorating mental health and ongoing financial troubles at the household level creates a portrait of how the nation is faring through the crisis. Canadians fall into four main categories as part of the Angus Reid Institute’s COVID-19 Impact Index: those who are Managing Well mentally and financially, those who are Mentally Struggling, or Financially Struggling, and those who are Hardest Hit, feeling the effects of both factors worse than anyone else.
More Key Findings:
- At least one-in-five residents in each region of the country fall into the Hardest Hit category. Alberta has the highest number (32%) and Quebec the lowest (20%).
Date: 27 Apr 2020
Source: http://angusreid.org/covid19-mental-health/
Preliminary evidence suggests that symptoms of anxiety and depression (16–28%) and self-reported stress (8%) are common psychological reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, and may be associated with disturbed sleep.
In conclusion, subsyndromal mental health problems are a common response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need for more representative research from other affected countries, particularly in vulnerable populations.
Date: 10 Apr 2020
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151415/
Over long periods of time, social isolation can increase the risk of a variety of health problems, including heart disease, depression, dementia, and even death. A 2015 meta-analysis of the scientific literature by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a research psychologist at Brigham Young University, and colleagues determined that chronic social isolation increases the risk of mortality by 29%.
That may be because social contacts can buffer the negative effects of stress. Lab studies by Holt-Lunstad and others have found that having a friend present can reduce a person’s cardiovascular response to a stressful task. There’s even a correlation between perceived social connectedness and stress responses. “Just knowing that you have someone you can count on if needed is enough to dampen some of those responses even if [that person is] not physically present,” Holt-Lunstad says.
What effects, if any, might be caused by social distancing in response to the coronavirus is an open question. “I have a couple competing hypotheses,” Holt-Lunstad says. “On the one hand, I am concerned that this will not only exacerbate things for those who are already isolated and lonely, but also might be a triggering point for others to now get into habits of connecting less.”
A more optimistic possibility, she says, is that heightened awareness of these issues will prompt people to stay connected and take positive action. “We’d love to be collecting data on that,” she says.
Source: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/we-are-social-species-how-will-social-distancing-affect-us
The burden of OCD is worrisome. Even before COVID-19 struck the world, it had a lifetime prevalence of 2–3 percent. Anxiety disorders (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic attacks) form the commonest comorbidity of 70 percent and depressive disorders around 30 percent (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Of the multiple symptom domains, obsessions of contamination and compulsive hand washing are amongst the commonest. Also, it has been seen that though these domains respond well to pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, it tends to relapse in case of stress due to external or environmental cues (Cordiero et al., 2015).
Date: 11 apr 2020
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151248/
In short, and perhaps unsurprisingly, people who are quarantined are very likely to develop a wide range of symptoms of psychological stress and disorder, including low mood, insomnia, stress, anxiety, anger, irritability, emotional exhaustion, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Low mood and irritability specifically stand out as being very common, the study notes.
…
In cases where parents were quarantined with children, the mental health toll became even steeper. In one study, no less than 28% of quarantined parents warranted a diagnosis of “trauma-related mental health disorder”.
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Among quarantined hospital staff, almost 10% reported “high depressive symptoms” up to three years after being quarantined. Another study reporting on the long-term effects of SARS quarantine among healthcare workers found a long-term risk for alcohol abuse, self-medication and long-lasting “avoidance” behaviour. This means that years after being quarantined, some hospital workers still avoid being in close contact with patients by simply not showing up for work.
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We can already see a sharp increase in absenteeism in countries in lockdown. People are afraid to catch COVID-19 on the work floor and avoid work. We will see a second wave of this in three to six months. Just when we need all able bodies to repair the economy, we can expect a sharp spike in absenteeism and burnout.
We know this from many examples, ranging from absenteeism in military units after deployment in risk areas, companies that were close to Ground Zero in 9/11 and medical professionals in regions with outbreaks of Ebola, SARS and MERS.
Right before the lockdown, we conducted a benchmark survey among a representative sample of the Belgian population. In that survey, we saw that 32% of the population could be classified as highly resilient (“green”). Only 15% of the population indicated toxic levels of stress (“red”).
In our most recent survey after two weeks of lockdown, the green portion has shrunk to 25% of the population. The “red” part of the population has increased by 10 percentage points to fully 25% of the population.
These are the people at high risk for long-term absenteeism from work due to illness and burnout. Even if they stay at work, research from Eurofound reports a loss of productivity of 35% for these workers.
( https://werk.belgie.be/nl/nieuws/een-analyse-van-de-jobkwaliteit-belgie-2015?id=45604 )
In general, we know at-risk groups for long-term mental health issues will be the healthcare workers who are on the frontline, young people under 30 and children, the elderly and those in precarious situations, for example, owing to mental illness, disability and poverty.
All this should surprise no one; insights on the long-term damage of disasters have been accepted in the field of trauma psychology for decades.
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This time, ground zero is not a quarantined village or town or region; a third of the global population is dealing with these intense stressors. We need to act now to mitigate the toxic effects of this lockdown.
9 April 2020
Overall, this Review suggests that the psychological impact of quarantine is wide-ranging, substantial, and can be long lasting. This is not to suggest that quarantine should not be used; the psychological effects of not using quarantine and allowing disease to spread might be worse.44 However, depriving people of their liberty for the wider public good is often contentious and needs to be handled carefully. If quarantine is essential, then our results suggest that officials should take every measure to ensure that this experience is as tolerable as possible for people. This can be achieved by: telling people what is happening and why, explaining how long it will continue, providing meaningful activities for them to do while in quarantine, providing clear communication, ensuring basic supplies (such as food, water, and medical supplies) are available, and reinforcing the sense of altruism that people should, rightly, be feeling. Health officials charged with implementing quarantine, who by definition are in employment and usually with reasonable job security, should also remember that not everyone is in the same situation. If the quarantine experience is negative, the results of this Review suggest there can be long-term consequences that affect not just the people quarantined but also the health-care system that administered the quarantine and the politicians and public health officials who mandated it.
During major infectious disease outbreaks, quarantine can be a necessary preventive measure. However, this Review suggests that quarantine is often associated with a negative psychological effect. During the period of quarantine this negative psychological effect is unsurprising, yet the evidence that a psychological effect of quarantine can still be detected months or years later—albeit from a small number of studies17, 19 — is more troubling and suggests the need to ensure that effective mitigation measures are put in place as part of the quarantine planning process.
Date: 2020
Source: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30460-8/fulltext
The potential fallout of an economic downturn on mental health is likely to be profound on those directly affected and their caregivers. The severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic in 2003 was associated with a 30% increase in suicide in those aged 65 years and older; around 50% of recovered patients remained anxious; and 29% of health-care workers experienced probable emotional distress.18, 19, 20 Patients who survived severe and life-threatening illness were at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.19,20 Many of the anticipated consequences of quarantine14 and associated social and physical distancing measures are themselves key risk factors for mental health issues. These include suicide and self-harm, alcohol and substance misuse, gambling, domestic and child abuse, and psychosocial risks (such as social disconnection, lack of meaning or anomie, entrapment, cyberbullying, feeling a burden, financial stress, bereavement, loss, unemployment, homelessness, and relationship breakdown).21, 22, 23
A major adverse consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to be increased social isolation and loneliness (as reflected in our surveys),4 which are strongly associated with anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts across the lifespan.24, 25
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7159850/
Alcohol sales have surged since the COVID-19 pandemic began, raising concerns among USC experts and others that the bottoms-up binge could come with a social cost.
Alcoholic beverage sales rose by 55% in late March, when many states and public health officials urged residents to stay at home, compared to sales in 2019. While the increase in sales could represent stockpiling for the sheltered weeks ahead, it also signals the potential for alcohol abuse.
“With the social distancing restrictions of COVID-19, we’re seeing online [alcohol] sales increasing, an increase in demand and restaurants looking for ways to capitalize on the demand. It’s a perfect storm,” said Anthony Dukes, professor and chair of the marketing department at the USC Marshall School of Business.
Abusing alcohol may increase risk of contracting COVID-19
People who misuse alcohol, drugs or tobacco face another risk: They could be more vulnerable to the virus.
“People who regularly smoke or use other substances can have impaired immune systems and lung functioning, which might increase risk of contracting COVID-19 and having worse outcomes from the virus,” said Adam Leventhal, professor of preventive medicine and psychology and director of the USC Health, Emotion and Addiction Laboratory at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
He said that, historically, substance use has increased during regional disasters, like in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Today’s pandemic amplifies stress amid job loss, illness, fear, isolation — all of which contribute to substance use.
Source: https://news.usc.edu/168549/covid-19-alcohol-sales-abuse-stress-relapse-usc-experts/
Other suggested data about possible rise in aclhool and substance abuse:
https://www.businessinsider.com/experts-say-coronavirus-may-cause-spike-in-alcohol-abuse-2020-3
https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/42075996/could-covid19-pandemic-lead-to-increased-substance-abuse
The economic crisis in Europe and North America led to more than 10,000 extra suicides, according to figures from UK researchers.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-27796628
More on the suicide expected rise here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30171-1/fulltext?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=in-text-link
The potential for social distancing to become a long-term event is what worries psychiatrist Damir Huremovic of Northwell Health in Manhasset, N.Y. Health problems associated with social isolation tend to crop up when the situation goes on beyond a few weeks, he says. Walling people off from one another for months means the secondary effects of the pandemic, such as recession, social unrest and unemployment, could trigger unpredictable and widespread mental health challenges. “I sincerely hope we do not get to this stage,” says Huremovic, who cowrote and edited the 2019 book Psychiatry of Pandemics: A Mental Health Response to Infection Outbreak.
Such loneliness and isolation may harm overall health across age groups (SN: 2/20/15). In 2015, Holt-Lunstad and her colleagues did a meta-analysis of 70 studies involving more than 3.4 million participants followed for an average of seven years. The likelihood of dying during the study period increased by 26 percent for those who reported loneliness (feeling alone), 29 percent for those who were socially isolated (having few social contacts) and 32 percent for those living alone, the team found.
Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-social-distancing-psychological-fallout
Several unique characteristics of China’s COVID-19 epidemic patterns and its management policy prompted a heightened public mental health crisis.
As during the 2003 SARS and 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreaks, generalized fear and fear-induced overreactive behavior were common among the public; both can impede infection control (5,6).
In addition, psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, developed in high-risk persons, especially survivors and frontline healthcare workers (7).
Given lessons learned from past outbreaks in China and other parts of the world, public mental health interventions should be formally integrated into public health preparedness and emergency response plans to effectively curb all outbreaks.
The World Health Organization’s strategic preparedness and response plan for COVID-19, however, has not yet specified any strategies to address mental health needs of any kind (4).
As the virus spreads globally, governments must address public mental health needs by developing and implementing well-coordinated strategic plans to meet these needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: 2020
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32202993
Source: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/7/20-0407_article
In China
10.8% of respondents suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after returning to work.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159120306036
Substantial evidence from the past studies of the impact of SARS, MERS, influenza, and Ebola epidemics on the at-risk population, the suffering individuals and healthcare providers showed neuropsychiatric linkage. The results are relative to the current COVID-19 pandemic; they infiltrate fear, anxiety, emotional distress, and post-trauma stress symptoms as the affected individuals are viewed as minority and secluded from the rest of the population. The intervention measures that are employed by various health authorities and government bodies in combating the infection may help in eliminating the threat during the time of uncertainty; however, the multivariate studies done on the previous outbreaks show that they have longterm cognitive and mental health effects on the population. It is vital to emphasize the mental health well-being of the population and take proactive steps to minimize its detrimental effects during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government and health organizations should ensure secure electronic information-sharing platforms are used to provide and promote telepsychiatry and telemedicine psychological counseling, promote legal information, and eliminate cases of isolation [32]. There should be more enforcement on the awareness of online training in the management of COVID-19 [33]. Time-bound behavioral therapy should be provided to persons exhibiting signs of mental disorders to reduce the cognitive effects of the pandemic [34]. The psychiatrists should also allow for personal adjustment to face the situation; this involves the behavioral and emotional responses, which, when coupled with the psychotherapeutic treatments based on the model of stress adaptation [3].
Date: 2020
Results Respondents endorsing PTSS, depression, anxiety, insomnia, high perceived stress and adjustment disorder were 6604 (37%), 3084 (17.3%), 3700 (20.8%), 1301 (7.3%), 3895 (21.8%) and 4092 (22.9%), respectively. Being woman and younger age were associated with all of the selected outcomes. Quarantine was associated with PTSS, anxiety and ADS. Any recent COVID-related stressful life event was associated with all the selected outcomes. Discontinued working activity due to the COVID-19 was associated with all the selected outcomes, except for ADS; working more than usual was associated with PTSS, Perceived stress and ADS. Having a loved one deceased by COVID-19 was associated with PTSS, depression, perceived stress and insomnia. Conclusion We found high rates of negative mental health outcomes in the Italian general population three weeks into the COVID-19 lockdown measures and different COVID-19 related risk factors. These findings warrant further monitoring on the Italian population s mental health.
Source: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.09.20057802v1
Date: 2020
Following the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) health crisis, a range of avoidance behaviours such as reduced direct contact with other people and crowds, less social contact, avoiding enclosed and public places, not returning to work (Marjanovic et al. 2007); and long-term behavioural changes, for example, excessive handwashing, were reported postquarantine (Reynolds et al. 2008).
Date: 2020
Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jocn.15290
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32250493
After the SARS outbreak in 2003, both healthcare workers and people who were self-quarantined exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Studies suggest that simply watching news coverage of a traumatic event can trigger acute stress symptoms, Marques says. “You should unplug from the news a little bit and try something that slows you down,” she says. “Anything you can do to cool off your brain right now is really helpful.”
Source: https://www.pnas.org/content/111/1/93
The reverberations of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic will likely be felt for many decades, as the impact of 9/11 is still felt by many, including New Yorkers, nearly 20 years after the attacks. The tremendous loss of life will invariably lead to adverse mental health effects in the population, including family members of victims, health workers who tried valiantly to save the ill, and other essential personnel who continued to serve the public in the face of ongoing invisible life threat. Rather than the sudden jolt of fear and horror that accompanied the 9/11 attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic will likely bring a more insidious wave of anxiety, anger, and grief as casualties increase. Widely-accessible short and long-term mental health treatment services, such as those provided following 9/11, may prove necessary to respond to this need.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178120308891
Date: 2020
There is an urgent need for research to address how mental health consequences for vulnerable groups can be mitigated under pandemic conditions, and on the impact of repeated media consumption and health messaging around COVID-19. Discovery, evaluation, and refinement of mechanistically driven interventions to address the psychological, social, and neuroscientific aspects of the pandemic are required. Rising to this challenge will require integration across disciplines and sectors, and should be done together with people with lived experience. New funding will be required to meet these priorities, and it can be efficiently leveraged by the UK’s world-leading infrastructure.
Date: 15 Apr 2020
Source: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30168-1/fulltext#seccestitle10
The problem is not necessarily that we use the emotive part of our brain more than the rational in decision making, but that we are self-delusional. Even experts are prone to biases and these mean costly mistakes are made, and irrational prejudices are systemic in organisations where people believe themselves to be non-racist, non-sexist and to hold the positions they do through skill rather than luck.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200505-why-its-so-hard-to-be-rational-about-covid-19
Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160608-the-true-impact-of-tiny-microaggressions
More about it in the following articles:
Other studies or suveys regarding mental health, stress and health:
https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/confronting-mental-health/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7104149/