Addictions and COVID-19, the pandemic impact.

Abstract

Received: April 2022; Received: June 2022. Send correspondence to: Gerardo Flórez. Francisco Huertas no 1 6o A 32004 Ourense, Spain. Email: gerardof@mundo-r.com stress disorder, self-harm behaviour or suicide (Dubey et al., 2020; Marel et al., 2021; Shanahan et al., 2019). Studies conducted during the pandemic in the most affected countries have shown high rates of symptoms linked to moderate-severe anxiety, fear of contagion and disorders linked to trauma and depression (Marel et al., 2021; Shanahan et al., 2019). These psychiatric symptoms have been associated with risk factors such as female sex, feelings of loneliness and financial instability, among others (Marel et al., 2021; Shanahan et al., 2019). Such factors are also likely to affect other risk behaviours and generate changes in the consumption of alcohol and other addictive psychoactive substances (Clay & Parker, 2020). It has been shown that an increase in the level of stress and anxiety increases the motivation to use psychoactive substances as a coping mechanism; in this case, it is clear that the global pandemic was a highly stressful event (Marel et al., 2021; Shanahan et al., 2019). It has been argued that the increase in fear and concern regarding the rise of COVID-19 infections would generate an increase in consumption and in the age of onset, while others have suggested that trafficking of illicit drugs, and thus their sale and purchase, would be seriously disrupted during lockdown, thereby leading to a significant reduction in the use of such drugs and with it an increase in withdrawal syndromes (Cisneros & Cunningham, 2021; Dubey et al., 2020; Kumar et al., 2022; Mallet, Dubertret & Le Strat, 2021). It is also understood that COVID-19 disrupts the treatment of As was to be expected, the impact of the SARSCoV2 pandemic and the months-long lockdown it caused brought about changes in the patterns of addictive psychoactive substance use, in other non-substance addictive behaviours and in the population’s mental health (García-Álvarez, Fuente-Tomás, Sáiz, García-Portilla & Bobes, 2020). Since then, numerous studies have been conducted in an attempt to determine the consequences of these changes for the physical and mental health of the population, both general and clinical. This editorial presents the main findings and lessons of this abundant research. In March 2020, the WHO declared the outbreak of SARS-CoV2, which causes the COVID-19 disease, a global pandemic. Governments enforced isolation rules and restrictions on the movement of the population to limit the rise of cases and the associated morbidity and mortality. Spain was one of the worst affected countries and the one that imposed the tightest restrictions in Europe. These restrictions affected the entire population, but the most vulnerable, such as patients with substance use disorders (SUD) or mental health problems, were affected in a way that has not yet been fully understood (Marel, Mills & Teesson, 2021). The mental health consequences of individuals exposed to the pandemic and its consequences are manifold and can result in adverse psychological responses such as anxiety, major depression or depressive episodes, post-traumatic