A systematic survey to study the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on psychological distress in Indian population

Abstract

An outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in Wuhan, China, in 2019. SARS-CoV 2 is genetically similar with SARS-CoV from the 2003 by 79%. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this outbreak as global pandemic. This pandemic has changed lives of people and also various aspects of the global, public, and private economy. The economic recession in this pandemic are predicted to increase in suicide as well as mental disorders. Awareness on public mental health and strategies to help people get through this difficult time is urgently needed. There is a paucity of literature that provides empirical evidence for the validity or appropriateness of common depression measures. Extensive clinical experience and research is required to fill the gap/lacunae in the existing literature. Taking into consideration of the above points, the current survey was planned to review the psychological distress due to COVID-19 pandemic.