Mental health during COVID-19 pandemic – a literature review

Abstract

Pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection emerged in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December 2019 Widespread outbreaks of infectious disease are associated with psychological distress and symptoms of mental illness The COVID-19 outbreak has caused a public health crisis In response to the rapidly increasing number of publications on this subject, this article attempts to provide a comprehensive review of early reports that appeared in the international literature until the beginning of May 2020 This paper details the effects on the general population as medical staff are exposed to different, specific stressors The available literature has emerged from only a few of the most affected countries;therefore, there is a need for more representative research from other affected regions The majority of studies focus on depression, anxiety, insomnia and distress Subsyndromal mental health problems are a common response to the COVID-19 pandemic There is a huge need for further research In particular, attention must be paid to the potentially devastating effects on population-wide mental health Pandemic crisis shifts from acute to protracted, and the long-term mental-health consequences of the pandemic will manifest themselves in the future © Psychiatr Psychol Klin 2020