Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Oct;28(10):1058-1069.
doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2020.05.009. Epub 2020 May 18.

Geriatric Mental Health and COVID-19: An Eye-Opener to the Situation of the Arab Countries in the Middle East and North Africa Region

Samer El Hayek  1 , Mohamad Ali Cheaito  2 , Marwa Nofal  3 , Doaa Abdelrahman  4 , Ali Adra  5 , Siham Al Shamli  6 , Mansour AlHarthi  7 , Nawaf AlNuaimi  8 , Chaimaa Aroui  9 , Lynda Bensid  10 , Alkhansa Mahdi Emberish  11 , Amine Larnaout  12 , Ahmed Radwan  13 , Mohammad Slaih  14 , Hamed Al Sinawi  15
Affiliations
Review

Geriatric Mental Health and COVID-19: An Eye-Opener to the Situation of the Arab Countries in the Middle East and North Africa Region

Samer El Hayek et al. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

While the detrimental ramifications of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental wellbeing of the general public continue to unravel, older adults seem to be at high risk. As the geriatric population continues to grow in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, it is essential to explore the influence of this outbreak on geriatric mental health, a topic often neglected. In this review, we depict the status of geriatric psychiatry in the Arab countries of the MENA region, exploring the variations from one nation to another. While some have a null exposure to the field, resources and expertise in other countries range from very limited to extensive. Furthermore, we highlight the measures implemented in the Arab region to address mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak; these tend to be insufficient when targeting the geriatric population. Finally, we provide short- and long-term recommendations to stakeholders that aim at enhancing the mental healthcare of older adults in the Arab countries of the MENA region, particularly during this pandemic.

Keywords: Arab; COVID-19; MENA region; geriatric psychiatry.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ebrahim SH, Ahmed QA, Gozzer E. Covid-19 and community mitigation strategies in a pandemic. BMJ. 2020;368:m1066. - PubMed
    1. McKibbin W, Fernando R. The global macroeconomic impacts of COVID-19: seven scenarios. Brookings. 2020 https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-global-macroeconomic-impacts-of-c... Published 2020. Updated 2 March. Accessed 4 April 2020.
    1. Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak. World Health Organization; 2020. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
    1. Wang C, Pan R, Wan X. Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the general population in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(5) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ho CS, Chee CY, Ho RC. Mental health strategies to combat the psychological impact of COVID-19 beyond paranoia and panic. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 2020;49(1):1–3. - PubMed

MeSH terms