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
. 2021 Jul 2;8(4):403-412.
doi: 10.1515/dx-2021-0046. Print 2021 Nov 25.

An overview of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Patrick J Chen  1 , Yanna Pusica  1 , Dorsa Sohaei  2 , Ioannis Prassas  3   4 , Eleftherios P Diamandis  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Free article
Review

An overview of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Patrick J Chen et al. Diagnosis (Berl). .
Free article

Abstract

Since its initial outbreak in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the global community. In addition to the negative health consequences of contracting COVID-19, the implementation of strict quarantine and lockdown measures has also disrupted social networks and devastated the global economy. As a result, there is rising concern that the pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of the general population. To better understand its impact, an increasing number of studies examined the effects of the pandemic on mental health and psychosocial implications of enforced quarantine and lockdown. In this article, we aim to review and summarize the findings from a variety of studies that have explored the psychosociological effects of the pandemic and its impact on the mental well-being of the general population. We will also examine how various demographic groups, such as the elderly and youth, can be more susceptible or resilient to the pandemic's mental health effects. We hope to provide a broader understanding of the underlying causes of mental health issues triggered by the pandemic and provide recommendations that may be employed to address mental health issues in the population over the long-term.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; mental health; pandemic; psychological health; suicide.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020 [Internet]. [cited 2021 Jan 26]. Available from: https://www.who.int/director- general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid- 19 11-march-2020.
    1. Hsiang, S, Allen, D, Annan-Phan, S, Bell, K, Bolliger, I, Chong, T, et al.. The effect of large-scale anti- contagion policies on the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature 2020;584:262–7.
    1. Flaxman, S, Mishra, S, Gandy, A, Unwin, HJT, Mellan, TA, Coupland, H, et al.. Estimating the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 in Europe. Nature 2020;584:257–61. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2405-7.
    1. Venkatesh, A, Edirappuli, S. Social distancing in covid-19: what are the mental health implications? BMJ 2020;369:m1379. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1379.
    1. Nicola, M, Alsafi, Z, Sohrabi, C, Kerwan, A, Al-Jabir, A, Iosifidis, C, et al.. The socio-economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19): a review. Int J Surg 2020;78:185–93.

LinkOut - more resources