Emergent Crisis of COVID-19 Pandemic: Mental Health Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Mental health is a fundamental human right and is part of the well-being of society. The public health burden of mental health disorders affects people's social and economic status around the world. Coronavirus's (COVID-19) negative impact on the economy and mental health worldwide is concerning. This is a worldwide emergency, and there is an urgent need for research about this topic to prevent long-lasting adverse effects on the population. Unpreparedness and inconsistencies in guidelines, lockdowns, containment strategies, unemployment, financial losses, physical distancing, isolation, chaos, and uncertainty are among factors that lead to a rise in emotional distress, anxiety, and depression. Governments' decisions affect the socioeconomic status of a country and the psychological well-being of the people. COVID-19 pandemic exposed disparities in multiple mental health care systems by having adverse mental health effects in people with pre-existing mental health disorders and previously healthy individuals. Aggregation of concurrent or cumulative comorbid risk factors for COVID-19 disease and its psychosocial sequelae could provide invaluable information for the public health stakeholders. This review aims to address the burden and the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges and opportunities facing mental health systems, and proposes new strategies to improve the mental health outcomes in the post-COVID era.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students’ Mental Health and Sleep in Saudi Arabia

“…Our results suggest university students with pre-existing mental health problems are at risk and along with the general population should be considered high priority for support during the pandemic [61]. Country-specific mental health systems that are faced with challenges during the emergency situations such as the current pandemic and require support and provisions to provide better services as per recommendations by the World Health Organization [62,63].…”

COVID-19 Pandemisinin Psikiyatrik Tanı Almış Bireyler Üzerindeki Etkisi: Sağlık Kaygısı, Baş Etme Stratejileri ve Psikolojik İyi Oluş

“…Besides the general population, some of the disadvantaged groups such as individuals with mental health disorders are especially at greater risk (Radfar et al, 2021) due to increased isolation, lack of support, and decreased access to mental health services (Wasserman et al, 2020). A myriad of studies (e.g., Khan et al, 2021;Nakamura et al, 2021) have highlighted the changes in daily routines, including sleep, exercise, work, and access to treatment that might lead to mental health problems.…”

Increased Self-Reported Mental Health Problems Among Asian-Americans During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Database

“…A public health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected people’s mental health in the US [ 1 ], and soaring psychosocial issues have been identified as another public health crisis [ 2 ]. Markedly, there have been serious conversations on the mental health impacts of the pandemic among Asian-Americans with respect to escalated marginalization and discrimination.…”