Abstract

Background: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on global population is beyond description. The impact of the ongoing pandemic on mental and physical health, jobs and relationships could be catastrophic warranting collective actions. A sound knowledge of all aspects of COVID-19 becomes essential to deal with the aftermaths of this unprecedented pandemic and mental health professionals will have to refresh their knowledge of virology and immunology. Historically, epidemics have substantial effect on mental health. Senior citizens have been deemed to be more vulnerable to COVID infection and they are the ones who had to bear the main brunt of this epidemic.

Aim: To evaluate the magnitude of mental health impacts of COVID-19 among the psychiatric population, public and health professions as well as to gain some useful insights into the associated predictor factors of COVID-19.

Materials and methods: Published studies concerning mental health problems associated with the COVID-19 outbreak and other previous global infections have been considered and reviewed. Selective survey of the literature including narrative reviews to collect different interpretations which also help to form a framework to study the psychiatric implications of the ongoing pandemic has been carried out. Psychological, psychopathological, and neurological effects are separately analysed.

Results: The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 itself can directly result in psychiatric sequelae or by the morbid psychological factors and in some case both factors precipitate psychiatric symptomatology. Most of the people infected with COVID-19 might not pose any major mental health issues, even among those with extreme cases that require hospitalization, yet some are conceivably vulnerable to mental health issues. It has been observed that severe inflammation leads to worse depression. Everybody has to address transient psychological problems that require development of new coping strategies, but patients with enduring mental illness need additional support. Social isolation and the loneliness due to physical distancing rules have a negative impact on the mental health of geriatric population compared to the young people.

Conclusion: COVID-19 infection poses alarming impact of on mental health. It is feared that this toxic viral infection would result in a surge of cases of anxiety disorders, PTSD, and depression, and lead to an amplification of existing mental health issues. The current insights on immune-inflammation in psychiatry need further elaboration to assess the psychopathology of COVID-19 survivors. The neurotoxic effects due to the cytokine storm, an autoimmune reaction occurring in some cases of COVID-19 evokes a renewed interest in the viral and autoimmune aetiology of a subset of schizophrenia.

Keywords: COVID-19; PTSD; Depression; Anxiety; OCD; Bereavement; Neurotoxicity; Mental health; Geriatric population