Covid-19 and promising solutions to combat symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression.
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Time and research will be of the essence when deducing the long-term consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic for global mental health and emotional well-being. Prior reports from viral outbreaks and emerging evidence from the recent pandemic point towards a potential “tsunami” of stress-related disorders in the aftermath of such traumatic events [1]. In addition to neurological and psychiatric symptoms, including psychosis and neurocognitive dementia-like symptoms observed in Covid-19 patients [2], world-wide surveys at the height of the pandemic suggest increased reports of depression, anxiety and distress across a considerable proportion of medical staff as well as the general public [3]. Grief for the loss of loved ones, helplessness and excessive worry over contracting or spreading the virus to other family members are all significant stressors that may collectively contribute to an imminent rise in symptoms of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, social distancing measures for combating the viral outbreak may also have unintended consequences such as social isolation, loneliness, abrupt changes to daily habits, unemployment and financial insecurity, which have all been characterised as risk factors for major depressive and post-traumatic stress disorders with potentially long-lasting effects on brain physiology and function.
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1740-634X