Problems of mental disorder in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Nowadays, the accumulated world experience of working in crisis situations shows that psychological assistance to patients experienced COVID-19 is provided mainly on a one-time basis — upon the fact of the incident, while the necessary subsequent psychological rehabilitation and preventive measures are not enough practiced. In most cases, the impact of a powerful stress factor is associated with an increase in the level of depression and anxiety, which can have a negative effect not only on the patient's life quality, but also on the prognosis, both shortterm and long-term. The increased stress have an influence on the immunity decrease, which, in turn, reduces the threshold of resistance to infectious diseases, including COVID-19. In this regard, the WHO information note "Mental Health and Psychosocial Factors in the COVID-19 Outbreak", in addition to the appeal to the population during pandemic, contains recommendations for specialists providing various assistance types to preserve mental health and stabilize psychological state of the population. The presentation of current views on the problem of mental disorders during COVID-19 pandemic, both in patients and medical specialists, is the subject of this literature review. KEYWORDS: mental disorders, anxiety, depression, insomnia, pandemic, COVID-19, medical specialists. FOR CITATION: Litvinenko P.I., Tsygankova O.V., Khidirova L.D., Starichkova A.A. Problems of mental disorder in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2023;7(10). (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2023-7-10-7.