COVID-19 Pandemic: Stress and Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

The epidemic, which first started as viral pneumonia in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019 and is now known as Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). rapidly spread to almost every part of the world and named a pandemic in March 2020. It is well known that psychiatric symptoms and syndromes, especially posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders reach high prevalence values in natural or man-made disasters, Especially in infectious disease epidemics where mortality rates are high, patients, those who arc quarantined, and the whole society experience very intense mental stress and trauma. It is not easy to avoid psychological distress after facing highly fatal illnesses such as Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), or COVID-19. When pandemics turn into a rapid and global disaster, the prevalence values of mental problems reach even higher levels. Combating mental disorders not only provides psychological well-being but also affects the course of the epidemic, as these disorders can delay efforts to fight epidemics.