Psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic-what do we know about them?

- The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was a shock to the whole world. This pandemic caused not only many deaths of people of all ages and health effects that are still difficult to assess, but also economic, and psy-chological ones. Numerous studies have shown that chronic stress related to social isolation and fear of contagion increased the rates of develop-ment of anxiety, depression syndrome, emotional eating, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The increased rate of substance use and antide-pressant drugs has also been observed. Depres-sion is included in the symptoms of long-COVID syndrome. The data on the deterioration of men-tal states of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic are particularly worrying. Some studies have shown increased suicide rates during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The dete-rioration of mental health can also have long-term consequences in terms of physical health, for ex-ample, emotional eating (EE) associated with de-pressed mood and anxiety may increase the inci-dence of binge eating disorder (BED) and addic-tive eating. Consequently, the number of patients with overweight and obesity and its complica-tions will increase. Problems related to the deterio-ration of the mental and physical health of the pop-ulation will increase the burden on the healthcare system. Another important problem is psychologi-cal disturbances related to the COVID-19 pandemic developed in healthcare workers. It is necessary to take systemic actions aimed at improving mental health, although it will not be easy in the era of the general global economic crisis, which may deep-en the psychological problems from the time of the pandemic. Therefore, the aim of our manuscript is to analyze the available data on the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the general population and healthcare workers.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant health, economic, and psychological impacts globally. Chronic stress due to social isolation and fear of contagion has led to increased rates of anxiety, depression, emotional eating, and PTSD. It has also resulted in higher rates of substance use and antidepressant drug use. The mental health deterioration among children, adolescents, and healthcare workers is particularly concerning, with increased suicide rates reported. These psychological effects can have long-term consequences on physical health, such as the development of eating disorders and obesity. The burden on the healthcare system has also increased due to the worsening mental and physical health of the population. Therefore, it is crucial to take systemic actions to improve mental health amidst the ongoing global economic crisis.