Mental disorders highly prevalent during coronavirus pandemics
Researchers in the United States have conducted an analysis showing the high prevalence of mental disorders across populations impacted by coronavirus pandemics.
The team’s meta-analysis of research on COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) found that one in five adults developed pandemic-related mental disorders.
Psychiatric morbidity and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were the most prevalent disorders among most populations.
These disorders occurred most frequently among infected or recovered adults, followed by healthcare providers, adults in the community and quarantined adults.
Future research examining subpopulations most at-risk of mental disorders will be key to implementing interventions in a cost-effective and equitable manner, says Matthew Boden from VA Palo Alto Healthcare System in California and colleagues.