Mental Health Awareness

For almost two years, populations around the globe faced precariousness and uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Older adults were highly affected by the virus, and the policies meant to protect them have often resulted in ageist stereotypes and discrimination. For example, the public discourse around older adults had a paternalistic tone framing all older adults as "vulnerable". This study aimed to measure the extent to which perceived age discrimination in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the sense of loneliness and social isolation, fear and perception of COVID-19 risks, had a negative effect on older adults' mental illness. Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed, along with structural equation modelling.

In February 2020, Duan and Zhu (2020) stressed the need for a solid Chinese evidence-based mental health care system in times of public health emergencies such as the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19). That would enable treatment of people who suffer from mental health problems in relation to the epidemic....In an attempt to reduce the risk of infections, many mental health care providers in afflicted countries are currently closing their doors for patients who need ambulatory face-to-face therapy. They are simultaneously trying to replace some of these contacts with digital therapies. [But] the demand for mental health care among infected patients and their relatives is expected to rise.

The COVID‐19 pandemic is likely to have negative health consequences way beyond those caused by the virus per se – including significant psychological distress. Children and adolescents who already live with a mental illness may be particularly vulnerable to the distress associated with the pandemic – due to, for example, fear of the virus as well as the significant societal changes launched to minimize spread of the virus (social distancing and quarantine). In this editorial perspective, we (a) provide data on COVID‐19 pandemic‐related psychopathology in children and adolescents from a large psychiatric treatment setting in Denmark, (b) give advice on how the likely harmful effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents may be minimized, and (c) propose six lines of research into pandemic‐related psychopathology with emphasis on children and adolescents. Finally, we underline the necessity of politicians, health authorities, and funding bodies supporting these research initiatives here and now.

I am a physician and an adult infectious diseases specialist by training – a training completed in April 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to hit. For people like me with anxiety issues, COVID-19 has made an already challenging condition worse. The hardest part of working in the front line, treating patients with COVID-19, was the constant daily angst and dread of being infected with a disease with an unpredictable clinical course and no definite cure.

Children are not indifferent to the significant psychological impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. They experience fears, uncertainties, substantial changes to their routines, physical and social isolation alongside high level of parental stress. Understanding their emotions and responses is essential to properly address their needs during this pandemic. In this article, we highlight children's vulnerability, provide an overview of common symptoms of distress in different age groups, and summarize the interventions and resources available to promote child mental health and wellbeing during these challenging times. We advocate that prioritizing mental health including child and adolescent mental health is an essential component of any universal, community led response to COVID-19 Pandemic.

In the wake of the September 11 attack in the United States and the Kiss Nightclub fire in Brazil, psychological assistance task forces for victims and their families were quickly organized. However, during pandemics it is common for health professionals, scientists and managers to focus predominantly on the pathogen and the biological risk in an effort to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms involved and propose measures for preventing, containing and treating the disease. In such situations, the psychological and psychiatric implications secondary to the phenomenon, both on an individual and a collective level, tend to be underestimated and neglected, generating gaps in coping strategies and increasing the burden of associated diseases.

Even without factoring COVID‐19 into the calculation, people with severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, have a two to three times higher mortality rate than the general population, resulting in a 10‐20 years reduced life expectancy, that appears to be widening. A recent case‐control study with over 61 million patients found that people who were recently diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder or attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder showed very high odds ratios (5.7 to 7.6) of being infected with COVID‐19, as compared to patients without mental disorders, even after adjustment for age, gender, ethnicity and the aforementioned medical conditions. [...]persons suffering from a severe mental illness have more difficulties in following and applying the confusing and constantly changing rules and obligations that are established in relation to the fight against COVID‐19.