COVID-19 Epidemic and Mental Health

Covid-19 has spread rapidly in the world and has affected the health and other aspects of human being life. The virus which causes this disease has various effects on mental health, and different segments of society such as patients, health care providers and general population. In this article, the effects of this virus on mental health and related risk factors are discussed.

For compiling this review, national and international articles from credible referrences have been used.

Symptoms such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological distress and stress were reported in the general population and patiets with COVID-19. Factors such as staying at home, social distancing, closing educational centers, mass lockdown, worry about being infected and transmission to others are the risk factors of these diseases.

COVID-19 has a dual effect on human mental health, one of the complications of this disease is psychological complications and on the other hand, patients with mental illness are prone to COVID-19.Considering the numerous and sometimes dangerous effects of Covid 19 on mental health, reducing the dangerous effects of these complications is one of the priorities of the health system. In order to properly manage the effects of Covid 19 on the mental health of the community, urgent call for more attention given to public mental health and policies and also cooperation of the policy makers, scientific experts and the community members to assist people through this challenging time are necessory.