Journal of Education and Health Promotion

COVID‑19 mental health challenges: A scoping review

Authors

. Sanjana Agrawal 1
. Sonal Dayama 2
. Abhiruchi Galhotra 3

1 School of Public Health, All India Institute of Medical Science, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

2 School of Public Health, Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Science, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

3 Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Science, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract
The COVID‑19 pandemic has disordered the lives of millions in an unprecedented way. A state of
mental health crisis has emerged across the globe. The lifestyle and well‑being of the individual and
social integrity have been adversely affected. One‑third of US citizens and one in five Indian citizens
suffer from depression due to this pandemic. This scoping review aimed to estimate the mental health
challenges and their possible solutions in the recent two years (2020–2021). Our search strategy
used search engines such as Medline, Google Scholar and PubMed. The search strategy used the
MeSH keywords “Mental Health AND Covid‑19”. The findings emerged in the following key points:
anxiety and depression, social isolation and quarantine, and vulnerable or high‑risk groups. Out
of 216 articles screened, 20 were found eligible to meet the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies
focused on psychological anxiety, stress and mental disorder during the pandemic. Psychosocial
assessment and monitoring in the context of COVID‑19 should include inquiries about stressors
related to COVID‑19, like exposure to infected sources, infected family members, loss of loved ones,
physical distance; secondary adverse events like economic loss, psychosocial effects like depression,
anxiety, psychosomatic preoccupations, insomnia, increased substance use, domestic violence; and
indicators of vulnerability like pre‑existing physical or psychological conditions.

Keywords

Covid‑19
mental health
pandemic
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 12, Issue 10
November 2022
Pages 1-8

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