Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health: systematic review
Background A rise in mental illness is expected to follow the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also been projected to lead to a deep global economic recession, further adding to risk factors. Aims The aim of this review was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2022-11-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472422005877/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811156831465111552 |
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| author | Michaela Asper Walter Osika Christina Dalman Elin Pöllänen Otto Simonsson Pär Flodin Anna Sidorchuk Laura Marchetti Fatima Awil Rosa Castro Maria E. Niemi |
| author_facet | Michaela Asper Walter Osika Christina Dalman Elin Pöllänen Otto Simonsson Pär Flodin Anna Sidorchuk Laura Marchetti Fatima Awil Rosa Castro Maria E. Niemi |
| author_sort | Michaela Asper |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Background
A rise in mental illness is expected to follow the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also been projected to lead to a deep global economic recession, further adding to risk factors.
Aims
The aim of this review was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health.
Method
Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts. We included studies of all populations exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic, and other similar pandemics/epidemics and economic crises, compared with non-exposed time periods or regions. The outcome was mental health.
Results
The 174 included studies assessed mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (87 studies), 2008 economic crisis (84 studies) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic (three studies). Outcomes were divided into affective disorders, suicides, mental healthcare utilisation and other mental health. COVID-19 pandemic studies were of lesser quality than those for the economic crisis or SARS epidemic. Most studies for all exposures showed increases in affective disorders and other mental health problems. For economic crisis exposure, increases in mental healthcare utilisation and suicides were also found, but these findings were mixed for COVID-19 pandemic exposure. This is probably because of quarantine measures affecting help-seeking and shorter follow-ups of studies of COVID-19 pandemic exposure.
Conclusions
Our findings highlight the importance of available, accessible and sustainable mental health services. Also, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations should be particular targets of policy interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:57:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-13580d43f3f341a18f601f5a50a1a808 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:57:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-13580d43f3f341a18f601f5a50a1a8082023-03-09T12:29:24ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242022-11-01810.1192/bjo.2022.587Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health: systematic reviewMichaela Asper0Walter Osika1Christina Dalman2Elin Pöllänen3Otto Simonsson4Pär Flodin5Anna Sidorchuk6Laura Marchetti7Fatima Awil8Rosa Castro9Maria E. Niemi10https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5407-6981Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, SwedenCentre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, SwedenDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SwedenDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SwedenDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, SwedenCentre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, SwedenMental Health Europe, BelgiumMental Health Europe, BelgiumFederation of European Academies of Medicine, BelgiumDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Background A rise in mental illness is expected to follow the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also been projected to lead to a deep global economic recession, further adding to risk factors. Aims The aim of this review was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health. Method Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts. We included studies of all populations exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic, and other similar pandemics/epidemics and economic crises, compared with non-exposed time periods or regions. The outcome was mental health. Results The 174 included studies assessed mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (87 studies), 2008 economic crisis (84 studies) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic (three studies). Outcomes were divided into affective disorders, suicides, mental healthcare utilisation and other mental health. COVID-19 pandemic studies were of lesser quality than those for the economic crisis or SARS epidemic. Most studies for all exposures showed increases in affective disorders and other mental health problems. For economic crisis exposure, increases in mental healthcare utilisation and suicides were also found, but these findings were mixed for COVID-19 pandemic exposure. This is probably because of quarantine measures affecting help-seeking and shorter follow-ups of studies of COVID-19 pandemic exposure. Conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of available, accessible and sustainable mental health services. Also, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations should be particular targets of policy interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472422005877/type/journal_articleCOVID-19suicidedepressive disordersanxiety disordersepidemiology |
| spellingShingle | Michaela Asper Walter Osika Christina Dalman Elin Pöllänen Otto Simonsson Pär Flodin Anna Sidorchuk Laura Marchetti Fatima Awil Rosa Castro Maria E. Niemi Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health: systematic review BJPsych Open COVID-19 suicide depressive disorders anxiety disorders epidemiology |
| title | Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health: systematic review |
| title_full | Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health: systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health: systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health: systematic review |
| title_short | Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health: systematic review |
| title_sort | effects of the covid 19 pandemic and previous pandemics epidemics and economic crises on mental health systematic review |
| topic | COVID-19 suicide depressive disorders anxiety disorders epidemiology |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472422005877/type/journal_article |
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