Unmet Mental Health Needs Associated With Covid Must Be Addressed

Abstract

Psychological morbidity associated with the pandemic continues to worsen. Though figures remain anecdotal, the available evidence points to unprecedented demand for mental health services. In February 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 40% of adults in the US had experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression associated with the epidemic. This issue of the Journal of Health Service Psychology illustrates the numerous cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial consequences of COVID. Management and prevention of acute infection remain the critical public health priority, but as the pandemic unfolds, increasing attention must be paid to longer-term consequences. We are, as previously noted, experiencing a rapid increase in demand for mental health services that the current mental health workforce cannot meet. The psychological and psychosocial consequences of COVID will continue to manifest, and it is improbable that these consequences are transient. As the immediate infectious disease threat diminishes, we must proactively devote resources to developing effective screening and intervention strategies of post-acute COVID symptoms. The inefficiencies in educating and training psychologists and other mental health providers have long been recognized. Urgent attention by educators and planners to acknowledge and correct these inefficiencies is required if we care to address the long-term consequences of the disease. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)