Mental health impact of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Coming in 2019 and the very rapid dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, led to the announcement of unprecedented recommendations by the WHO. Their goal was to limit and slow the spread of this potentially deadly infection in the population. The basic recommendations were disinfection, use of personal protective equipment with social distancing. National governments decided on collective quarantines for fear of overloading health care systems in the first months of 2020. There have been shorter or longer periods of extinction of economy in order to limit interpersonal contacts. This strategy proved effective, but its economic costs were very high. Non-material costs, related to mental health are more difficult to quantify and describe. The article is an attempt to analyze the knowledge about influence of social isolation during quarantine on mental state based on research conducted before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The stress associated with being in quarantine mainly affects the occurrence of anxiety and depression. Their intensity depends on belonging to particularly sensitive groups. Further in-depth and methodologically correct long-term studies on large populations are necessary. The results of such studies can guide clinicians and public health managers.