Impacto de la pandemia COVID-19 en la salud mental

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact globally, both in terms of physical health and mental health. The pandemic initially disrupted mental health services, and the uncertain circumstances have also led to changes in behavior among the general population. Objective: To conduct a systematic review on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. Methods: Scientific articles related to the topic were searched for. The PEO question was formulated: What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health services and service users? PubMed, LILACS, and Scielo were used as search sources. The keywords used were: (“Mental health”[Mesh]) AND “COVID-19”[Mesh]) in PubMed. For the search in Google Scholar, the following terms were used: “COVID-19, ” “MENTAL HEALTH, ” “PREVALENCE.” Articles published from 2018 to 2023 that met the inclusion criteria were selected. Results: From the initially obtained 13927 results, 13913 articles were excluded for not meeting our inclusion and exclusion criteria. As a result, 14 articles were considered for this literature review. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decline in the utilization of in-person mental health services and the adoption of remote consultations. Additionally, there has been an increase in the severity of mental health cases, a deterioration of symptoms in mental disorders, emotional challenges among healthcare professionals, youth, and educators, as well as a rise in the risk of suicide.