MAJOR DEPRESSION IN ADULTS: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN BRAZIL

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a widespread impact on mental health across both disorder subtypes and population subgroups across nations. Mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) represent the aforementioned increase in mental illnesses. This is an exploratory, cross-sectional, qualitative, and quantitative study, strictly descriptive in nature, with the formulation of diagnostic hypotheses. It used secondary state data obtained via telephone from the Surveillance System for Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (VIGITEL) and data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAND-DATASUS). Analyzing the impact on work, individuals unemployed during the pandemic were at greater risk of acquiring mental disorders, which may be aggravated by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further retrospective studies on the pandemic period and prospective longitudinal studies are suggested to analyze the post-pandemic period regarding the impact of the pandemic on labor relations, specifically major depressive disorders.