IMPACTS ACQUIRED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON MENTAL HEALTH: LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

The unpredictability and great capacity for infection of COVID-19 has the potential to cause a profound psychological impact, a fact that has also been reported in other epidemics around the world. Therefore, identifying risk factors for mental health disorders is essential to determine populations in need of support. The objective of the present study is to carry out a literature review about the impacts on mental health caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a bibliographic research with a qualitative approach and descriptive character, through data collected in a Virtual Database, through the descriptors: COVID-19 and depression, COVID-19 and anxiety and mental health in COVID-19. The outbreak of the pandemic promoted an increase in the workload due to lack of manpower, lack of personal protective equipment and risk of infection, increasing the development of mental health disorders in health professionals. In addition, in the general population, it was observed that women and young adults were more affected by mental health disorders, due to uncertainty about the pandemic, social isolation and decreased interpersonal relationships. In view of this, it became evident that health professionals, women and young adults correspond to the population at risk for developing mental health disorders during the pandemic. Therefore, it is necessary to develop methods of providing mental health support services for the aforementioned populations, in order to reduce the development of disorders in individuals with greater predisposition.