Depression and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Epidemiology, Mechanism, and Treatment
Chunyan Zhu1,2,3 · Ting Zhang4 · Qianqian Li4 · Xingui Chen5 · Kai Wang1,2,3,5,61 School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
2 Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China
3 Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei 230032, China
4 Department of Psychiatry, The First Afliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
5 Department of Neurology, The First Afliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
6 Institute of Artifcial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230032, China
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an adverse impact on the physical and mental health of the public worldwide. In addition to illness in patients with COVID-19, isolated people and the general population have experienced mental health problems due to social distancing policies, mandatory lockdown, and other psychosocial factors, and the prevalence of depression and anxiety significantly increased during the pandemic. The purpose of this review is to elucidate the epidemiology, contributing factors, and pathogenesis of depression and anxiety. during the pandemic. These findings indicate that physicians and psychiatrists should pay more attention to and identify those with a high risk for mental problems, such as females, younger people, unmarried people, and those with a low educational level. In addition, researchers should focus on identifying the neural and neuroimmune mechanisms involved in depression and anxiety, and assess the intestinal microbiome to identify effective biomarkers. We also provide an overview of various intervention methods, including pharmacological treatment, psychological therapy, and physiotherapy, to provide a reference for different populations to guide the development of optimized intervention methods.
Keywords
COVID-19; Anxiety; Depression; Epidemiology; Mechanism; Intervention
