Published Paper Details:

Mental health problems associated with COVID-19 are directly affecting almost all small and large communities of the world. Due to social isolation, perceived danger, physical discomfort, uncertainty, fear of virus transmission and portraying negative news in large-scale media coverage, people may experience symptoms of loneliness, stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia and anger. Psychiatrists, psychologist and other health workers around the world should know about these manifestations, their correlations, and the strategies to manage them. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyse researches that investigated the effect of COVID 19 on mental health. 24 full text studies were reviewed and included in this study. Out of which 15 researches were conducted in China, 2 in Iran, 2 in Italy, 2 in India and one each in Turkey, USA, Spain and Denmark. There were a total of 97,770 participants in 24 studies, with a sample size ranging from 20 to 52,730 participants. The effect of COVID-19 on mental health was assessed on the general population in 17 studies and on health workers in 7 studies. Studies found moderate or severe levels of stress, depression, and anxiety in respondents due to the effect of COVID-19. Female gender, student status specific physical symptoms, poor self-rated health status and history of chronic illness were associated with high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.