Impact of physical distancing on mental health and how to prevent it, literature review.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The current coronavirus pandemic represents an unprecedented health challenge, underlining the fact that past epidemics such as those caused by influenza and other respiratory viruses seem to confirm a link between novel respiratory diseases outbreaks and mental disorders.

OBJECTIVES: Publicize the impact of physical distancing and health measures, implemented by governments, on mental health during the current coronavirus pandemic. Gather the lessons of previous epidemics to evaluate the prevention measures that emerged because of them. Describe the prevalence of mental disorders registered in past respiratory disease outbreaks in the general population as well as infected patients and health care providers.

DESIGN: Scientific articles published between September 2004 and June 2020 were used. These were selected based on their relevance and content quality, examples include journals such as Cureus, Lancet Psychiatry, The Lancet, International Journal of Mental Health Systems and Cambridge Core, obtained through virtual libraries; it is also based on information acquired through portals of the World Health Organization.

CONCLUSION: If the current pandemic follows the same direction as previous epidemics, the mental health of a large part of the population will be affected. It is important to take into account protection measures that seek to reduce the negative impact on mental health, such as keeping the population updated, providing adequate supplies and paying special attention to the mental health of health workers and vulnerable populations.