key: cord-1051015-nmyjborj
authors: Ciacchella, Chiara; Campedelli, Virginia; Veneziani, Giorgio; Pellicano, Gaia Romana; Sambucini, Daniela; Lai, Carlo
title: Editorial: Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) on Mood Disorders and Suicide
date: 2022-01-28
journal: Front Psychiatry
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.846112
sha: adf32ed18a2ea8e97ef20e8e58859bae8be4948f
doc_id: 1051015
cord_uid: nmyjborj

nan

The unpredicted spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) led to a global crisis that radically changed our lives. After nearly 2 years of the pandemic, the COVID-19 still represents a significant threat to individual and global safety. The governments have adopted necessary restrictive measures to contain the infection and reduce the impact of the crisis on healthcare systems worldwide, forcing people to socially distance and isolate. For this reason, the global outbreak still has important repercussion not only on the physical health: psychological well-being has been severely impacted considering that during the pandemic period the risk of the mental disorder onset also increased.

The 40 papers brought together in this Research Topic provide information about the overall effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on mood disorders and their behavioral consequences. The studies focused on the main risk factors associated with the development of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in different countries and populations (e.g., healthcare workers, students, and people with specific clinical conditions). Moreover, the Research Topic highlights current challenges to cope with the psychological impact of COVID-19, providing insight for the clinical practice to support healthcare professionals, patients with COVID-19, and their relatives.

One of the main consequences of the COVID-19 was the growing prevalence of the depression and anxiety symptoms, which seemed to be higher than the one reported during previous pandemic events, as well as the outbreak of SARS A relevant issue was the risk of suicide, as reported by a recent meta-analysis which reported increased event rates for suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and self-harm during the COVID-19 pandemic (6) . It is relevant to consider that the pandemic was not related exclusively to a greater risk of the overmentioned symptoms, but it had an important role in the worsening of the psychological state of people with pre-existing psychiatric conditions and other medical diseases (e.g., bipolar disorders, tourette syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and postpartum depression) Noteworthy, some "psychological antibodies" have been identified as valuable elements to safeguard the mental health of HWC, such as life satisfaction and well-being dimensions (personal growth, self-acceptance, and positive relations) (Jaiswal et al.). Furthermore, long professional experience, adequate training, and clear guidelines, information, and protocols for infection control have been found to buffer the psychological impact of the pandemic (Fageera et al.; Sirois and Owens). Additionally, adequate formal or informal support from supervisors and co-workers was important for reducing stress among HCW (Sirois and Owens).

In In conclusion, the pandemic crisis is still ongoing, and uncertainty about the future could worsen people's mental health. New restrictive measures could be periodically imposed, fostering further feelings of loneliness, and exacerbating psychological disorders. In addition, new challenges are opening up related to the emotional burden management, socio-economic crisis, and vaccination. Thus, it is important to plan psychological intervention strategies that can help the general population to cope with the emergency, as well as to address the specific needs of young adults, health care workers, and patients with medical diseases.

CL, CC, VC, and GV wrote the editorial. CL, GP, and DS conceived the editorial and supervised the work. All authors read, performed critical revision, and approved the final version of the editorial.

SARS control and psychological effects of quarantine

Severe acute respiratory syndromerelated psychiatric and posttraumatic morbidities and coping responses in medical staff within a primary health care setting in Singapore

Mental health status of people isolated due to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

Associations between mental health and ebola-related health behaviors: a regionally representative crosssectional survey in post-conflict Sierra Leone

The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances in COVID-19 patients: a metaanalysis

Suicide behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-analysis of 54 studies

Mobile phone dependence, social support and impulsivity in Chinese University students

The prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression within front-line healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-regression

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.