A narrative review of mental health landscape of survivors, healthcare workers, and general public in the post-COVID19 world

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is still unravelling, and is expected to last for an indefinite time. The historical experience with similar pandemics in the past, and the nature of the viral illnesses as such, explains that not only the mental illnesses worsen in the existing patients during pandemics the new diagnoses increase as well and outlive the pandemic itself. This not only has profound effect on the wellbeing of the survivors of pandemics, the healthcare workers, and the general public alike, the financial implications and restructuring of the social fabric cannot be over stated. There is an urgent need to identify these risks and start planning to devise and implement strategies for effective mental health damage prevention and control.