The COVID-19 Pandemic and Psychosis: The Unusual Insight

ABSTRACT

Background: COVID, believed to have emerged in Wuhan, China in Nov, 19 and swiftly spread like wildfire across the continents. It wasn't much of a fantasy that it would become a headache for governments all over the world and would have a devastating impact on every sector alike, ravaging economies, especially medicine and healthcare. It was declared as a global pandemic in March, 2020. Predominantly thought of causing only pulmonary complications, it was soon revealed to be causing multiple neuropsychiatric complications in a few cases. Although it was with limited evidence, it was significant enough much like it's counterparts SARS-CoV-1 and MERS. Neurological problems ranged from a spectrum of anxiety to delusions, to even psychosis in some patients. However, the origin and pathogenesis of a COVID induced psychosis is still very much of a question mark. Since, many of the patient's diagnosis could be traced back to their family roots or some kind of substance abuse. In this review, the aim is to assess various associations which could be leading patients to developing new onset psychosis and the possible complications arising out of COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: The purpose of this review article is to analyse the multiple case reports and their data interpretation reported throughout the world during COVID pandemic and give a summarised view. Methodology: Various articles were searched individually containing significant key words that are in relevance to the mental illnesses comprising words like COVID, psychosis, schizophrenia, pandemic, mental illness across various platforms that is PubMed, Google scholar, BMJ, Medline, Frontiers, Sage journals and various news articles and were summed up so as in an attempt to come to a conclusion which could lead to a certain possible ethology and the risk factors involved.