Evidence-Based Reviews

The psychiatric consequences of COVID-19: 8 Studies

Current Psychiatry. 2020 November;19(11):22-24,28-30,32-35 | doi:10.12788/cp.0055

References

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Post-illness. There was increased incidence of depression, anxiety, fatigue, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the post-illness stage of previous coronavirus epidemics (SARS and MERS), but there was no control group for comparison. There was not enough data available for COVID-19.

Conclusions/limitations

Three studies were deemed to be of high quality, 32 were low quality, and 30 were moderate quality. Despite the high incidence of psychiatric symptoms in previous coronavirus infections, it was difficult to draw conclusions due to a lack of adequate control groups and predominantly low-quality studies. The difference in treatment strategies, such as the use of high-dose corticosteroids for MERS and SARS, but not for COVID-19, made it difficult to accurately predict a response for COVID-19 based on previous epidemics.

5. Shiozawa P, Uchida RR. An updated systematic review on the coronavirus pandemic: lessons for psychiatry. Braz J Psychiatry. 2020;42(3):330-331.

Schiozawa et al⁹ conducted a systematic review of articles to identify psychiatric issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study design

Researchers conducted a systematic review of 10 articles (7 articles from China, 1 from the United States, 1 from Japan, and 1 from Korea) that described strategies for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and/or provided a descriptive analysis of the clinical scenario, with an emphasis on psychiatric comorbidities.
The study used PRISMA guidelines to summarize the findings of those 10 studies. There were no pre-set outcomes or inclusion criteria.

Outcomes

The compiled results of the 10 studies showed high rates of new-onset insomnia, anxiety, and relapse of underlying conditions such as depression.
One study found increased hospital visits and misinterpretations of any symptom in patients with health anxiety (health anxiety was not defined).
One study found some benefit from multidisciplinary psychological care and online counseling for both patients and health care workers.

Continue to: Conclusions/limitations