Journal of Depression and Anxiety
Open Access

COVID-19 Mental Stress on Healthcare Workers

Nicola Mucci^{* *}Correspondence: Nicola Mucci, Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome, Italy, Email:

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Commentary

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on social and professional environments. Citizens' and workers' mental health is influenced by social distancing measures, mandatory lockdowns, isolation periods, and dread of becoming ill, as well as the suspension of productive activity, loss of money, and fear of the future. Aspects of the workplace can have a significant impact on whether or not people's mental health improves or deteriorates as a result of the epidemic. Following the epidemic growth of COVID-19, the goal of this literature review is to delve deeper into the psychological components associated to workplace conditions in order to address emerging psychological critical concerns in the workplace. We conducted a literature search using Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus, focusing on studies that addressed worker psychological issues that could be linked to the workplace during the epidemic. There were 35 articles in all. Anxiety, sadness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and sleep difficulties are more likely to afflict healthcarers as a result of the health emergency. Job insecurity, long periods of isolation and future uncertainty exacerbate psychological distress, particularly among younger people and those with a better educational background. Multiple organisational and work-related interventions, such as improving workplace infrastructures, implementing correct and shared anti-contagion measures, including regular personal protective equipment (PPE) supply, and implementing resilience training programmes, can all help to mitigate this scenario. This review lays the groundwork for a deeper understanding of employees' psychological state during the pandemic, bringing together individual and societal views and offering insight into possible individual, social, and occupational responses to this "psychological pandemic." In the present COVID-19 pandemic, health care providers of all types are encountering significant difficulties in dealing with the situation. In this environment, health care providers face unique strains and threats, not just to their physical but also to their mental health. The COVID-19 epidemic has caused job losses in the United States' healthcare system. A poll of allied health professionals (such as audiologists, mental health therapists, and dieticians) conducted in April 2020 indicated widespread job disruptions, with over one-third of respondents reporting changes in work status and 15% reporting being furloughed or laid off. Despite the need for mental health specialists to address high-risk patients following the outbreak of the pandemic, a similar pattern has emerged among them. According to a March 2020 research, over 10% of community mental health clinics in California had terminated or furloughed personnel, with another one-third considering doing so in the future. There is a need for more research into employment patterns among mental health providers in various parts of the United States. Evidence indicating other states in the US has high rates of mental health distress and a decrease in practising mental health professionals will signal the need for lobbying activities to boost state finances that support and protect providers' practises. With increased patient loads and a significant risk of exposure, the COVID-19 pandemic has put healthcare professionals (HCP) in a stressful situation. We wanted to investigate the mental health and quality of life (QoL) of Indian HCPs, given India is the country with the fourth greatest COVID-19 burden. The global medical community is concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic induced by SARS-CoV-2, which has had an extraordinary psychological impact on health-care personnel who were already working under stressful conditions.