The Collateral Damage of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Mental Health and Psychiatry

Frederick A. J. Simon, Maria Schenk, Denise Palm, Frank Faltraco and Johannes Thome
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Frederick A. J. Simon: Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Rostock, 18147 Rostock, Germany
Maria Schenk: Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Rostock, 18147 Rostock, Germany
Denise Palm: Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Rostock, 18147 Rostock, Germany
Frank Faltraco: Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Rostock, 18147 Rostock, Germany
Johannes Thome: Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Rostock, 18147 Rostock, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-10

Abstract: The potential consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak are multifarious and remain largely unknown. Deaths as a direct result of the condition are already in the millions, and the number of indirect deaths is likely to be even higher. Pre-existing historical inequalities are compounded by the virus, driving increased rates of infection and deaths amongst people who use drugs and alcohol, those belonging to racial-ethnic minority groups, poorer communities, LBGTQ+ populations, healthcare workers, and other members of the care economy; all of whom are already at increased risk of adverse mental health effects. In this paper we suggest that a central role of mental health practitioners is advocacy: both for people who use psychiatric services and for those who, due to the effects of the pandemic, are at an increased risk of needing to do so.

Keywords: psychiatry; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; stigma; discrimination; disparities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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