Mental Health in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of Collateral Effects on Common Mental Disorders (CMDs)

Anna Maria Höhn (), Leonie Ascone, Luzie Lohse, Dimitrij Kugler, Martin Lambert, Natalia Wege, Felix Wittmann, Steffi Riedel-Heller, Melanie Luppa, Mohamed E. G. Elsayed and René Hurlemann
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Anna Maria Höhn: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstraße 114-118, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
Leonie Ascone: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Working Group Neuronal Plasticity, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Luzie Lohse: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Neuropsychology and Psychotherapy Research Unit, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Dimitrij Kugler: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Working Group Neuronal Plasticity, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Martin Lambert: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Research Group Severe Mental Illness, Early Detection, Integrated Care, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Natalia Wege: Institute for General Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Felix Wittmann: Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health (ISAP), Leipzig University, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
Steffi Riedel-Heller: Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health (ISAP), Leipzig University, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
Melanie Luppa: Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health (ISAP), Leipzig University, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
Mohamed E. G. Elsayed: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstraße 114-118, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
René Hurlemann: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Health Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstraße 114-118, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has had consequences for common mental disorders (CMDs). This scoping review aims to examine direct infection-related (e.g., severe COVID-19 illness), psychosocial (e.g., social isolation), and indirect outcomes (e.g., changes in incidence) that have been particularly discussed so far. A literature search for clinically diagnosed adult CMDs was conducted using Pubmed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo ( n = 5325). After completion of the screening process, 26 included studies remained for extraction. None of the included studies reported post-pandemic data. The effects appeared to be particularly pronounced for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders in the first year of the pandemic. This was followed by a period of adjustment, during which rates of mental disease and its symptoms largely returned to pre-pandemic levels. Fluctuating rates of CMDs may have had COVID-related causes. Preventive temporary inpatient care could be a protective approach for those at risk or vulnerable, as well as establishing pandemic consultation and building resilience. A gap in the research is the lack of comparisons of CMD data before, during, and after the pandemic to distinguish transient disease rates from chronic disease requiring treatment.

Keywords: COVID-19; pandemic; collateral effects; common mental disorders; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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