4. UNHCR notes with concern that although the country acceded to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol in 1999, incorporation of the 1951 Convention obligations into national legislation and normative acts has been slow and to date Kazakhstan has failed to comply with its obligation to give full effect to the Covenant in the domestic legal order, inter alia providing for effective judicial and other remedies for violations of these rights

United Nations High Commission for Refugees

Background Along with its high infectivity and fatality rates, the 2019 Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) has caused universal psychosocial impact by causing mass hysteria, economic burden and financial losses. Mass fear of COVID-19, termed as “coronaphobia”, has generated a plethora of psychiatric manifestations across the different strata of the society. So, this review has been undertaken to define psychosocial impact of COVID-19. Methods Pubmed and GoogleScholar are searched with the following key terms- “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV2”, “Pandemic”, “Psychology”, “Psychosocial”, “Psychitry”, “marginalized”, “telemedicine”, “mental health”, “quarantine”, “infodemic”, “social media” and” “internet”. Few news paper reports related to COVID-19 and psychosocial impacts have also been added as per context. Results Disease itself multiplied by forced quarantine to combat COVID-19 applied by nationwide lockdowns can produce acute panic, anxiety, obsessive behaviors, hoarding, paranoia, and depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the long run. These have been fueled by an “infodemic” spread via different platforms of social media. Outbursts of racism, stigmatization, and xenophobia against particular communities are also being widely reported. Nevertheless, frontline healthcare workers are at higher-risk of contracting the disease as well as experiencing adverse psychological outcomes in form of burnout, anxiety, fear of transmitting infection, feeling of incompatibility, depression, increased substance-dependence, and PTSD. Community-based mitigation programs to combat COVID-19 will disrupt children’s usual lifestyle and may cause florid mental distress. The psychosocial aspects of older people, their caregivers, psychiatric patients and marginalized communities are affected by this pandemic in different ways and need special attention. Conclusion For better dealing with these psychosocial issues of different strata of the society, psychosocial crisis prevention and intervention models should be urgently developed by the government, health care personnel and other stakeholders. Apt application of internet services, technology and social media to curb both pandemic and infodemic needs to be instigated. Psychosocial preparedness by setting up mental organizations specific for future pandemics is certainly necessary.

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Psychosocial impact of COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused enormous psychological impact worldwide. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the psychological and mental impact of COVID-19 among healthcare workers, the general population, and patients with higher COVID-19 risk published between 1 Nov 2019 to 25 May 2020. We conducted literature research using Embase, PubMed, Google scholar and WHO COVID-19 databases. Among the initial search of 9207 studies, 62 studies with 162,639 participants from 17 countries were included in the review. The pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression was 33% (95% confidence interval: 28%-38%) and 28% (23%-32%), respectively. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was the highest among patients with pre-existing conditions and COVID-19 infection (56% [39%-73%] and 55% [48%-62%]), and it was similar between healthcare workers and the general public. Studies from China, Italy, Turkey, Spain and Iran reported higher-than-pooled prevalence among healthcare workers and the general public. Common risk factors included being women, being nurses, having lower socioeconomic status, having high risks of contracting COVID-19, and social isolation. Protective factors included having sufficient medical resources, up-to-date and accurate information, and taking precautionary measures. In conclusion, psychological interventions targeting high-risk populations with heavy psychological distress are in urgent need.

The psychological and mental impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on medical staff and general public - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Depression and obesity are common conditions with major public health implications that tend to co-occur within individuals. The relationship between these conditions is bidirectional: the presence of one increases the risk for developing the other. It has thus become crucial to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the intertwined downward physiological spirals associated with both conditions. The present review focuses specifically on shared biological pathways that may mechanistically explain the depression–obesity link, including genetics, alterations in systems involved in homeostatic adjustments (HPA axis, immuno-inflammatory activation, neuroendocrine regulators of energy metabolism including leptin and insulin, and microbiome) and brain circuitries integrating homeostatic and mood regulatory responses. Furthermore, the review addresses interventional opportunities and questions to be answered by future research that will enable a comprehensive characterization and targeting of the biological links between depression and obesity.

Depression and obesity: evidence of shared biological mechanisms

Health care workers (HCW) are at the frontline response to the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), being at a higher risk of acquiring the disease, and subsequently, exposing patients and colleagues. Searches in eight bibliographic databases were performed to systematically review the evidence on the prevalence, risk factors, clinical characteristics, and prognosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among HCW. Ninety-seven studies (All published in 2020), including 230,398 HCW, met the inclusion criteria. From the screened HCW using RT-PCR and the presence of antibodies, the estimated prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 11% (95%CI; 7%-15%) and 7% (95% CI; 4%-11%), respectively. The most frequently affected personnel were the nurses (48%. 95%CI; 41%-56%), while most of the COVID-19 positive medical personnel were working in hospitalization/non-emergency wards during the screening (43%, 95%CI;28%-59%). Anosmia, fever and myalgia were identified as the only symptoms associated with HCW SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Among RT-PCR positive HCW, 40% (95%CI;17%-65%) did not show symptoms at the time of diagnosis. Finally, 5% (95%CI;3%-8%) of the COVID-19 positive HCW developed severe clinical complications, and 0.5% (95% CI; 0.02%-1.3%) died. HCW suffer a significant burden from COVID-19, with HCW working in hospitalization/non-emergency wards and nurses being the most infected personnel.

COVID-19 in Health-Care Workers: A Living Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prevalence, Risk Factors, Clinical Characteristics, and Outcomes

https://synapse.koreamed.org/upload/SynapseData/PDFData/0069ymj/ymj-61-271.pdf

Mental Health and Psychological Intervention Amid COVID-19 Outbreak: Perspectives from South Korea.

BackgroundThe association between body size, weight change and depression has not been systematically summarised, especially for individuals who are underweight.AimsTo conduct a systematic review and a meta-analysis to examine the association between indices of body size, weight change and depression.MethodA total of 183 studies were selected. Fully adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) were extracted. A total of 76 studies contributed to data synthesis with a random-effect model, and subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of potential moderators.ResultsIn cohort studies, underweight at baseline increased the risk of subsequent depression (OR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.08-1.24). Overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2) showed no statistically significant relationship with depression overall; however, the subgroup analyses found different results according to gender (men: OR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.72-0.97, women: OR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.07-1.25). In cross-sectional designs, obesity with BMI >40 kg/m2 showed a greater pooled odds ratio than obesity with BMI >30 kg/m2ConclusionsBoth underweight and obesity increase the risk of depression. The association between overweight and depression differs by gender.

/pdf/association-between-body-size-weight-change-and-depression-4ncd3ykqp0.pdf

Association between body size, weight change and depression: systematic review and meta-analysis

Menarche age, menopause age and other reproductive factors in association with post-menopausal onset depression: Results from Health Examinees Study (HEXA)

There has been a growing interest in the relationship between sedative-hypnotics use and the risk of Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) risk. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of AD associated with the use of sedative-hypnotics. A retrospective cohort study was conducted with randomly selected 5% samples from ≥50 years old beneficiaries of National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) of Korea from January 2002 to December 2015. The exposure to sedative-hypnotics was defined when prescribed over 30 defined daily dose (DDD) after January 2004 and it was categorized by prescribed dosage, types and half-lives of benzodiazepines. Time-dependent Cox regression model with a lag period of 5-years was used to evaluate the association between use of sedative-hypnotics and the risk of subsequent AD. Sensitivity analysis was performed for restricting sedative-hypnotics only when prescribed with insomnia. A total of 268,170 subjects were identified and subjects exposed to sedative-hypnotics showed a higher risk of AD (HR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.72–1.86) than those who were not. There was an increased risk of AD among subjects exposed to benzodiazepines or zolpidem (HR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.67–1.82) and antidepressants or low-dose antipsychotics (HR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.42–1.87). The risk of AD was increased regardless of dose of sedative-hypnotics and half-life among benzodiazepines, especially in exposure to more than 360 DDD of sedative-hypnotics (HR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.60–1.99) and the long-acting benzodiazepine (HR:1.77; 95% CI: 1.65–1.89).

/pdf/use-of-sedative-hypnotics-and-the-risk-of-alzheimer-s-46ae4nipyt.pdf

Sun Jae Jung

Papers

Mental Health and Psychological Intervention Amid COVID-19 Outbreak: Perspectives from South Korea.

Association between body size, weight change and depression: systematic review and meta-analysis

Menarche age, menopause age and other reproductive factors in association with post-menopausal onset depression: Results from Health Examinees Study (HEXA)

Use of sedative-hypnotics and the risk of Alzheimer's dementia: A retrospective cohort study

Hormone-related factors and post-menopausal onset depression: results from KNHANES (2010-2012).