Covid-19 pandemic: a public and global mental health opportunity for social transformation?
TL;DR: It is thought that covid-19 needs a public mental health focus and the humanitarian challenges of the ongoing pandemic should be given a humanitarian focus.
Abstract: We know from analysing conflict and post-conflict transitions that such crises can pose as an opportunity for social transformation.1 Given the humanitarian challenges of the ongoing pandemic, we think that covid-19 needs a public mental health focus. Covid-19 is the first major pandemic of our generation,2 and we must seek the hidden opportunities to …
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TL;DR: The COVID-19 pandemic is exceptional and its effect will likely be imprinted on each individual involved, and many medical staff workers will be harmfully psychologically affected.
Abstract: Objective As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeps across the world, it is causing widespread concern, fear and stress, all of which are natural and normal reactions to the changing and uncertain situation that everyone finds themselves in. Methods In this general review, we examined the literature about the psychological effects of COVID-19 pandemia. In total 65 papers were reviewed using the Medline computer database. Only publications in English were selected. Results Children are likely to be experiencing worry, anxiety and fear and older people are also those with underlying health conditions, having been identified as more vulnerable to COVID-19, can be extremely frightening and very fear-inducing. China and several other countries took strict isolation measures. Medical staff and affiliated healthcare workers (staff) are under both physical and psychological pressure. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic is exceptional. Its effect will likely be imprinted on each individual involved. Extensive stressors will emerge or become worsened. Many medical staff workers will be harmfully psychologically affected.
197 citations
TL;DR: Clinical experience in managing patients with gastrointestinal, hematological, gynaecological, dermatological, neurological, thyroid, lung and paediatric cancers in the COVID-19 era is outlined and the emerging literature around barriers to care of oncology patients and how this crisis affects them is reviewed.
Abstract: COVID-19 has caused unprecedented societal turmoil, triggering a rapid, still ongoing, transformation of healthcare provision on a global level. In this new landscape, it is highly important to acknowledge the challenges this pandemic poses on the care of the particularly vulnerable cancer patients and the subsequent psychosocial impact on them. We have outlined our clinical experience in managing patients with gastrointestinal, hematological, gynaecological, dermatological, neurological, thyroid, lung and paediatric cancers in the COVID-19 era and have reviewed the emerging literature around barriers to care of oncology patients and how this crisis affects them. Moreover, evolving treatment strategies and novel ways of addressing the needs of oncology patients in the new context of the pandemic are discussed.
105 citations
Cites background from "Covid-19 pandemic: a public and glo..."
...This unparalleled health crisis (1), for which no healthcare system was fully prepared, has Oncology during the COVID‐19 pandemic: challenges, dilemmas and the psychosocial impact on cancer patients (Review)...
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TL;DR: The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic has emerged as a truly formidable threat to humankind’s existence and previous experience suggests that mental and behavioural health interventions should be fully included in public health response strategies.
Abstract: The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic has emerged as a truly formidable threat to humankind’s existence. In the wake of the massively volatile global situation created by COVID-19, it is vital to recognize that the trauma it causes can affect people in different ways, at the individual and collective levels, resulting in mental health challenges for many. Although mental health problems account for about one-third of the world’s disability among adults, these issues tend to be under-addressed and overlooked in society and are closely associated with deadly disease outbreaks. In large scale outbreaks, the mental health problems experienced are not limited to infected persons but also extend to involve frontline health workers and community members alike. While it is crucial to limit the spread of infections during an outbreak, previous experience suggests that mental and behavioural health interventions should be fully included in public health response strategies.
101 citations
TL;DR: This work aims to critically synthesise the scientific evidence about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young people and adults and disseminate through peer-reviewed publication and will be presented at conferences related to this field.
Abstract: Introduction Since the WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, the spread of the new coronavirus has been the focus of attention of scientists, governments and populations. One of the main concerns is the impact of this pandemic on health outcomes, mainly on mental health. Even though there are a few empirical studies on COVID-19 and mental health, so far, there is no systematic review about the impact of COVID-19 on mental health of young people and adults yet. We aim to critically synthesise the scientific evidence about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young people and adults. Methods and analysis A systematic review will be performed through eight databases: MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), ISI-of-Knowledge, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), EMBASE (Excerpta Medica Database), SCOPUS, LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), PsycINFO (Psychology Information) and CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure), from inception until 30 June 2020. No restriction regarding the publication date, setting or languages will be considered. Preliminary search strategies were carried out on 29 March 2020 and will be updated in June 2020. The primary outcomes will be the prevalence and the severity of psychological symptoms in young people and adults (>18 years old) resulting from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. Study selection will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Pooled standardised mean differences and 95% CIs will be calculated. The risk of bias of the observational studies will be assessed through the Methodological Index for Non-Randomised Studies (MINORS). Additionally, if sufficient data are available, a meta-analysis will be conducted. Heterogeneity between the studies will be determined by the I2 statistics. Subgroup analyses will also be performed. Publication bias will be checked with funnel plots and Egger’s test. Heterogeneity will be explored by random-effects analysis. Ethics and dissemination Ethical assessment was not required. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication and will be presented at conferences related to this field. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020177366.
84 citations
TL;DR: This research presents a novel probabilistic procedure called “spot-spot analysis” that allows for real-time analysis of the response of the immune system to foreign substance abuse.
79 citations
Cites background from "Covid-19 pandemic: a public and glo..."
...The crisis that we are facing now, if appropriately managed, may become an opportunity for a global social transformation of perceptions, and interventions are needed to address mental health.([55]) We hope that our study, with its international reach, issues to be addressed and data to be gathered, will play a role in this process....
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TL;DR: A practical guide for GPs and others working in UK primary care on when to suspect covid-19 and how to respond is offered.
Abstract: ### What you need to know
The UK recorded its first confirmed case of acute respiratory infection due to coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) on 31 January 2020 and initially responded by quarantining at-risk individuals to contain the spread of infection. However, when covid-19 cases increased and containment was no longer effective, the UK moved to a delay phase of the response on 12 March 2020. Executive agencies Public Health England (PHE),1 Health Protection Scotland (HPS), and NHS England have since published updated guidance for healthcare providers on managing patients suspected to have covid-19. Guidance for the public and health professionals varies internationally, depending partly on risk levels and healthcare systems, and is being regularly updated.
This article offers a practical guide for GPs and others working in UK primary care on when to suspect covid-19 and how to respond. It is based on current …
120 citations
28 Apr 2016
TL;DR: The first study to provide empirical evidence on the relationship between armed conflict and social transformation from gender's perspectives, the authors is a major contribution to the field of transitional justice and peacebuilding in post-armed-conflict Nepal.
Abstract: The concept of social transformation has been increasingly used to study significant political, socio-economic and cultural changes affected by individuals and groups. This book uses a novel approach from the gender perspective and from bottom up to analyse social transformation in Nepal, a country with a complex traditional structure of caste, class, ethnicity, religion and regional locality and the experience of the ten-year of People’s War (1996-2006).
Through extensive interviews with women in post-conflict Nepal, this book analyses the intended and unintended impacts of conflict and traces the transformations in women’s understandings of themselves and their positions in public life. It raises important questions for the international community about the inevitable victimization of women during mass violence, but it also identifies positive impacts of armed conflict. The book also discusses how the Maoist insurgency had empowering effects on women.
The first study to provide empirical evidence on the relationship between armed conflict and social transformation from gender’s perspectives, this book is a major contribution to the field of transitional justice and peacebuilding in post-armed-conflict Nepal. It is of interest to academics researching South Asia, Gender, Peace and Conflict Studies and Development Studies.
35 citations