scholarly journals PSYCHOSOCIAL RISKS FOR MENTAL HEALTH DURING A PANDEMIC

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 65-70
Author(s):  
Sergey Igumnov

During the pandemic, many countries go through a period of so-called “self-isolation” or quarantine, during which people are forced for a long time not to see their loved ones, not to visit places of importance to them and experiencing constant anxiety and un­certainty due to changing living conditions. This has had a very negative impact on most people’s mental state. Analyzing data from many countries around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) notes that the fear, loneliness, isolation, stress and anxiety experienced by all people during the COVID-19 pan­demic can cause great mental health problems and countries need to be prepared for them. Metaanalysis of studies evaluating the prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders, self-harming behavior, acts of family violence, and problematic substance use in the COVID-19 pandemic show that depression, drug and alcohol addiction, self-harm and suicidal behavior are expected to increase, requiring increased prepa­redness by mental health services.

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailaja Bandla ◽  
NR Nappinnai ◽  
Srinivasagopalan Gopalasamy

Background: Floods are the most common type of natural disaster, which have a negative impact on mental health. Following floods, survivors are vulnerable to develop PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. Aim: The aim is to study the psychiatric morbidity in the persons affected by floods during December 2015. Materials and methods: This study was carried out in Chennai and Cuddalore. In total, 223 persons who were directly exposed to floods were assessed. PTSD Checklist–Civilian Version, Beck’s Depression Inventory, Beck’s Anxiety Inventory and World Health Organization–Five Well-Being Scale (WHO-5) were used in the study. Chi-square test was used to compare the means. Results: Overall, psychiatric morbidity was found to be 45.29%; 60 (26.9%) persons had symptoms of PTSD. Anxiety was found in 48 (27.4%) and depression was found in 101 (45.29%) persons; and 11 (4.9%) persons have reported an increase in substance abuse. Conclusion: Following disaster like floods, there is a need for better preparedness in terms of basic necessities and medical and psychological assistance, particularly emphasizing the needs of older persons in order to prevent the development of psychiatric problems.


Author(s):  
Gagan Chooramani ◽  
Barre Vijaya Prasad ◽  
Shamsi Akbar

This chapter describes the prevalence of obesity which is rising in all age groups. The World Health Organization declared obesity as a Global epidemic. There has been the abundance of research in all over the world that provides evidence for physical and mental health consequences of obesity. Obesity is considered as one of the leading cause of various non-communicable diseases. Higher body mass index and abdominal obesity are considered to be an independent risk factor that significantly contribute to the increased prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, metabolic disorders along with various mental health problems among elderly. Geriatric obesity further affects the treatment process, outcome, quality and quantity of life older adults. It also increases the risk of disability among older adults.


2020 ◽  
pp. 276-289
Author(s):  
Mobina Fathi ◽  
Kimia Vakili ◽  
Niloofar Deravi

Around the end of December 2019, a new beta-coronavirus from Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China began to spread rapidly. The new virus, called SARS-CoV-2, which could be transmitted through respiratory droplets, had a range of mild to severe symptoms, from simple cold in some cases to death in others. The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 was named COVID-19 by WHO and has so far killed more people than SARS and MERS. Following the widespread global outbreak of COVID-19, with more than 132758 confirmed cases and 4955 deaths worldwide, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic disease in January 2020. Earlier studies on viral pneumonia epidemics has shown that pregnant women are at greater risk than others. During pregnancy, the pregnant woman is more prone to infectious diseases. Research on both SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, which are pathologically similar to SARS-CoV-2, has shown that being infected with these viruses during pregnancy increases the risk of maternal death, stillbirth, intrauterine growth retardation and, preterm delivery. With the exponential increase in cases of COVID-19 throughout the world, there is a need to understand the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the health of pregnant women, through extrapolation of earlier studies that have been conducted on pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV. There is an urgent need to understand the chance of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from mother to fetus and the possibility of the virus crossing the placental barrier. Additionally, since some viral diseases and antiviral drugs may have a negative impact on the mother and fetus, in which case, pregnant women need special attention for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 003685042110198
Author(s):  
Helen Onyeaka ◽  
Christian K Anumudu ◽  
Zainab T Al-Sharify ◽  
Esther Egele-Godswill ◽  
Paul Mbaegbu

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 11th of March 2020, leading to some form of lockdown across almost all countries of the world. The extent of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 has a significant impact on our lives that must be studied carefully to combat it. This study highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on crucial aspects of daily life globally, including; Food security, Global economy, Education, Tourism, hospitality, sports and leisure, Gender Relation, Domestic Violence/Abuse, Mental Health and Environmental air pollution through a systematic search of the literature. The COVID-19 global lockdown was initiated to stem the spread of the virus and ‘flatten the curve’ of the pandemic. However, the impact of the lockdown has had far-reaching effects in different strata of life, including; changes in the accessibility and structure of education delivery to students, food insecurity as a result of unavailability and fluctuation in prices, the depression of the global economy, increase in mental health challenges, wellbeing and quality of life amongst others. This review article highlights the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown across the globe. As the global lockdown is being lifted in a phased manner in various countries of the world, it is necessary to explore its impacts to understand its consequences comprehensively. This will guide future decisions that will be made in a possible future wave of the COVID-19 pandemic or other global disease outbreak.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 801-803
Author(s):  
PETER H. WOLFF

When Bowlby first published his comprehensive report to the World Health Organization on maternal deprivation, his conclusions and recommendations stimulated useful research and provoked critical discussion. The republication of this report 15 years later, together with six articles by others evaluating the monograph's implications, gives us a welcome opportunity to reconsider the findings from a historical perspective, and to acquaint a new generation of physicians with the problems of homeless children, which are still very much with us.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Zayra Ramírez Gaytán

Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing, life-threatening, chronic degenerative diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it has affected 422 million people worldwide in 2018. Approximately 50% of all people who suffer diabetes are not diagnosed due to the asymptomatic phase which usually lasts a long time. In this work, a data set of 520 instances has been used. The data set has been analyzed with the next three algorithms: logistic regression algorithm, decision trees and random forest. The results show that the decision tree algorithm had better performance with an AUC of 98%. Also, it was found the most common symptoms that a person with a risk of diabetes presents are polyuria, polydipsia and sudden weight loss.


2021 ◽  
pp. 172-180
Author(s):  
Fitrio Deviantony ◽  
Grysha Viofananda ◽  
Nurul Hidayah ◽  
Nadhifa Eriyanti

permasalahan serius di dunia dan Indonesia. Data dari World Health Organization sekitar 21 juta orang mengalami skizofrenia. Prevalensi skizofrenia di Indonesia mengalami peningkatan proporsi per 1000 penduduk (1,7%) pada tahun 2013 menjadi (7%) pada tahun 2018. Faktanya terapi keperawatan untuk halusinasi belum optimal sedangkan teknologi terus berkembang seperti Virtual Reality (VR). VR mampu menurunkan gejala pada skizofrenia dengan kemampuan membuat perilaku interaktif dan tersimpan dalam otak agar tidak menimbulkan halusinasi. Teknologi ini digunakan untuk mengetahui manfaat E-Health Nursing VR sebagai terapi halusinasi pada pasien skizofrenia. Metode penelitian menggunakan systematic review dari 5 database yaitu Nature, Frontiers, BMC, Science Direct, NEJM sehingga didapat total 55 literatur. Mayoritas 63% mengulas terapi VR untuk mengurangi halusinasi pada skizofrenia. Perkembangan manfaat VR diverifikasi dalam beberapa pengobatan: skizofrenia, PTSD, kecemasan, akrofobia, ganguan citra tubuh, claustrophobia, dan lain-lain. Beberapa studi skizofrenia menyatakan terapi VR sangat efektif menangani delusi, halusinasi, gejala kepribadian skizoid. VR juga berguna dalam rehabilitas kognitif pada orang dewasa atau anak-anak autis dalam keterampilan dan kemandirian. Kesimpulan penelitian ini adalah VR terbukti efektif sebagai terapi kesehatan jiwa di masa mendatang. Disisi lain terdapat terapi psikologis pilihan seperti terapi perilaku kognitif, dan psikoterapi interpersonal. Oleh karenanya diperlukan kombinasi terapi VR dengan terapi komplementer tersebut dalam mengurangi halusinasi pada skizofrenia.   Mental health become a severe problem in the world and Indonesia. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO, 2016) estimated that 21 million people have schizophrenia. The prevalence of schizophrenia in Indonesia has increased proportion per 1000 population (1,7%) in 2013 to (7%) in 2018. In fact of nursing, therapy for hallucination is not optimal while constantly evolving technology such as Virtual Reality (VR). VR can reduce symptoms in schizophrenia with the ability to create interactive behavior and stored in the brain in order to cause hallucinations. The objective of this study was to review the benefit of VR as a hallucination therapy in schizophrenia patients. This research used a systematic literature review from five databases Nature, Frontiers, BMC, Science Direct, NEJM, and resulted in the retrieval of 55 papers. The majority of a result found a 63% review in Virtual Reality therapy can reduce hallucination in schizophrenia. VR is a technology browser and manipulator sensory environment in real-time 3D. The progressing benefit of VR verified in the treatment of schizophrenia, PSTD, anxiety, acrophobia, body image disorder, claustrophobia, and others. Some studies of schizophrenia declare that virtual reality therapy is effective in treating delusions, hallucinations, and a symptom of schizoid behavior. VR also has benefits in cognitive rehabilitation in adults or children with autism's inability and self-reliance. VR has a bright future as the treatment of mental health. The progressing of technology and research has an excellent opportunity for VR to reduce schizophrenia. Moreover, there is psychological therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy. Therefore a combination needed of virtual therapy with the complementary therapy for reducing hallucination in schizophrenia.


Author(s):  
Vijay Kumar Chattu ◽  
Paula Mahon

Mental health problems affect society as a whole, and not just a small, isolated segment. In developed countries with well-organized healthcare systems, between 44% and 70% of patients with mental disorders do not receive treatment whereas in developing countries the treatment gap being close to 90%. Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder affecting more than 21 million people worldwide. People with schizophrenia are 2-2.5 times more likely to die early than the general population. The case study highlights about agnosia in a schizophrenic patient in a primary care setting and how to address the management at a broader perspective using the appropriate antipsychotic medication and ensuring the support from a family without violating the human rights of the patient. The World Economic Forum estimated that the cumulative global impact of mental disorders in terms of lost economic output will amount to US$ 16 trillion over the next 20 years, equivalent to more than 1% of the global gross domestic product. Mental health should be a concern for all of us, rather than only for those who suffer from a mental disorder. The mental health action plan 2013-2020, endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2013, highlights the steps required to provide appropriate services for people with mental disorders including schizophrenia. A key recommendation of the action plan is to shift services from institutions to the community. Mental health must be considered a focus of renewed investment not just in terms of human development and dignity but also in terms of social and economic development.


Author(s):  
Rebecca McKnight ◽  
Jonathan Price ◽  
John Geddes

One in four individuals suffer from a psychiatric disorder at some point in their life, with 15– 20 per cent fitting cri­teria for a mental disorder at any given time. The latter corresponds to around 450 million people worldwide, placing mental disorders as one of the leading causes of global morbidity. Mental health problems represent five of the ten leading causes of disability worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in mid 2016 that ‘the global cost of mental illness is £651 billion per year’, stating that the equivalent of 50 million working years was being lost annually due to mental disorders. The financial global impact is clearly vast, but on a smaller scale, the social and psychological impacts of having a mental dis­order on yourself or your family are greater still. It is often difficult for the general public and clin­icians outside psychiatry to think of mental health dis­orders as ‘diseases’ because it is harder to pinpoint a specific pathological cause for them. When confronted with this view, it is helpful to consider that most of medicine was actually founded on this basis. For ex­ample, although medicine has been a profession for the past 2500 years, it was only in the late 1980s that Helicobacter pylori was linked to gastric/ duodenal ul­cers and gastric carcinoma, or more recently still that the BRCA genes were found to be a cause of breast cancer. Still much of clinical medicine treats a patient’s symptoms rather than objective abnormalities. The WHO has given the following definition of mental health:… Mental health is defined as a state of well- being in which every individual realizes his or her own po­tential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.… This is a helpful definition, because it clearly defines a mental disorder as a condition that disrupts this state in any way, and sets clear goals of treatment for the clinician. It identifies the fact that a disruption of an individual’s mental health impacts negatively not only upon their enjoyment and ability to cope with life, but also upon that of the wider community.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document