Psychological complications caused by the spread of Covid-19 and its rehabilitation

Background and purpose: considering that only one and a half years have passed since the epidemic of covid-19 and during this period the priority of the health and treatment system has been to pay attention to the symptoms and physical problems of this disease and to prevent its further spread, there is enough evidence about Mental problems caused by Corona are not available. The purpose of this review is to investigate the state of psychological problems caused by Corona among patients and medical staff and also to provide rehabilitation solutions to partially solve this problem.

Materials and methods: Medline and Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched by combining keywords related to covid-19 (e.g. coronavirus), restrictive measures (e.g. quarantine, isolation, social distancing) and psychological outcomes (e.g. psychosis, depression). ) and guidelines (such as guidance, management, rehabilitation) were performed. All the articles were written in English and their purpose was about mental disorders and factors related to the corona virus. Considering that only about a year and a half of the Covid-19 pandemic has passed, the period of the reviewed articles was chosen between 2019 and 2021.

Findings: In searching for related studies, 18 original articles were considered. Overall, the review of the literature showed that the Covid-19 disease has changed people's lifestyles. In addition to physical symptoms and mortality, this disease also has negative psychological effects such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, fear and excitement. However, in most cases these symptoms are not very severe. Psychological problems can be more severe in certain groups, such as pregnant women or people with underlying problems. In countries that have had a history of facing epidemics, internet-based systems have been formed to evaluate and treat the psychological problems of patients with Covid-19. Rehabilitation interventions can also have a positive effect in improving conditions such as the patient's breathing and help reduce psychological symptoms.

Conclusion: In addition to physical symptoms, covid-19 can also cause mental problems for the patient. On the other hand, changes in people's lifestyles following the spread of Covid-19, such as travel restrictions, quarantine, social distancing, and the slowdown of businesses, may also contribute to the occurrence of mental disorders following the spread of Covid-19. Attention should be paid to the psychological problems caused by Covid-19 in some population groups such as pregnant women, medical staff, and children. Rehabilitation interventions and increasing public awareness can be effective in improving psychological symptoms.