Experts Say Coronavirus Outbreak Demands Swift Mental Health Response

Mental health care is urgently needed for patients and health care workers affected by coronavirus, wrote Yu-Tao Xiang, M.D., of the University of Macau in China and colleagues in aneditorial published Tuesday inLancet Psychiatry. The authors suggest that the lessons learned from the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak can guide the mental health response to coronavirus.The outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia (2019-nCoV) has garnered international attention and produced a wave of anxiety. Officials in China, where the outbreak originated, and elsewhere have enacted a range of measures to combat the spread of the virus. Yet, according to Xiang and colleagues, mental health care for patients affected by the virus and those caring for them have largely gone unaddressed.“The observations of mental health consequences and measures taken during the 2003 SARS outbreak could help inform health authorities and the public to provide mental health interventions to those who are in need,” Xiang and colleagues wrote.To meet the mental health needs of those affected by the 2019-nCoV outbreak, Xiang and colleagues recommend the following:Authorities should clearly and regularly communicate accurate updates about the 2019-nCoV outbreak to health workers and patients in order to address their sense of uncertainty and fear.Mental health workers should regularly screen suspected and diagnosed patients with 2019-nCoV pneumonia as well as health professionals c...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: anxiety biological disaster coronavirus depression Lancet Psychiatry mental health SARS suicidality Yu-Tao Xiang Source Type: research