Leo Sher, M.D.

A research report, “Mental health problems among healthcare workers involved with the COVID-19 outbreak” has been published in the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry online ahead of print (1).

A cross-sectional online study was conducted with a sample of 5,938 Mexican healthcare professionals who completed brief screening measures of mental health problems and ad hoc questions about sociodemographic professional characteristics, conditions related to increased risk of COVID-19 infection, life stressors during the COVID-19 crisis, and perceived need to cope with COVID-19. The study was conducted between April 17, 2020 and May 7, 2020. At the end of the survey, the participants received brief personal feedback, including specific contact information for treatment at virtual clinics, if needed.

The identified mental health problems were insomnia, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), all of which were more frequent in frontline healthcare professionals (52.1, 37.7, and 37.5%, respectively) and women (47.1, 33.0 %, and 16.3%, respectively). A lack of rest time was the main risk factor for insomnia (OR = 3.1, 95%CI 2.6-3.7, p ≤ 0.0001). Mourning the death of friends or loved ones due to COVID-19 was the main risk factor for depression (OR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.8-2.7, p ≤ 0.0001), and personal COVID-19 status was the main risk factor for PTSD (OR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.7-2.9, p ≤ 0.0001). The frequency of suicidal ideation among healthcare professionals was higher than that of the general population.

Reference

1. Robles R, Rodríguez E, Vega-Ramírez H, Álvarez-Icaza D, Madrigal E, Durand S, Morales-Chainé S, Astudillo C, Real-Ramírez J, Medina-Mora ME, Becerra C, Escamilla R, Alcocer-Castillejos N, Ascencio L, Díaz D, González H, Barrón-Velázquez E, Fresán A, Rodríguez-Bores L, Quijada-Gaytán JM, Zabicky G, Tejadilla-Orozco D, González-Olvera JJ, Reyes-Terán G. Mental health problems among healthcare workers involved with the COVID-19 outbreak. Braz J Psychiatry. 2020 Dec 18:S1516-44462020005041204. doi: 10.1590/1516-4446-2020-1346. Epub ahead of print.