The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting the mental health of healthcare professionals and patients, according to the Ministry of Health’s General Secretariat of Mental Health and Addiction Treatment.
A team from the secretariat has visited 12 isolation hospitals allocated to treating coronavirus patients. The visits were designed to provide psychological support and treatment to patients and the medical teams on the front lines.
In a statement on Monday, the secretariat noted that after visiting the isolation hospitals, some healthcare workers and patients were presenting with mental health issues as a result of the pandemic.
Symptoms include anxiety, fear, difficulty sleeping, psychotic symptoms, loss of appetite, as well as symptoms of mania, depression, and thoughts of and attempted to commit suicide.
The cases range from less severe to acute, with the more acute symptoms requiring immediate medical intervention.
The secretariat added that 1,047 phone calls were received on the Ministry of Health’s mental health support hotline in April. The hotline, manned by ministry trained specialists, was launched in April to provide psychological support in light of the current difficult times.
