Mental health: why it still matters in the midst of a pandemic

In times of fear and uncertainty, when threats to one’s own survival and that of others become one of the main issues of daily life, many believe that mental health care can wait and that efforts should focus on preserving life. However, mental health is precisely one of the keys to surviving this latest pandemic and all that it entails in the short, medium, and long term, from the potential crisis in the provision of health services to helping preserve and reconstruct a post-pandemic society. This editorial lists some topics in mental health that we believe are particularly worthy of attention at the moment and deserve full consideration both by health care workers and by the general population.

Driven by the angst and anxiety generated by a pandemic, thousands of people have flooded the health system, while others have rushed to supermarkets in an attempt to forestall coming supply shortages. Mathematical modeling will help us understand the natural history of the disease, predict outbreak patterns, and identify strategies to modify the course of the pandemic. Nevertheless, simple measures, such as behavioral interventions, are among the most critical mechanisms to reducing the impact of this pandemic – one of the greatest challenges this generation will face.

Read the full article: http://www.bjp.org.br/details/945/en-US