Mental health problems in doctors fighting Covid-19

Mental health problems,  among young doctors on the front line in the fight against  Covid-19  such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and suicidal thoughts have been revealed in a study prepared by a team of doctors and scientists.

In the study, 274 interns and 243 residents participated, out of an estimated 1,205 interns and residents in the country, and a prevalence of 25.3% of depression, 13.7% of anxiety, 12.2% of post-traumatic stress and 9.3% of suicidal thoughts.

The study was prepared by Edward Espinosa Guerra and Edgar Rodríguez Barría, doctors from the Residency Program of the Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid Complex together with Jean-Paul Carrera, epidemiologist and virologist from the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies (Icges), and Christl A. Donnelly, professor at Imperial College London, in the United Kingdom, between July 23 and August 13, 2020, in the 10 provinces of the country.

The average age of the participants is 27.9 years.

Jean-Paul Carrera, the senior author of the study, explained that the data were obtained through a questionnaire – applied digitally – with scales that allowed evaluating anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress.

In addition, in the sampling period, sociodemographic variables, medical history of mental disorders, and exposure to the Covid-19 disease were analyzed, explained the Gorgas scientist.

The study found prevalence rates comparatively similar to those of already documented investigations of health personnel in the Netherlands and Italy, but lower than those found during the pandemic in China.

Carrera said that it is clear that the pandemic has caused an increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders in the world population, and health workers do not escape this reality, so it is necessary to know the factors that influence these findings, evaluating the association or not of this result with mental health in order to carry out a comprehensive approach to support those who are on the front line.