POST-COVID DEPRESSION. LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Introduction. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the doctor's attention was focused on the physical health of
patients, while a major unnoticed problem related to their mental state was brewing. According to the available literature, it is
established that mental disorders can range from mild anxiety to depression, stress and suicidal behavior. This literature
review was created to highlight the current situation and examine the epidemiology of depressive symptoms during the
recovery period from COVID-19.
Objective: to study the epidemiology of depression symptoms in the post-recovery period from COVID-19.
Search strategy: The literature search was carried out using PubMed, Cochrain, and The Lancet databases. 375
articles were found. The search strategy was to find the databases for the keywords: "pandemic", "depression", "anxiety",
"quarantine", "mental health". Duplicates and articles that are not related to the topic of the literary review were excluded. Out
of the remaining 59 articles, articles that did not correspond to the type were excluded: Clinical Trials, Meta-analysis, RCTs
(Randomized Controlled Trial), Systematic Review, and with a publication date of more than 5 years. 44 articles were
selected for the final review.
Inclusion criteria: the published articles on the prevalence of emerged or worsened due to pandemics depression
symptoms and other mental disorders were studied. Study Type: Clinical trials, Meta-analysis, RCTs (Randomized
Controlled Trial), Systematic Review. The publication date is not more than 5 years.
Exclusion criteria: the articles with a low level of evidence, the articles where the main object of research was minors. 

Results: The literature review found that symptoms of mental disorders are highly prevalent in people who have had
COVD-19. Symptoms of depression and anxiety are most prevalent, and symptoms of distress are relatively less prevalent.
Conclusions: Given the large impact of COVID-19 infection on mental health, longer and deeper studies examining the
psychopathology of COVID-19 survivors are needed to diagnose and treat emerging mental conditions by tracking their
changes over time.