Perspective Chapter: Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 – A Global Scenario

*Kishor Kunal, Priyanka Choudhary, Jiwesh Kumar, Ravi Prakash, Anita Singh and Kirti Kanchan*

## **Abstract**

COVID-19 outbreak reminds us of nationwide lockdowns, home-confinement, overburdened hospitals, country wide curfews, violent and chaotic health-facilities and domestic scenario and gradual but steady rise of stigmatizing factors like fear of isolation, racism, discrimination and marginalization cumulatively intensifying the unavoidable stress, fear, anxiety, depression, poor life quality, substance abuse resulting in enhanced mortality risk particularly among the health-compromised population. With objectives to analyze the psychosocial impact of COVID19 and to delineate the process of impact, by looking into its pathophysiology a literature review was carried on. Various impacts and adaptations were found. With a proper mapping algorithm, their responses can be understood. Different states of individual showed different responses to the same stress creating a gamut of responses which led to different socio-economic, socio-political, professional and psychosocial impact. Identification of stress, mapping of response and a better preparedness from experience can all help us in preventing and controlling it next time.

**Keywords:** COVID-19, psychosocial, social, impact, risk factors, HCWs

#### **1. Introduction**

COVID-19 outbreak reminds us of nationwide lockdowns, home-confinement, overburdened hospitals, country wide curfews, violent and chaotic health-facilities and domestic scenario and gradual but steady rise of stigmatizing factors like fear of isolation, racism, discrimination and marginalization cumulatively intensifying the unavoidable stress, fear, anxiety, depression, poor life quality, substance abuse resulting in enhanced mortality risk particularly among the health-compromised population [1–3] . Survival through this turmoil highlighted the elemental role of mental health organizations, individual healthcare and research, social media, awareness programs at both personal and community levels in significantly combating the world's psychosocial distress [4–6]. Although, COVID-19 bears the brunt of rising mental illness, a clear understanding of world's disease response would certainly aid in improving our medical emergencies and coping skills around the world.

Psychosocial impact of COVID-19 has been widely discussed in literature but what remains untouched as with all other parts of psychiatry is that the cause of impact has not been discussed [2–4, 7]. It is often easy to label each and every

disorder that a psychiatrist is seeing in COVID-19 patients or in patients or healthy beings having the effects somehow related to the pandemic to label as evidence. It thus becomes imperative to discuss the impact that a society is having through a unique lens that widens the perspective relating to the cause and consequence of each and every response that happens to the disease process. To help with this perspective, we shall use the model described by Kunal in his paper on hypothesis spanning the diversities of psychiatry and normalcy, in the section on pathophysiology [8]. But before we shall delve into this new perspective, we shall see what evidence has to say for the psychosocial impact of the pandemic.
