Drug use in pandemic times: reflections on mental health impacts

Abstract

A new type of coronavirus, causing an infectious disease called COVID-19, with a high rate of transmissibility has spread around the world. The population was told to stay in their homes, in social isolation, so as not to act as vectors of virus transmission to more vulnerable individuals. The pandemic of the new coronavirus has brought social, economic, and psychological effects all over the world. Although these are necessary measures, the impacts of social isolation on the mental health of the population must be taken into consideration. This study aims to reflect on the effects of quarantine and the increase of addictive behaviors in this period of pandemic, bringing the implications of these for the mental and physical health of the population. This is a narrative review of articles, reports and book chapters published since the beginning of the pandemic, the main databases being Medline, Scielo and Scopus Elsevier. The findings point out that quarantine, has negatively impacted both the mental and physical health of the population, triggering psychological symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and addictive behavior, in addition, can arouse feelings such as sadness and anger, and may be punctual or extend after the end of isolation. However, there are strategies that, when adopted together, can minimize the psychological effects of isolation and make this moment less unhealthy. In this sense, this study highlights the importance of offering interdisciplinary treatments and effective public health strategies in public health systems, so that they can meet the needs of the population by providing comprehensive care and treatment, and by considering short, medium, and long-term actions to prevent addictive behaviors.