Associativity between COVID-19 Pandemic and Serious Mental Illness: Rapid Systematic Review within Salutogenesis Model for Public Health Management

Abstract

The COVID-19 Pandemic, SARS-COV-2 virus-form transformations, and ensuing psychosocial stress stemming from environmental change and isolation, has led to the conjecture that there would be a surge in psychosis cases. Intuitively, patients with Serious Mental Illness (SMI), like Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder and Major Depression, would be particularly susceptible. Existing literature illustrates psychological distress as a primary effect of the Pandemic - on people with/without SMI. We initiated a rapid review to determine the impact of the SARS-COV-2 virus - in symptomatic and asymptomatic cases - on people with/without psychosis. We envisioned that this would provide insights on effective clinical-intervention methods for psychotic-patients, during and after the Pandemic. Our review draws from papers, published in 2020, that considered participants - with/without psychiatric illness and exposure to SARS-COV-2 infection. The Salutogenesis Model was used to comprehend observations from the systematic-review, leading to suggestions and recommendations for preventive and promotive public health strategies.