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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1401734

COVID-19: Ramifications of the Pandemic on Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Provisionally accepted
Bala Munipalli Bala Munipalli 1*Majd Al-Soleiti Majd Al-Soleiti 2Teresa Rummans Teresa Rummans 1
  • 1 Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, United States
  • 2 Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: To explore the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on Mental Health and Substance Use. Patients and Methods: Relevant literature examining the correlation between COVID-19 and mental health/substance use was reviewed, and findings were summarized. Results: Specific mechanisms regarding COVID-19's effects on the brain are unclear, but preliminary studies and biomarkers have been suggested in the literature. Numerous studies demonstrated COVID-19 has immediate and lingering neuropsychiatric impacts on affected patients. Psychiatric disorders and substance abuse increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to biological and psychosocial factors, with a significant burden on individuals and societies worldwide, particularly in the United States. Conclusion: COVID-19 has shown us that underlying causes of mental health and substance abuse problems are more complicated than we have appreciated. Neuroinflammation and psychosocial stresses impact mental health and substance use. These factors need to be explored further for a better understanding and intervention.

    Keywords: COVID - 19, Mental Health, substance use, Neuroinflammation, neuropsychological effects

    Received: 15 Mar 2024; Accepted: 03 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Munipalli, Al-Soleiti and Rummans. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Bala Munipalli, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.