Perspectives on global psychiatry in the post-pandemic era: increased depression and severe psychological trauma

Abstract

Background: The world went through a distressful period in the beginning of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of lives were lost, and people went through a horrific situation due to social distancing and novel regulations being imposed by the governments. The economy has gradually recovered. However, experts are anticipating a global recession in the postpandemic era due to economic challenges in 2023. The objective of this paper was to critically assess the global psychiatric context in the post-pandemic era in light of this emerging situation. Methods: Cross-national interviews from 35 (N=35) medical professionals were conducted with four focused group discussions (FGDs). Many were directly working in fields related to mental well-being during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in their respective countries. Results: The study discovered that Asian populations are expected to experience severe mental traumas such as severe anxiety, hypertension, insomnia – more so than their Western counterparts where only a slight increase in depression is anticipated. This paper also revealed that people from low-income countries are adversely affected psychologically in a variety of traumas such as anxiety, hypertension, and severe depression in comparison to the global context. Citizens from developed nations only have moderate depression in common. Conclusion: The study discovered a variety of existing traumas among populations around the globe with different levels of preparations against future mental breakdowns. The government and medical community should work in harmony to establish appropriate protocols for improving the global psychiatry context. Future studies are encouraged for exploring the global psychiatric context holistically and followed up periodically to assess the extended impacts.