Evidence and practice

Role and needs of nurses in managing the mental health effects of COVID-19

Satwant Singh Professional and strategic lead in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), nurse consultant in cognitive behavioural therapy, Wordsworth Health Centre, Manor Park, London, England

Why you should read this article:

• To acknowledge the adverse effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of service users and staff
• To recognise signs and symptoms of mental health issues that may be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
• To locate external sources of mental health support in voluntary and professional organisations

In December 2019, a new infectious respiratory disease was reported in China, which was subsequently identified as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and prompted a pandemic. At the time of writing an estimated 175 million people had contracted the disease resulting in over 3.8 million deaths worldwide.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant adverse effects on the mental health of service users and healthcare professionals. Mental health professionals have had the responsibility of supporting others while potentially experiencing adverse effects of the pandemic on their own mental health. This article describes the pandemic’s effects on mental health and explores the role and needs of nurses in supporting the mental health of others.

Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2021.e1573

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

satwant.singh1@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Singh S (2021) Role and needs of nurses in managing the mental health effects of COVID-19. Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2021.e1573

Published online: 10 August 2021

Keywords :

anxiety - clinical - coronavirus disease 2019 - COVID-19 - depression - infection - mental health - mental health service users - mental health therapies - nursing care - professional - viral infections