The Lancet Psychiatry

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a triple global public mental health challenge: (1) to prevent an associated increase in mental disorders and a reduction in mental wellbeing across populations; (2) to protect people with a mental disorder from COVID-19, and the associated consequences, given their increased vulnerability; and (3) to provide appropriate public mental health interventions to health professionals and carers. This challenge is compounded by the inadequate population coverage of evidence-based public mental health interventions before COVID-19, even in high-income countries. This article provides an overview of public mental health interventions that should be employed to address the impact of COVID-19 on mental health.

Addressing the public mental health challenge of COVID-19